As
SC Meets on
Houla, Russia
Calls it
Murky, UN
Deputy With
Dubious Past?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 27 -- As
the UN
Security
Council
convened on
Sunday
afternoon
about the
killings in
Houla, Syria,
German
Ambassador
Peter
Wittig on way
in told the
press it's
appalling and
that since the
observers
"confirm" the
use of heavy
weapons, a
strong
statement is
needed.
But
inside the
consultations,
Inner City
Press was told
by sources,
Russia
referred
to the
circumstances
of the killing
in Houla as
murky. The UK,
a
source
continued,
insisted that
there was
nothing murky
at all. So
it was unclear
what type even
of Press
Statement
could be
issued.
Meanwhile
diplomats
of various
countries not
only the
Security
Council
trickled in:
Syria, of
course, but
also Sudan and
Norway, the
country of
General
Robert Mood.
Media
reports
quoted UNSMIS
deputy chief
Martin
Griffiths.
As Inner City
Press
exclusively
reported on
March 28
-- the same
day as another
exclusive
that was on
May 21 stolen
without credit
triggering
moved to expel
Inner City
Press --
whistleblowers
complained to
it of
Griffiths past
and hiring.
Griffith
worked for the
UN then as the
executive
director of
the Center for
Humanitarian
Dialogue (CHD)
based in
Geneva, as is
the Kofi Annan
Foundation.
Griffith was
forced to resign from CHD after a CHF
3.8 million
fraud was
exposed in
June 2010, and
confirmed by
KPMG.
Based
on this, a
well placed
diplomat told
Inner City
Press on
Wednesday,
"Griffiths
could never
have been
hired for this
by the UN. But
Kofi has
forced him
onto the team,
and like the
rest of them
he's been
given a UN
contract and
pay for at
least six
months, no
matter what
happens with
the Syria
work."
Before
publication,
Inner City
Press sought
comment from
Annan's
spokesman
Fawzi, who to
his credit
responded with
a not only a
no-comment but
also a
confirmation,
which still
stops short of
disclosing who
else is on the
team.
Inner
City Press
asked:
I
am told that
on the JSE
team (but not
known to me
until today)
is Martin
Griffiths. I
note that he
resigned as
executive
director of
the Centre for
Humanitarian
Dialogue amid
and in
connection
with an
embezzlement
scandal. I
would like
your comment
on this, on
deadline,
including but
not limited to
if a reference
was provided
from this
previous
employer, and
what it said.
I
would also
like the name
of the team,
certainly all
those being
paid with UN
money, and
confirmation
that they are
receiving six
month
contracts and
that Mr.
Guehenno is
now an
Assistant
Secretary
General, for
six months.
Would this
remain the
term whatever
the outcome or
duration of
the Syria
work?
Annan's
spokesman
Fawzi replied
on these:
"Mr
Griffiths is a
highly
qualified
member of the
JSE's team on
a UN contract.
I am not going
to comment on
his previous
employer. Mr
Guehenno is at
the ASG level
and most of us
have 6-month
contracts.
That's it for
now."
Inner City
Press asked,
Does this last
mean that the
full team, at
least those
being paid
with UN money,
will soon be
disclosed? It
still hasn't
been. Watch
this site.
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