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US Says Will Help Syria Coalition With Banks, G77 Seethes, Resolution Pends

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 6 -- The US as Host Country to the United Nations has told the member states in the Group of 77 that it can do little to live up to the provision in the Host Country Agreement that countries' missions should have access to banking services.

  This has given rise to G77 outrage, on which Inner City Press first reported on March 18, and to a draft General Assembly resolution, below.

   Significantly, when the US State Department was asked on May 5 what the effect of granting foreign mission status to the Syrian Opposition Coalition would be, the response was, "It will allow us to formally facilitate banking and security services for the coalition offices in the United States."

   Several G77 members have expressed surprise or anger at this statement, one telling Inner City Press, The US can't do anything for countries, some supposedly allies, but will facilitate banking for these Gulf-sponsored rebels?

  The Syrian Coalition under Ahmad Jarba is based in Turkey, and has been subject to a power struggle between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with the latter mostly winning. As one G77 member put it, Money talks.

   Back on March 18 JPMorgan Chase came up as a topic, and target, in a closed door meeting at the UN of the Group of 77 and China on March 18, several Permanent Representative then exclusively told Inner City Press. They marveled that the UN does business with JPM Chase while the bank cuts off many of the member states of the UN.

  Now a G77-agreed draft resolution has emerged, including a review of the UN's relations with JPM Chase, and has the votes to be adopted in the General Assembly, as reported by IPS. Inner City Press is publishing the full text, below.

  In the half-light of the UN Conference Building's second floor on March 18, ambassadors complained that while JPMorgan Chase is moving to deny many of their missions bank accounts, the bank also overcharges them when for example they pay or get paid by UN Peacekeeping.

  The idea discussed was to draft and vote on a General Assembly resolution on the topic. The US government is required, under the UN Host Country Agreement, to try to ensure banking services for countries' diplomatic missions. Here is the G77-agreed language, on which for now the UN Secretariat has declined comment:

7 April 2014 Group of 77 and China DRAFT RESOLUTION General Assembly Sixty-eighth session

Agenda item 124 Strengthening of the United Nations system

Agenda item 125 United Nations reform: measures and proposals

Enhancement of the administration and financial functioning of the United Nations

The General Assembly,

PP1 Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and its relevant provisions,

PP2 Considering the agreement established by the United Nations, the host country, and the City of New York, in order to guarantee the rights, obligations and the fulfillment of responsibilities by Member States towards the United Nations, under the United Nations Charter and international law,

PP3 Taking into consideration also that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and the host country agreement of 26 June 1947 approved by General Assembly resolution A/RES/169(II), are the regulatory framework for States and international organizations, in particular the relations for the United Nations headquarters in the City of New York and the Member and Observer States,

PP4 Expressing its deep concern over the decisions made on a number of occasions by several banking institutions, including JP Morgan Chase Bank (the United States consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co.) in relation to the closing of the Permanent Missions’ accounts and the accounts of their staff accredited to the United Nations and their relatives,

PP5 Regretting the notifications made by the host country to the Permanent Missions, indicating that the relations between the Permanent Missions of Member and Observer States and their staff with the banking institutions in the City of New York, as well as the financial relations between the United Nations Secretariat and the banking institutions, are both of a private nature and are not regulated, directed, or oriented in any way by the host country or any of its agencies,

PP6 Stressing that Governments of Members and Observers of the United Nations, the Permanent Missions and their staff, as well as the United Nations headquarters, UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, ought to be guaranteed the normal functioning of their facilities in order to discharge their duties, and recalling the obligations of the Host Country under international law to accord full facilities for the performances of the functions of the Permanent Missions accredited to the United Nations;

PP7 Keeping in mind the need for Permanent Missions and the United Nations organization as a whole, to establish long-term business relations based on mutual trust and respect, especially in light of the latest actions taken by some banking institutions, including the JP Morgan Chase Bank in this regard,

OP1 Requests the Secretary General to review and report to the General Assembly, within the next 120 days following the adoption of the present resolution, of any obstacles or impediments observed in the accounts opened by the Permanent Missions of Member and Observer States or their staff at the JP Morgan Chase Bank in the City of New York, and the impact that these impediments have on the adequate functioning of their offices, and, to this end, invites Member and Observer States to provide the Secretary General with relevant information that will facilitate the elaboration of such report;

OP2 Also requests the Secretary General to submit to the General Assembly a set of recommendations and a proposal oriented to reviewing the U.N. Secretariat’s financial relations with the JP Morgan Chase Bank and considering alternatives to such financial institutions and to report thereon along with the information requested in OP1 above;

OP3 Further requests the Secretary General, as soon as possible but not later than 30 days from the adoption of the present resolution, to provide Member and Observer States with alternative options regarding banking services in the City of New York, to allow them to adequately manage and maintain their accounts, assessed budgetary contributions, voluntary contributions, transfers and other financial activities directly related to their membership to the United Nations, and their Permanent Missions, while reassuring, by holding proper negotiations on this matter in his capacity as UN chief administrative officer, including with the host country, that all Permanent and Observer Missions and their staff and their family members will be granted equal, fair, and non-discriminatory treatment from the referred institutions when conducting their respective accounts;

OP4 Requests the host country, in light of its obligations under international law including the host country agreement, in particular sections 1, 2(b) and 27 and especially stressing the provisions as outlined in section 25, and the Vienna Convention, to take, as soon as possible, all the necessary measures to ensure Permanent Missions accredited to the United Nations and their staff are granted equal, fair and non-discriminatory treatment by the banking system;

OP5 Underscores the importance of the host country taking the necessary measures to ensure that personal data and information of persons affected by the closure of accounts is kept confidential by banking institutions, including the JP Morgan Chase Bank and the possible successors of those institutions, and requests the Secretary-General to work with the host country in that regard and to report to the General Assembly within 90 days;

OP6. Decides to keep this matter under review during the 68th session of the General Assembly as well as the following sessions.

  JPMorgan Chase was centrally involved in the 2008 predatory lending meltdown that hurt the economies of countries around the world, as Inner City Press has covered in depth. Now, belatedly, there is fight back in the UN General Assembly, on the issue of bank accounts and fees. Watch this site.

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