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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NY Post

NEW YORK CITY, January 15 – When the International Monetary Fund held its biweekly embargoed media briefing back on November 15, Inner City Press asked four questions including, "On Sri Lanka, any updated thinking or action from the IMF given the dissolution of parliament, no confidence in Rajapaksa motion? Who are the IMF's technical counterparts?  Any changes?" Rice said the IMF continues to monitor the political situation and remain in touch with its "technical counterparts." Now on 15 January 2019, this from the IMF: "Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), met today with Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Governor Indrajit  Coomaraswamy. Following the meeting, Ms. Lagarde made the following statement:  “I was pleased to meet with Minister Samaraweera and Governor Coomaraswamy this afternoon. We discussed the challenging economic environment and the policy priorities for the country. The authorities stressed Sri Lanka’s continued commitment to their economic reform agenda under the IMF-supported program.  “We agreed that a strong policy mix, with effective implementation of that agenda, is key to strengthening confidence, while putting Sri Lanka on a sustainable, high-quality growth path that would benefit its people.  “The IMF remains ready to support the Sri Lankan authorities in these endeavors and an IMF team is scheduled to visit Colombo in mid-February to resume program discussions." What about Shavendra Silva as Army chief of staff? Not yet answered: "On Cameroon, while the IMF's recent report discussed the Cup of African Nations, what is the IMF's assessment of the impact of the ongoing conflict and travel restrictions in the country's Anglophone regions?
On Libya, the US has said it is “critical is promoting greater transparency of Libya’s economic institutions, including the Central Bank of Libya. These reforms will support much-needed conversation among Libyans about enhancing fiscal transparency and promoting a more equitable distribution of the country’s oil resources. The United States stands ready to support this economic dialogue, at Libya’s request and in close coordination with the UN Support Mission for Libya (UNSMIL), the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.” What is the IMF doing in/for Libya?
 On Saudi Arabia, can you further explain the basis of Mr Azour's statement that current and foreseeable responses to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi will no impact the Saudi economy? Asked whether the IMF felt a need to re-examine its expectations for the economy since the Khashoggi affair erupted, Jihad Azour, director of the Middle East and Central Asia department at the Fund, said it did not.  'What would have an impact is how oil prices will have moved going forward, and a certain number of other indicators like the pace of fiscal adjustment and the reforms that Saudi authorities will implement going forward,' Azour said." Back on November 1, Inner City Press asked four questions, including, "On Saudi Arabia, what is the IMF's estimate of the impact of l'affaire Khashoggi on the country's economy, as well as of the US' call for a (sequenced) cessation of hostilities in its war on Yemen?" IMF Spokesperson Gerry Rice, after reading out this "question from Matthew Lee," emphasized that the IMF doesn't do politics. He said, however, that the IMF is concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen and stands ready to re-engage although there are no operations there now due to the conflict. On Khashoggi's murder he said it is too early to estimate how much it will impact confidence in the Kingdom - it already has - and, in what others may take as news, he answered that the impact for now is modest. (Inner City Press also asked about the "coup" in Sri Lanka which Rice said the IMF is monitoring and remaining in contact with its counterparts on a technical level - but that's another story.) The Saudi kingdom is still dodging about the death of Jamal Khashoggi. And Czech President Miloš Zeman, who's clung at a personal adviser to Ye Jianming, controlled of UN bribery indictee Patrick Ho through the China Energy Fund Committee, has now said, “I love journalists, that’s why I may organize a special banquet for them this evening at the Saudi embassy.” It's this Zeman who's played a role in Guterres having China Energy Fund Committee still accredited UN ECOSOC, while Guterres has had Inner City Press banned since July 3. On May 17,  Inner City Press' reporting that day, as before, included the non-response since November 2017 of the UN Mission the the Czech Republic, which holds the presidency of the UN ECOSOC to which CEFC continues to hold consultative status, while CEFC's Ye Jianming was and remains an adviser to Czech President Zeman. Even as the Mission in New York refused to answer, on for example 28 November 2017 and 6 February 2018, Inner City Press' reporting has been picked up in the Czech Republic, on 12 January 2018 here, then on 28 May 2018 here. On June 4, a belated response from the Czech Mission to the UN, published by Inner City Press in full below along with the Press' follow up questions on June 4, still not answered as of 4 pm on June 5. Inner City Press is also informed that Marie Chatardova has reached out with the same answer to the Czech Press Agency; some say she is under consideration by Zeman to become the country's foreign minister and that this Press question unresponded to by the Czech Mission since November could be a problem. Suddenly on June 5, Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric read out an answer (he rushed off the podium so follow up question have not yet been possible). Video here. Then on June 22 and July 3 Guterres' Security roughed up Inner City Press and have banned it since, while blathering about freedom of the press.   After belatedly and conflicted statements about Khashoggi from  Guterres, who earlier this year took a $930 million check from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now as speech by Turkey's Erdogan, which over-promised (the "naked truth") and under-delivered, with its presumption that the King is not involved. It is noted that Erdogan has a record 73 journalists in jail, without due process like Guterres' dis-accreditation and banned from the UN list. Others compromising connections are being revealed. Guterres' Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake announced a partnership with MBS' Misk Foundation, as recently as September 26, 2018 (after school bus bombing) - and it remains in place... (The IMF's Lagarde, we note, canceled on Davos in the Desert.) At the October 10 Press-less UN noon briefing at which Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric by choice had only two questioners, one retired, Dujarric said Guterres had not spoken to the Crown Prince he took the money from. Now as some banks pull out of Davos in the Desert, notably two French banks both with operations in the United States are still planning to go: Societe Generale CEO Frédéric Oudéa and
BNP Paribas Chairman Jean Lemierre; also a French arms manufacturer Thales CEO Patrice Caine. We'll have more on this. On October 15, with Inner City Press still unable to attend and ask, included on Guterres "banned" list along with political activists, thankfully the Khashoggi question was asked, by Richard Roth: "Now that he's home, is the Secretary-General planning to meet or has he met with the Saudi UN Ambassador?  What is the Secretary-General's comment regarding President Trump's remark this morning that the Saudi King said that there were rogue killers, rogue actors who were responsible?  And it might be nice if the Secretary-General stopped after his Security Council appearance tomorrow morning considering some of the events that have happened while he was gone.  Just a suggestion.  Thank you.

Spokesman Dujarric:  I’m always happy to take the suggestions on board.  You know, I think the Secretary-General was very clear in the comments he made, I think, to some of your colleagues in Indonesia, is that he thinks it's very important for the truth to come out.  Our understanding is that, obviously, the Turks… Turkish authorities are investigating.  I think we, like everybody else, would like to know what happened to Mr. [Jamal] Khashoggi.  And as the Secretary-General said, as we've said from here, we've had… there have been contacts between the UN and the Saudi authorities." At what level? As Inner City Press showed, Guterres seemingly slept in on October 15. It was his chief of staff who presented in the Fifth Budget Committee. And this? On October 14 from US Senator Dick Durban, this: "Yesterday, Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Ambassador to the United States, called Durbin directly from Riyadh about Khashoggi’s disappearance. 'In my call with Ambassador bin Salman, he admitted to knowing Mr. Khashoggi and even said he counts him as a friend.  However, Ambassador bin Salman gave no credible explanation for Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance.  He refused to comment directly on the video showing Mr. Khashoggi entering the Istanbul consulate but not exiting, would not respond to reports of intelligence showing a plan to lure Mr. Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia, would not respond to a request for a third party to investigate, and gave me no timetable on the Saudi’s investigative report.

I told Ambassador bin Salman that he should expect a very negative response from both sides of the aisle in Congress if Mr. Khashoggi was in fact kidnapped and murdered.  And if that is the case, I do not believe the U.S. should continue to be party to supporting the Saudis in the bloodshed in Yemen -- a halt that is long overdue given the humanitarian disaster resulting from that conflict. 

This recurring theme of the Saudi government and royal family silencing their critics, such as the case with Raif Badawi and Waleed al-Khair, along with the fact that they continue to turn a blind eye to the export of Wahabbi extremism makes it increasingly difficult to accept Saudi Arabia as trusted ally of the United States.

Since Saudi arms are being used to ravage Yemen and they are apparently complicit in the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi, I cannot support President Trump’s proposed arms sale.  Secretary Mnuchin should immediately cancel his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia and after a two year delay, the Trump Administration should finally nominate a U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.'"  Earlier Dujarric's deputy emailed this to Inner City Press: "Regarding Mr. Khashoggi, we have said the following: The Secretary-General is very concerned about recent reports of violence against journalists, including the most recent cases - the reported disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi and the murder of Victoria Marinova in Bulgaria. Both publicly and privately, the Secretary-General has often raised this issue with Member States. It’s also important to note that that there’s also been a very worrying increase increasing violence, sexual and otherwise, against women journalists.
The Secretary-General’s position is clear: a free press is essential for peace, justice and human rights for all. He reiterates his call on all governments to strengthen press freedom, including ensuring that there is justice and accountability for crimes committed against journalists." This while Guterres himself has roughed up and banned the critical Press - and is now exposed as putting it on his secret banned list that includes "political activists."

And so too the story about the Saudi foreign minister Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir's speech in the UN General Assembly that Guterres banned Inner City Press from, by his state media "UN News Centre" run by Alison Smale. This story merely runs lines from Al-Jubeir such as, "On the conflict in Yemen, the Saudi Minister said that Houthi militia continue to manufacture missiles and carry out activities that destabilize the region. Underscoring the need for a political solution to the crisis, Minister Al-Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia will continue to facilitate all humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people." This story does not mention the Saudis bombing of children in a school bus. One might think Smale is just wasting public money, as usual, by reproducing the flat coverage of UN Meetings Covering. But it's worse: the lack of analysis or presenting the other side is selective. Smale's UN News Centre's write up of the Myanmar speech includes a description of and link to a report on the government's killings. Smale also barred Inner City Press from attending the Reuters and CPJ event on Myanmar's jailing of two journalists, here. We'll have more on this - due to Guterres and Smale's lawless censorship Inner City Press has had to cover UNGA 73 from the streets and is only now reviewing Smale's shameful production. Watch this site.

 On September 25, after meeting the Saudi foreign minister, Guterres gushed, "The Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Adel Al-Jubeir, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister discussed regional issues of mutual interest, including Yemen and Syria. The Secretary-General expressed appreciation to Saudi Arabia for its support to the ongoing reconciliation process in the Horn of Africa and United Nations youth initiatives." Not a word on the bombing of school bus. Earlier on September 25 the UK Mission to the UN closed to the press - all press, apparently - its event on Addressing Malnutrition in Yemen. To his credit, ICRC's Peter Maurer released his remarks, here, including calling for "ceasing the transfer of weapons if there is a clear risk of violations of international law." That should mean the host of the meeting would stop such sales - and, as didn't happen this week, incoming UN Security Council member Germany would as well. We'll have more on this. On September 14 the NRC's Saleem Al-Shamiri in Hodeidah said, "Stability within Hodeidah is becoming worse and fear about what might happen continuing to increase. Those remaining in Hodeidah know they could lose everything, including their lives, but for many, it is not a simple decision to leave. To leave is to abandon everything people know and have worked for, with no certainty about the future. If people leave, they don’t know where they will go, how they will find shelter, what they will eat. Many fled here already and the war followed. They’re tired of running. One of our colleagues here is expecting her baby any day. These are terrifying circumstances for her delivery. She says it is now too late, too uncertain and too expensive for her family to leave. No baby should be born into a situation like this.”
The weekend of 7-9 September marked one of the deadliest in Yemen’s war so far, with more than 84 conflict-related fatalities reported within Hodeidah health facilities alone, according to reports received from Safer Yemen.
Fighting is now pressing in on Hodeidah city from several sides, including heavy ground clashes and sustained aerial bombardments. Civilians in Hodeidah reported airstrikes in close proximity to the city’s southern and eastern borders, including up to fifty strikes on the city fringes on Wednesday alone.
Houses, farms, a flour mill and a soft drink factory were among civilian buildings hit by airstrikes across Hodeidah governorates over the last fortnight.
We are highly concerned about the security of the Hodeidah Port complex, including milling facilities housing enough to feed 3.5 million Yemeni people.
Aid agencies in Yemen have identified close to 500,000 people that had fled homes in Hodeidah between June and August. So far in September, 55,000 people have been displaced from across the governorate, leaving more than half a million at heightened risk of hunger and exposure to diseases, including cholera.  
ECHO reports that the number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has now increased for the 12thweek in a row, to 9,245 suspected cases. This number adds to more that 133,000 cases of suspected cholera through 2018 thus far.
By 13 September, seven vessels were berthed at Hodeidah port, carrying a 79,000 metric tons of food and over 30,000 metric tons of critically-needed gas oil. An additional three vessels are queued to deliver food and fuel in the coming days. Food and fuel deliveries through Yemen’s Red Sea Ports have held steady since June but any disruption or threat to the safety of shipments could strangle the Yemeni economy and impact access to food for more than 20 million people." Inner City Press, which previously at the UN Security Council stakeout asked US Ambassador Nikki Haley questions about Jeffrey Feltman and Cameroon has now been banned from the UN for 70 days and counting and so asks like this, on September 11. We'll have more on this. On September 10 the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has had this to say on Yemen in her opening speech: "Regarding Yemen, I urge all parties to take stock of the gravity of the findings of the Group of Eminent Experts. They have identified a number of individuals who may be responsible for international crimes, and that confidential list is now in the Office. It is crucial that there be continued international and independent investigations into all allegations of violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes – particularly in light of the apparent inability of the parties to the conflict to carry out impartial investigations. Last month's shocking strike on a bus carrying schoolchildren was followed by another horrific series of airstrikes which left dozens of civilians and children killed and injured in Al Hudaydah. I note the recent statement by the Coalition acknowledging mistakes over the airstrike on the school bus in Sa’ada, and I will be closely following what steps are taken to hold the perpetrators accountable and provide remedy and compensation to the victims. There should be greater transparency over the coalition’s rules of engagement and the measures taken to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated. The recent Saudi royal order which appears to provide a blanket pardon to members of the Saudi armed forces for actions taken in Yemen is very concerning." So why has Guterres done a favor to Saudi Arabia putting it on the "good child killer" list?  We'll have more on this, and on Bachelet's response (or not) to the evidence provided to her on and since her first day about shameful censorship of the Press at and by the UN Secretariat as it pursues the UN's role in Yemen, deferring to the Saudis and their armers.

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