At UN,
Privatization
of GA Hall To
Al Jazeera
Questioned By
Russian
Mission
By Matthew
Russell Lee,
English-language
exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS, July
22 -- The
propriety of
privatizing
the UN General
Assembly Hall
on July 12 for
a “debate” of
the candidates
for UN
Secretary
General, first
raised by
Inner City
Press to the
President of
the General
Assembly
Mogens
Lykketoft and
UN
spokespeople
before the
event, has now
been
questioned on
financing and
transparency
by Permanent
Five Security
Council member
Russia. Tweeted
photo of three
page letter
here.
While the UN
never answered
Inner City
Press'
questions
about who was
paying the
costs of the
event and why
there was no
UN Television
stakeout in
front of the
GA Hall for
other, non-Al
Jazeera
journalists to
pose their
questions, the
financial
question is
squarely
raised on page
2 of
Ambassador
Vitaly
Churkin's
letter, here.
Inner
City Press on
July 12 noted
that Al
Jazeera did
not ask about
about Ban
Ki-moon
dropping the
Saudi-led
coalition from
the UN's
Children and
Armed Conflict
annex for its
killing of
children in
Yemen. Given
that Russia
has written
this letter to
Lykketoft,
some may say
it is a
push-back
against Al
Jazeera's (or
the Qatari
royal
family's)
position on
Syria.
But the
financial
questions are
good ones, who
ever raises
then,
especially in
the wake of
the bribery
scandal
involving
former
President of
the General
Assembly John
Ashe, recently
killed by a
falling
barbell while
lifting
weights alone
in his house
after twice
collapsing
unconscious
while
similarly
alone. We'll
have more on
this.
Before ten
candidates for
Next UN
Secretary
General on
July 12were
asked
questions in a
General
Assembly Hall
given over to
Al Jazeera,
Inner City
Press asked
the UN and the
President of
the General
Assembly (PGA)
why there was
no UNTV
stakeout in
front so other
journalists
could ask
questions.
None was
provided but
Inner City
Press was told
to just go
there after
the debate and
ask questions.
Then it was
Banned from
the stakeout
due to Ban
Ki-moon's evictionorders.
Here from
multiple
sources are
the results of
the first
straw poll;
Inner City
Press can also
exclusively
report that
questions have
arisen about
dual
nationality of
some
candidates,
including
Susana
Malcorra
(Italy),
Christiana
Figueres
(France) and
Vuk Jeremic
(Germany),
beyond their
listed
countries
which
nominated
them. It
should be
noted that the
UN's “PHP”
forms require
such
disclosures.
From multiple
sources,
results of the
first straw
poll, in the
format of
Encourage -
Discourage -
No Opinion:
Antonio
Guterres:
12-0-3
Danilo Turk:
11-2-2
Irina Bokova:
9-4-2
Srgjan Kerim
9-5-1
Vuk Jeremic:
9-5-1;
Helen Clark:
8-5-2
Miroslav
Lajcak: 7-3-5
Susanna
Malcorra:
7-4-4
Christiana
Figueres:
5-5-5
Natalia
Gherman: 4-4-7
Igor Luksic:
3-7-5
Vesna Pusic:
2-11-2
The July 12
debate had
questions
mostly from Al
Jazeera - no
mention of
Saudi / Yemen
or the Ng Lap
Seng UN
bribery case
-- and from
ambassadors.
Whereas Al
Jazeera had
not asked the
first panel of
five
candidates
about
peacekeeper
sexual abuse,
Liechtenstein
to its credit
did. But the
follow up on
the firing of
whistleblower
Kompass was
not put to
Susana
Malcorra on
the first
panel, who was
involved in
the firing.
Likewise on
Haiti cholera,
without follow
up Helen Clark
said that she
wouldn't
comment on
reparations
because there
is a case in
the courts.
But in this
case, the UN -
or really, the
US for the UN
which refuses
to show up in
court - is
arguing for
immunity. So
the obvious
question to
candidates
would be,
would you
waive
immunity? Not
asked.
Christiana
Figueres
raised her
hand on giving
an apology,
but again said
no to
reparations.
Ultimately,
that's
impunity.
After the July
12 “debate,”
which entirely
omitted the
obvious
question of
outgoing
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
dropping Saudi
Arabia from
the UN's Yemen
Children and
Armed Conflict
list was never
asked by Al
Jazeera, and
even the name
of former PGA
John Ashe
indicted for
bribery
including of
Ban's
Secretariat,
Inner City
Press ran to
go ask those
questions in
front of the
GA.
But it
was not
possible: the
UN Media
Accreditation
office was
closed, and no
UN security
officer on
duty at the
turnstile that
Inner City
Press'
Ban-reduced
pass no longer
opens.
The eviction
was for
seeking to
cover an
event, nowhere
listed in
writing as
closed, to
pursue the Ng
Lap Seng UN
briber case;
the ouster and
eviction order
were by
Cristina
Gallach whose
participation
in Ng's South
South Awards
Inner City
Press asked
her about, and
whose lack of
due diligence
of Ng's Global
Sustainability
Foundation as
it sponsored
the UN's
slavery
memorial are criticized
in the UN's
own audit.
This is
today's UN: it
must be
cleaned up.
Inner City
Press: the UN
bribery case
of Ng Lap Seng
has now had a
superseding
indictment
that accuses
Mr. Ng of
buying
benefits from
UNDP (United
Nations
Development
Programme) and
expands the
time limit of
the case up to
September
2015.
So, one, I'm
wondering if
you have any
comment on
this, as it
seems to be an
expanding
case.
And, two, I
want to
reiterate the
request now
for several
months that
UNDP hold a
press
conference, at
least on the
audit that it
released, and…
and state
where… why the
money that was
given…
Spokesman:
I think on
your… on your
second part,
you can
address that
request to
UNDP.
Inner City
Press: I
have.
Spokesman:
I have not
seen the new
indictment, so
I cannot
comment on it.
Inner
CityPress:
You had said
from here that
they would do
it. I've
spoken to the
head of the
office, and he
hasn't done
it. I'm
wondering, has
the Secretary,
Ban Ki-moon,
head of the
system…
Spokesman:
I know where
we are.
Inner City
Press:
Cover up.
Spokesman:
You're always
free and have
always been
free to
express your
opinions.
Dujarric said
Inner City
Press is free
to say what it
wants . Yes:
from the
street, to
which Ban and
his Head of
Communications,
with an assist
from Dujarric,
first threw
Inner City
Press on
February 19 (audio
here) then
evicted its
files (Video
here.) On
July 1,
Dujarric at
noon said he
hadn't read
the
superseding
indictment.
Then he left
the UN just
after 3 pm,
with no
briefing for
six days. This
IS a cover up,
on which we're
have more.
, 
