Obama's
UN Speech Said
Africa-Free,
3/4 Iran &
Syria,
Fundraising
Not
Shown
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 20
-- While a
high
percentage of
the UN's work
is
in Africa,
whenever
Secretary
General
Ban Ki-moon
sees a chance
to be
relevant on a
higher profile
issue like
Syria or the
Middle East,
he
drops Africa
like a hot
potato (or
yam).
But
on the White
House call
about Obama's
upcoming trip
to the UN
General
Assembly,
Africa was not
mentioned in
any of the
eight
questions
taken. Nor did
Obama adviser
Ben Rhodes
include in his
summary of
Obama's speech
either Sudan,
or Somalia,
or the
Democratic
Republic
of the Congo.
The
first three
questions were
about Iran;
the next three
about Syria.
Finally a
former
UN-based
reporter asked
about a
different
issue
(still not
Africa, but
Afghanistan
and Pakistan).
Unmentioned
was
that Obama
will be
holding a DNC
fundraiser
while in New
York,
and that yesterday
he nominated
Bruce Heyman
of Goldman
Sachs as US
Ambassador to
Canada.
As
if in another
world, UN
envoy to the
Great Lake
Mary Robinson
spoke
on Friday
afternoon and
said that the
US
devoting its
one Security
Council debate
in July to the
DR Congo meant
it is
important to
the
US.
Really?
In
fairness,
Obama's first
bilateral
meeting on
September 23
will be
with Goodluck
Jonathan. But
that would
seem to be
because Obama
missed Nigeria
in his trip,
in favor of
Senegal then
South Africa.
Ban Ki-moon
will get the
Obama face
time that he
prized,
slipped in
between
Obama's speech
then meetings
with Lebanon
and Palestine
and
the UNGA
lunch. Will
Ban raise an
African issue?
We doubt it.
Watch
this site.
Footnote:
There would
have been a
ninth
question, but
Daniel
Robinson of Voice of
America
did not
respond when
called on. John Kerry is
on the
Broadcasting
Board of
Governors of
VOA, so
presumably
they have
other access.
We'd heard
VOA was
getting its
budget cut,
but damn.
We'll have
more on this.
, 
