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As Yemen Nobel Winner Tells ICP of Saleh Problems, Precedent of Syria, UNTV

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 12 -- While Yemen is being cited as a precedent for how to "get Assad out of Syria," the situation in Yemen today is hardly a model of success.

  In an exclusive June 11 interview with Inner City Press, Nobel Prize winner Tawakkol Karman said that family members of ostensibly deposed strongman Ali Saleh have been "making trouble."

   On the other hand, she confirmed as part of the process when Inner City Press had already asked the UN about it: that the Houthi rebels will now take part in the national dialogue.

  Tawakkol Karman told Inner City Press that Tuesday's Security Council session is "very important," and should be approached similarly as when after a Council resolution was considered in October, Inner City Press signed her into the UN as a guest and she was able to speak publicly just outside the Council chamber. Inner City Press channel YouTube video here.

  That time, UN Television debated whether to censor their video of her speaking, including answer Inner City Press questions.

  Last week, UN TV turned off as Syria's Permanent Representative began speaking. While Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky blamed his on a "miscommunication," Inner City Press has exclusive reported, and since further confirmed, that the cut-off was ORDERED by he UN's Michele DuBach, Acting Deputy Director-News & Media Operations.

   And so Inner City Press wrote to Nesirky and his Associate Farhan Haq, as well as Ms. DuBach:

"I am writing for your comment on an exclusive story I am on deadline for, including that the call to turn off UN TV when Syria's Permanent Representative Ja'afari began speaking in the General Assembly on June 7 was made by the UN's Michele DuBach, Acting Deputy Director-News & Media Operations. If no response is received now, one can be added later. But if you can send something now, how ever brief, it will be included."

   While a UN corruption question Inner City Press submitted at the same time has yet to be answered, on this the spokesperson's office answered:

Subject: Your question on UNTV
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Date: Sun, Jun 10, 2012 at 5:20 PM

Regarding your question on UNTV's broadcast last Thursday, this is what the Spokesperson had to say about it on Friday, 8 June:

"I have a message from our colleagues in the News and Media Division. They very much regret and apologize for the brief disruption of the UN's broadcasting of the General Assembly meeting on Syria yesterday. This was due to a miscommunication within the division. Every effort is being made to prevent similar occurrences in the future."

   But Inner City Press was present at the June 8 noon briefing and heard that statement. It does not address the specific question -- what was the role of Michele DuBach, Acting Deputy Director-News & Media Operations in ordering the cut off?

  Inner City Press on June 10 published its exclusive story, but still the question has not been answered.

   What is a "miscommunication," for the UN? If as the UN TV sources say, DuBach said turn it off and they did, there was no miscommunication. Did someone erroneously tell DuBach to issue such an order? Who? And what will happen on Yemen, and Tawakkol Karman, on June 12? Watch this site, if not UN TV.