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As UN Cuts Ribbon in NY, "Good Offices," Asbestos and Mismanagement Questions Proliferate

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 11, updated below -- As the UN formally opens its $140 million North Lawn Conference Building in New York, its management cries poor and too often under-performs. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the New Year moved out of the 38th floor of the hollowed out Headquarters, to a suite with a view of the NLCB's roof and little else.

  UN Security deemed what was supposed to be Ban's office, overlooking the East River, as too unprotected. And so the Deputy S-G, Asha Rose Migiro, was assigned that office. This is emblematic of the UN under fire and under prepared, failing to plan.

  Back in the Headquarters building, journalists and staff remain as controversial asbestos removal proceeds. Inner City Press was visited to the UN's contractor Skanska and told to remove computer and video equipment for the weekend. Was it for asbestos dust or the chance of theft, not Oil for Food but Laptops for Asbestos?

  The UN press corps is being moved to a space above the library. But the UN claimed it did not have enough money for floor to ceiling walls. Now they can listen to reporters conversations, and only removed panopticon security cameras over the press area after Inner City Press exposed them. UN Management is aiming at a dry, whistleblower free zone.

UN's Ban, advisers' backs turned, prepares for ribbon cutting

  A staff member, anonymous because in fear of retaliation which has become more prevalent at the UN, complained over the weekend to Inner City Press that

Subj: this past weekend's asbestos abatement at the Secretariat
From: Name withheld for fear of retaliation
To: Inner City Press
Sent: 1/10/2010 9:27:50 P.M. Eastern Standard Time

Hello,With regard to the asbestos removal at the Secretariat over the weekend, I have the following concerns:

1) management within my department is of the belief that all questions and concerns have been addressed in the Skanska/CMP-supplied video available on iSeek. In other words, my senior management is not vouchsafing that the work has been done correctly, only that those in charge of doing the work intended that it be done so. Perhaps they believe that this places senior management beyond any future legal liability.

2) any concerns such as when the air sampling will be done (before or after staff show up to work on Monday?) are not material.

3) whether "bad news" from the air sampling will be shared with staff who, after all, would be potential litigants against CMP, Skanska and the UN.

4) the work done this past weekend was represented as a one-shot and presumably final effort to remove the remaining asbestos. From what I have gathered from innercitypress.com, the work consisted of borings to determine the extent of the problem and does not represent the removal of the last known traces of asbestos in the building. It therefore seems likely that the impression given that the work done this weekend is final is incorrect, and that actual removal of the asbestos will be done at a later date.

A senior UN official, also insisting that his name not be used but this time to not steal the stage from Ban Ki-moon, said that there remain 1,000 pounds of asbestos in the UN's skyscraper, and that only "a half a pound per floor" was removed on January 8 through 10.

In Inner City Press' fourth floor office on Monday morning, there was sheet plastic covering a hole in the ceiling, and dust on the floor.

Back at the North Lawn, a morning of festivities are planned. Ban will cut the ribbon and then talk to staff. He will briefing member states -- those which come -- on his goals for 2010. These apparently do not include following through on his commitments in Sri Lanka in May 2009, to pursue political opening to minorities and accountability for war crimes. He turned down a request to monitor this month's elections, and in the face of authenticated footage of soldiers executing naked and blindfolded prisoners, passed the buck first to Geneva then to a three month old statement.

On Friday, Richard Holbrooke scooped Ban Ki-moon's on offering the UN's top Kabul job to Staffan de Mistura, who hired Ban's son in law as his deputy in Iraq. Ban's scandal plagued envoy to the Congo Alan Doss is, Kinshasa sources tell Inner City Press, spending $150,000 to renovate this apartment, while his contract expires in June (and he should leave before). Ban's Myanmar "good offices" post was left empty as Ibrahim Gambari was shuffled to Darfur.

The Good Offices are empty, Ban's office has no view. Needed at the UN in 2010: that vision thing. We will blog Monday's proceedings herebelow

Update of 9:19 a.m. -- on the way from the old building to the new, there is fake green grass, "like the stuff in Easter baskets," one construction worker said. U.S. Number Three Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo is by the podium. Of Ban, "there will be no Q and A," a staffer says.

Update of 9:23 a.m. - Also at the podium is the Ambassador of Cameroon, with whom UNDP Administrator Helen Clark refused to meet for months. There's the seldom seen Gregory Starr of Security, who's yet to hold a press conference, and Angela Kane of Management, who leaves questions posed in press conferences unanswered -- like how the Bob Orr ASG post is funded -- and then demands "corrections" when belatedly providing partial answers. There's Shabaan Shabaan, who told staff in the Albano swing space that lack of heat is their fault. And soon, Mr. Ban.

Update of 9:37 a.m. -- Ban is speaking, he says there are no carpets, the building will be dismantled. He thanks CMP's Michael "Adler"stein. Who is representing the City of New York? Cameroon's Ambassador, spurned by UNDP, is speaking "for all member states as temporary president of the General Assembly."

Update of 9:55 a.m. -- as the speeches proceeded, Michael Adlerstein's name was said several ways, not only by Ban but also Cameroon's Ambassador ("Adel-stine"). Then his was called "a household name." Ambassadors were invited upstairs for coffee in... the relocated Viennese Cafe. Friday evening, Austria's Ambassador was checking out the condition of the furniture his country donated to the cafe. But where will drinks be served?

Update of 10:17 a.m. -- as Ambassadors and UN officials mill around free coffee and pastries on the second floor, already some of the most senior UN officials are already questioning the all cement floor. Cameroon's Ambassadors stops to give Inner City Press his speech in English. It is confirmed: Mr. Ban was getting the river view office until it was deemed unsecure. Ms. Migiro seems happy with it. There is news, of Guinea Bissau and separately the EU, but that'll be written later today. It's still ribbon fest, attention Wal-Mart shoppers -- or, in a reference to Ikea, "UN-KIA."

Update of 11:24 a.m. -- over raspberries and pineapple, news flows. In Guinea-Bissau, the former coup leader holed up in the UN building will be turned over to the authorities, after a negotiation on how he will be treated. The government, the UN says, would like the coup leader to leave the country but he won't.
 
   A Georgian diplomat stops to tell Inner City Press that former Ambassador Irakli Alasania was a signatory to the request to the UN for elections observers that the UN rejected. That request came from the opposition. But Sri Lanka's request was a official, but still turned down. We meant to tell them it's not credible, a UN official tells Inner City Press. Then why didn't you?

  Down on the first floor, Ban is speaking to staff in Conference Room 4. Inner City Press is not allowed to enter. But when the door opens, the Number Two in the SMCC (non NY Unions) is speaking, on the screen. Some Ban will speak to member states.

   The Georgian diplomat asks Inner City Pres, can we still smoke in here? No. And no drinking either. He scoffs. This isn't the UN.

Update of 11:52 a.m. -- as the Town Hall for staff let out,  a Staff Union official complains to Inner City Press that while the more pro-Ban non-NY SMCC union was given time to speak, there were no arrangements for the UN Staff Union. Nor is the Headquarters union given a video link to speak when Ban is in Geneva, Vienna or Nairobi.

  During the lull between meetings, UN chief Peacekeeper (and Frenchman) Alain Le Roy chats with France's Ambassador Gerard Araud. Then he goes in with him to Conference Room 3, the site of Ban's meeting with member states. Inner City Press has previously remarked on Russian ASG Dmitry Titov moving through the UN with Foreign Minister Lavrov. "You'd never say that about a European," was the response. Well, we've said it.

   Several member states arrive late, and ask directions. They are disproportionarely from a regional group that is in the process of getting out flanked by the European Union. We'll have more on this.

Update of 12:38 p.m. -- Ban's stakeout has been delayed. One disgusted delegate, leaving Ban's briefing, tells Inner City Press, "He gives his state of the union, and then the same from member states. Blah blah blah." Inner City Press asks for an impromptu noon briefing while we wait. The request is not granted, and questions posed Friday have not been answered.

Update of 1 p.m. -- with Ban half an hour late, some in the press corps suggest we leave in boycott. The Palestinian Observer Mansoor stops to chat. France's Araud pauses when a French journalist calls out, then continues without returning the greeting. Helen Clark of UNDP, who still hasn't done a press conference, leaves. And so it goes.

Update of 1:18 p.m. -- with Ban nearly an hour later, one correspondent reminds others this is like the last time Ban met the General Assembly, and did not attend the scheduled time for his holiday party for the press. But at least then, Ms. Migiro worked the crowd. Here, no sign of Nesirky, no warm up act.

Update of 1:25 p.m. -- Nesirky emerges, says Ban continues listening to member states. Why not move this to the briefing room, he is asked. Impossible, he replies, Ban is going on retreat. How long will he answer questions? As long as he would have. Then what about the retreat? And can it be filmed? No.

Update of 2:20 p.m. -- and when Ban finally emerged, he began by saying he couldn't take many questions, because he had to go to Greentree for the retreat with regional organizations. His spokesman Martin Nesirky controlled, or tried to control, who could ask questions. The first was whether this building will be demolished. The answer was, yes.

The second question had been given to Nesirky in advance, about North Korea's new stance. Ban had an answer, from written notes, about the 2005 Six Party talks. The third concerned the Middle East and the wall Egypt it building to cut off Gaza's tunnels. Ban answered, without mentioning the tunnel.

The next question was about Cyprus; Ban answered that the leaders have met "sixty times," with the help of "Alexander Downer." Next the Grey Lady, being chased from its office by asbestos, asked not only about asbestos but also whether Ban's third floor has hardwood floors (it does) and why.

Ban said that only some asbestos is being taken out, "four feet of pipe" -- he must have been briefed -- and the rest when the building's fully empty. He confirmed the wooden floors, saying they are for foreign dignitaries. There will be no overruns.

For what turned out to be the final question, Nesirky pointed to a longtime French journalist, who'd called out after Araud. Inner City Press, the microphone near, said "On Afghanistan?" Nesirky indicated the French journalist, something about Afghanistan afterwards. But the French journalist, to her credit, said she didn't have a question. And so Inner City Press asked:

-on Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke has been quoted that you've offered the top UN post in Kabul to Staffan de Mistura. Is he wrong?

Ban said it is still under consideration, not appropriate to talk about. Tell that to Richard Holbrooke, and to de Mistura. It was argued to Inner City Press on Monday morning that de Mistura might have been sounding out Holbrooke, saying he wouldn't take the offered job without U.S. support (which he got, because Holbrooke saw the writing on the wall and wanted to distance himself from the anti-Mistura, pro-Guehenno op ed he planted in the Grey Lady, in this view).

Inner City Press asked about Sri Lanka, Philip Alston urging Ban to name a commission on inquiry on war crimes. While we're report this in more detail, Ban was strangely defensive, pointing out that Alston doesn't work for him, is a special rapporteur, and that Sri Lanka has had things to say about Alston and his report. Yes they have. But where does Ban Ki-moon stand? Watch this site.