UNITED
NATIONS, May
22 -- That
press access
at the UN is
declining by
design
under
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
was confirmed
to Inner City
Press
Wednesday
night by UN
official
Stephane
Dujarric.
Since
the time of
Secretary
General Kofi
Annan, the UN press
corps had
access to a
work table in
front of the
Security
Council,
to write
stories on
laptops and
speak with
diplomats on
their way in
and out.
Now
Ban's UN, via
Dujarric and
the UN
Correspondents
Association,
seek to
eliminate that
access. Media
Access
Guidelines
shown this
week to
Inner City
Press and the
new Free UN
Coalition for
Access state
"f.
The Security
Council
stakeout area,
including the
Turkish
Lounge, is
not to be used
as a permanent
workspace for
the media.
When the
Council is not
in session,
correspondents
should
minimize the
amount
of time in the
area, unless
interviewing
or conversing
with a U.N.
delegate or
official."
FUNCA
immediately
protested
this, and
numerous other
UN
correspondents
including
regular UNCA
members agreed
on Wednesday.
Inner
City Press
spoke with UK
Ambassador
Mark Lyall
Grant, who
will be
Security
Council
president in
June, and who
listened
attentively.
Inner City
Press has
shown him
precisely
where an
unobtrusive
work table
could
be located.
On
the evening of
May 22, Inner
City Press and
FUNCA inquired
again with
the Department
of Public
Information.
The chief is
still away; in
his
place,
Dujarric
replied:
"On
the
guidelines, we
gave you a
chance to
comment and I
thank you for
those
comments. In
the end, these
are the UN's
guidelines.
While we
give you a
chance to
input, we
reserve the
final say.
What I can
tell you know
is that there
will be no
tables or work
stations set
up
at the
Security
Council
stakeout when
we return.
That area is
reserved for
stakeouts. If
you need to
work you can
do that in the
office which
has been
provided to
you by the
United
Nations."
This
confirms the
intent to
change prior
practice,
which allowed
journalists to
work at a
table in front
of the
Security
Council. If
the incoming
President of
the Security
Council is not
of this view,
where does it
come from?
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
as
an indication
of that table
existed in
2009, click
here for Inner
City Press
story of when
a single UN
Security
officer tried
to take
it away -- and
failed.
Inner City
Press
subsequently
had a
rapprochement
with this UN
Security
officer, and
wishes him
nothing but
the best.
But the story
stands,
here.
, 
