At
Mine Action
Event, ICP
Can't Ask of
Bax As Did
Kay, Not 007,
Censorship by
Gallach
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March
30 -- The UN
held a Mine
Action Day
event in the
General
Assembly
Lobby,
complete with
actor Daniel
Craig (of
James Bond 007
fame) on March
30, photo
(from early
portion) here
and here.
Inner City
Press expected
to be able to
cover it as
before,
including on
the question
of Mine Action
Service rogue
employee David
Bax, about
whose purchase
of an
anti-aircraft
gun in Somalia
Inner City
Press last
year asked
Nicholas Kaye,
now with the
real UK FCO.
But no.
Due to a
retaliatory
cut in
accreditation
by UN official
Cristina
Gallach, most
recent March
30 threat
letter here,
Inner City
Press could
only attend
the first
portion of the
event, having
to leave at 7
pm before
there was any
opportunity to
interview
anyone. This
is what
Gallach calls
“full access,”
to Tamils and
a Nobel Prize
Winner (Jose
Ramos Horta)
and others who
contact her.
It is false.
It was ironic:
Deputy
Secretary
General Jan
Eliasson was
mock-finding a
mine just as
the clock hit
6:58 pm and
Inner City
Press left.
Guards who
have
previously at
Gallach's
command thrown
Inner City
Press out onto
First Avenue
cast glares;
others who
write no
stories
remained.
To be an
investigative
reporter in
the UN, as the
loose
tightens, is
like walking
through a mine
field. And
Gallach has
made it clear
which side she
is on. Watch
this site.
Back
on June 8,
2015 Inner
City Press
asked then UN
envoy to
Somalia
Nicholas Kay
about the UN
Office of
Project
Services
report(s) on
UN figure
David Bax on
which it has
exclusively
reported, this
time that Bax
while in
Somalia
purchased an
anti-aircraft
gun SA-7. Video here.
Kay was handed
a piece of
paper and read
out that this
allegation is
under
investigation
and therefore
he can have no
comment at
this time.
Inner City
Press replied
it has heard
the UNOPS
report is
finished, and
asked in any
event if it or
a summary will
be made
public. Kay
said what he
had read was
all he could
say.
Inner
City Press
also asked
Somalia's
prime minister
and Maman
Sidikou,
Special
Representative
of the
Chairperson of
the AU
Commission for
Somalia about
the geographic
scope of the
AMISOM
mission,
including in
Somaliland and
Puntland
(there was no
answer on
either) and
about US
stated plans
to send an
ambassador.
Watch this
site.
When the UN
Mine Action
Service held
its annual
press
conference on
April 1, Inner
City Press
wanted to ask
UNMAS Director
Agnes
Marcaillou
about landines
in South Sudan
and UNMAS'
promotion of
multiply-accused
deminer David
Bax from
Somalia to
Gaza.
But also at
the press
conference
were Japan's
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
and the Dutch
Permanent
Representative
Karel van
Oosterom, who
it was said
had to leave
early, to meet
with Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon.
So Inner City
Press first
asked van
Oosterom if
Dutch Queen
Maxine, in
Myanmar, would
be raising the
landmine
issues in that
country.
No, van
Oosterom said,
the Queen is
in Myanmar in
her capacity
as UN Special
Advocate for
Inclusive
Finance for
Development.
But he (and
UNMAS'
Marcaillou)
assured that
she and other
Dutch official
raise the
landmine issue
wherever they
go.
Later, Inner
City Press
asked
Marcaillou
about the
reported use
of landmines
in South Sudan
and about the
disposition of
the
investigation(s)
into David
Bax, who
whistleblowers
in Somalia
alleged shared
DNA
information
about Somalia
bombers with
US
intelligence,
as well as
engaging in
conflicts of
interest. (Video and background
here.)
Marcaillou
spoke
passionately
about South
Sudan, where
UNMAS found
cluster bombs
were used but
could not find
by whom. She
said UNMAS
coordinated a
statement on
the landline
allegation, by
IGAD with the
UN Mission
UNMISS. Later
she said that
UNMAS dogs
were used to
check if
explosives
were being
brought into
UNMISS
protection of
civilians
site.
On Bax, the
answer was
less
convincing.
Marcaillou as
she did last
year
pointed to an
investigation
by the UN
Office of
Project
Services - but
this time
acknowledged
that she had
not seen the
whole UNOPS
report.
This
is the case
even though
Bax is a UNMAS
employee -
it's that
UNMAS
outsources its
human
resources
activities to
UNOPS. But
shouldn't
Marcaillou as
UNMAS director
have access to
investigative
reports about
UNMAS
staffers?
We'll have
more on this.
Footnote:
After the
briefing,
Inner City
Press mused
whether the
Netherlands,
running for
one of two
Western
European and
Other Group
seats on the
UN Security
Council
against Italy
and Sweden,
would be
upping its
contributions
to UNMAS.
Karel van
Oosterom replied
that
“currently,
tender process
under way for
for years
2016-20. Share
UNMAS will
depend on
quality its
proposals.”
This level of
detail is
appreciated.
And wouldn't
one think that
assessment
would include
UNMAS'
transparency,
including
whether it
demands and
gets access to
investigative
reports about
UNMAS staff
like Bax and
the issues
raised? We'll
have more on
this.
, 
