This
despite the
fact that such
a table was
permitted and
used under
previous
Secretary
General Kofi
Annan, and in
the interim
Security
Council in the
basement under
the General
Assembly.
This
despite that
fact that
incoming
Security
Council
president Mark
Lyall Grant of
the UK has
closely
listened,
without saying
no, to
proposals by
Inner City
Press and the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access
for a table
between the
steps down to
the Security
Council and
the so-called
Turkish
Lounge.
This
despite the
fact that even
French
Permanent
Representative
Gerard Araud
told Inner
City Press on
Thursday
morning that
the Security
Council
president
would have to
be consulted
about this.
Who
is behind this
roll back in
press access?
The two "no
table"
statements
have come from
UN official
Stephane
Dujarric, who
is at highest
the number
three official
in the UN
Department of
Public
Information.
The
chief of DPI
Peter
Launsky-Tieffenthal
is out of the
office until
May 28. His
Number Two and
Officer in
Charge Maher
Nasser has
been copied on
all of FUNCA's
objections,
but has said
nothing.
So is
one Stephane
Dujarric
allowed, alone
or with
partners,
to set the
policy for how
the UN Security
Council
can be
covered? Here
is how he
responded on
this issue:
From:
Stephane
Dujarric [at]
un.org
Date: Thu, May
23, 2013
Subject: Re:
Reiterated
requests on
table by UNSC
To: funca [at]
funca.info
Cc:
matthew.lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Dear
Matthew, on
the issue of
the tables, I
do not
anticipate any
changes. The
stakeout is
not an office
area. The
offices
provided by
the UN to the
press are
exactly that:
offices. Desks
and tables
were permitted
at the
stakeout at
the temporary
location of
the Security
Council
because your
offices were
far away. Once
the Security
Council
returns to
it's [sic]
original
space, your
office will
only be one
flight of
stairs away.
It's
simple, but
apparently
needs to be
said again:
there was a
table in front
of the old
Security
Council, even
though the
press floors
were then and
now on the
third and
fourth floor.
As several
Security
Council
ambassadors
acknowledged
to Inner City
Press as
obvious
earlier on May
23, they often
leave meetings
before the
formal end,
and would be
long gone
before a
scribe sitting
in his or her
office
upstairs was
aware of it.
May 22: UN
says
on reduction
of press
access to
UNSC, talk to
Dujarric
[UNTV]
Likewise,
there
are many
Council
activities
that take
place when
formal
meetings are
not underway.
That is why
there was a
table there
before, and
must be in the
future --
whatever
Dujarric and his
partners
say. Watch
this site.