In
Myanmar,
Aid to Kachin
Areas Still
Being Worked
On Despite UN
Bragging
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 13 --
Back on
February 24,
soon to be
full-time UN
envoy to
Myanmar Vijay
Nambiar told
Inner City
Press that the
Burmese
government
agreed that
non-government
aid could be
delivered to
areas
controlled by
the Kachin
Independence
Organization.
Specifically,
Nambiar
answered Inner
City Press
that the
government
"relented" and
said that
while they
will send
government
material along
with UN aid.
He added that
if "the
rebels" reject
the government
material at
"the border,"
the UN's can
continue.
But
since February
24,
sources have
contacted
Inner City
Press
complaining
that the aid
Nambiar
bragged off
has not
arrived or
been allowed.
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman has
been asked
about it. From
the
UN's March 12
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: when
Vijay Nambiar
was here
giving his
briefing on
Myanmar, one
of the things
that he said
is that he had
negotiated
some kind of
agreement with
the Government
to get aid to
the Kachin
Independence
Organization-held
areas, he said
that they had
agreed to
go together to
the border and
if the Kachin
only wanted
the
international
aid and, I
think there is
some interest
in knowing,
have those
trips actually
taken place.
Do you know?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky: I
don’t know the
answer to that
immediately,
but I
think I can
find out.
Certainly, if
the Special
Adviser on
this has
said that he
is pushing for
something,
then I am sure
that there
will
be
follow-through,
and I just
need to check
what that has
been.
The
next
afternoon,
Nesirky's
office sent
this:
Subject:
On
Myanmar
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at]un.org
Date: Tue, Mar
13, 2012 at
1:29 PM
On
your
recent
questions on
Myanmar: We
have pressed
upon our
interlocutors
in Myanmar to
allow greater
access to the
UN family and
partners to
provide
humanitarian
assistance to
the displaced
population. In
December 2011,
a UN mission
traveled to
previously
inaccessible
IDPs in some
of the areas
in areas
beyond
government
control and
managed to
distribute an
initial
consignment of
household
relief items.
Immediately
after the
December
mission, the
UN renewed
efforts to
speed up the
dispatch of
independent
convoys to all
areas
where IDPs are
located,
without
conditions
attached.
The
UN
is currently
discussing
with both
sides the
modality for a
sustained
operation to
provide IDPs
with adequate
supplies to
address
humanitarian
needs across
all affected
areas. It is
important that
all parties
involved
facilitate
such
operations,
which has a
pure
humanitarian
value and is
to be carried
out in
accordance
with
humanitarian
principles.
During
his
visit, Mr.
Nambiar raised
the issue in
various
meetings with
Government and
Parliament
interlocutors
who have
indicated that
the
Government
would be
favorable to
the UN and
humanitarian
partners to
provide
assistance to
all IDPs. The
Kachin
Independence
Organization
(KIO) has also
accepted the
offer of
support of the
UN in this
regard. The UN
and partners
are now
working on the
modality for
continuous
support.
We'll
have more on
this. Watch
this site.
, 
