Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

At IMF, DSK Dismisses “French Questions,” None Taken on Cote d'Ivoire

By Matthew Russell Lee

WASHINGTON DC, April 14 -- Dominique Strauss Kahn was filled with bon mots and seeming bonhommie at his press conference at the IMF on Thursday. Perhaps it was because the questions and questioners were carefully selected, and those DSK didn't like, he didn't answer.

An RTL radio reporter asked him in French if by the Fall the IMF might have a new Managing Director -- that is, if by then DSK will already by campaigning to replace Nicolas Sarkozy.

“The French part of the question,” Strauss Kahn told the rest of the hall in English, “is irrelevant.” He added, in French, that he would answer questions later in that language, but only on the topic of the IMF's and World Bank's Spring Meetings.

But even on major IMF topics, DSK did not take questions. There was nothing on Ireland or Iceland, and as spokesperson Caroline Atkinson called the session to a close, a reporter cried out, “Please, one question about Portugal!” But no.

Inner City Press, which does its best to get questions answered at the IMF's biweekly online briefings, held hand aloft for the entire press conference. Perhaps DSK would have dismissively characterized as “a French question” any inquiry about Cote d'Ivoire, where the IMF in January told Inner City Press it had suspended its programs due to instability.

Dominique Straus-Kahn & Ben Ali per FP, clairvoyance not shown

Before Strauss Kahn spoke, the President of the World Bank Robert Zoellick held his own press conference. It had many fewer jokes, but more information -- and not only his answer to Inner City Press on Libya and Yemen.

On Cote d'Ivoire, Zoellick said he would be meeting in the next days in DC with former IMF official Alassane Ouattara's finance minister Charles Koffi Dibi.

Will Strauss Kahn be participating in this meeting? If not, why not? Or is that too a “French question”? Watch this site.

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World Bank Can't Deal With Libya Rebels, Says Danger Drives It Out of Yemen

By Matthew Russell Lee

WASHINGTON DC, April 14 -- Minutes after Robert Zoellick touted the World Bank's engagement with civil society in the Arab world, Inner City Press asked him if the Bank has had any contacts with the Libyan Transitional National Council based in Benghazi.

No, Zoellick answered, since its founding in 1944 the World Bank can deal “only with established governments.” He went on to describe World Bank assistance to those fleeing Libya, referring to a program with Bangladesh to get its nationals out and provide then assistance once back in Bangladesh.

But Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the UN has told Inner City Press that most of his nationals remained trapped in Libya, unlike for example Belgium which immediately flew its 78 citizens out.

Zoellick implied that some part of the $500 million program just announced with Tunisia will help those fleeing Libya to that country. We'll see.

Inner City Press also asked Zoellick about Yemen, whether World Bank programs continue there and what it would take to change that -- that is, if there is a limit to the repression that the World Bank would accept.

Zoellick replied that nearly all of the World Bank's international staff have been removed from the country for safety reasons, although a “resident” remains to work on “the bank [or Bank?] brief” there. He mused that the World Bank likes to watch things, to be ready. But ready for what? Watch this site.

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In DC, Session on Corruption Hunting Is World Bank Ad, ICC Tales, Gaddafi

By Matthew Russell Lee

WASHINGTON DC, April 13 -- A World Bank session on “Corruption Hunting” Wednesday at the International Monetary Fund's & World Bank's Spring Meetings devolved into little more than an advertisement for the Bank's work, from Indonesia to tigers, and for its lack of planning and coordination.

Robert Zoellick spoke at the beginning and the end of the session, starting by bragging of forcing restitution payments to Indonesia and ending with the World Bank's work to preserve tigers, along with ASEAN.

At the beginning he invited those in attendance, including the press, to later ask questions. But after each of the six other speakers went over-time, the public and press were excluded.

International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo brushed off the moderator, Bill Connor, saying “don't ruin my last story.” Connor backed off, as he'd do later for Giovanni Kessler of Olaf and Boon Hui Khoo of Interpol.

Ocampo's story began with the “Ukraine mafia” doing business in Ituri in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and ended with “Ronald Desmet,” whose aircraft “9QCMC” flew the DRC's Bemba as well as Viktor Bout, and who according to Ocampo had Gaddafi's private number.

Libya was mentioned, as not being included in the World Bank report, but Mubarak of Egypt and Ben Ali of Tunisia did not come up at all.

Zoellick & Ocampo nearly fall asleep on April 13, interaction not shown (c) MRLee

Rather, Giovanni Kessler of Olaf bemoaned not being able to better share information, and Singaporean Boon Hui Khoo of Interpol complained of lack of resources.

Khoo predicted that the UN Security Council will never deem corruption a threat to international peace and security, and therefore the ICC won't have jurisdiction.

Not mentioned, or able to be questioned about, was Ocampo's Wikileaked briefing to Susan Rice and Alejandro Wolff at the US Mission to the UN, urging them to speaking publicly about Bashir of Sudan having $9 billion dollars, and naming Lloyds Bank. There has been no follow through on this. Watch this site.

Click for Mar 1, '11 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund. Video Analysis here

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations