In
Haiti,
UN Won't Explain Not Serving Canaan Settlement, Rebuffs Call for
Investigation of Mulet Role in Election
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 16 -- While the UN's
actions around Haiti's
election have led to a call to investigate top UN envoy Edmond Mulet,
his humanitarian coordinator Nigel Fisher has said the UN is not
serving tens of thousands of people in the Canaan settlement because
the government won't allow service. “The government practically
prohibited us from providing services there,” the UN's Fisher said.
Days
ago, Inner
City Press asked the UN to explain Fisher's comment and lack of
action, and what would be done given the MINUSTAH Mission's mandate
in Haiti. The question was asked by e-mail with no answer, then at
the noon briefing on February 14:
Inner
City
Press: in Haiti, there is this report over the weekend about
this large camp called the Canaan camp, which it said people had set
up and with the expect… you know, thinking rightly or wrongly that
services would be provided, and quotes Nigel Fisher as saying the
Government has blocked the UN from providing services. And I guess I
just wanted to know, what is being done to ensure that these people
receive at least some basic services, given MINUSTAH being there, and
what is the relationship between the Government and the UN in terms
of providing services to these people?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky: Well, we saw your e-mailed question and when we have
an answer we will give it to you, Matthew.
Inner
City
Press: [inaudible], the question, that I guess was from last
week about the report about the OIOS audit of the Umoja programme. Is
there a response yet? And I also had asked a couple of additional
questions about…
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Likewise, Matthew, seen your e-mail, and when we have a
response we will give it to you.
But
two full days
later, there were no answers.
UN's Ban with silent spox Michele Montas & Mulet, probe &
Canaan not shown
So on
February 16, Inner City Press
asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Nesirky about not only Canaan but also
the call to investigate
Mulet made by Jean Henry Céant, the candidate of the Renmen
Ayiti party and historic Social Affairs
Minister Yves Christallin.
While
Nesirky
still has no answer about the tens of thousands of people in the
Canaan settlement, “Let me be clear,” he said, the Secretary
General supports Mulet.
Mulet
term in
Haiti is about to expire, and he is said to have asked to return to
the UN in New York, where his deputy position in Peacekeeping is
currently held by Atul Khare. And who would replace Mulet in Haiti -
Bernard Kouchner? Watch this site.
*
* *
On
Haiti,
UN
Fetes
Itself, Ignores Call for Cholera Indictment, Immunity
Withdrawal
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January
11
-- While the UN
congratulates itself on its
reactions in Haiti, it dismisses all criticism, including from
Haitian women's NGOs, and has refused so far to remove the diplomatic
immunity (or impunity) of a UN staff members whom a Haitian judge
wants to question about the hanging death of a Haitian teenager
inside a UN base.
Inner
City
Press
asked
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky on Tuesday whether Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon will in fact revoke the immunity of UN
interpreter Joelle Rozefort, in the case of the boy found hanged in
the Nepali peacekeepers' camp in Cap Haitien. From the UN's
transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
there
was a case some time ago of a boy that was found
hung — a Haitian boy found hung in a Nepali base in Cap Haitien. Some
say that Mr. Mulet has asked the Secretary-General to remove the
immunity of a national staff member there, Joelle Rozefort, so she
can testify to a court about this. Is that – one, has Mr. Mulet
made the request? But whether he has or not, is the
Secretary-General considering removing the immunity of this staff
member to respond to a court subpoena?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky:
I’m
aware of the incident you’re referring to in
which someone was found to have been hanged. And I think we may be
able to provide you with a little bit more information on the
question that you’ve asked a little bit later.
But
nine hours
later, no information had been provided. The transcript
continued:
Inner
City
Press:
And
just one other thing, maybe just for a response…
Spokesperson:
Is
this
about Haiti?
Inner
City
Press:
It
is about Haiti. There’s a group there known as
SOFA, the Solidarité des Femmes Haïtiennes. They’ve
recently, I
guess in connection with, or slightly before this one-year
anniversary, they’ve said that – I guess, more explosively,
they’ve asked the Government to somehow indict the UN for – they
say – having brought cholera. But they’ve also raised this issue
of compensation – so I wanted to make sure that the two things –
can you, they’re saying that the UN should pay some compensation
for - for cholera. That’s their claim. They’re a Haitian group,
you can – so I guess I just want to know, what’s the UN response
to that? Are they aware of that call, and what’s their response?
Spokesman
Nesirky
[misidentified
as “Question” in Transcript] -- As you
know, the Secretary-General instituted a panel. Those four experts
are working precisely to establish the source of the outbreak of
cholera, which has not been established so far. That’s their job
to do so, to the extent that they are able to do so, and to report
back to the Secretary-General and the Government of Haiti as quickly
as they can. And to go the next step beyond that is not really
helpful at this point. There is a clear job to do, and that’s the
job that the panel has been asked to carry out as swiftly as
possible, and in the meantime, of course, the key priority is to help
those people – you heard from Mr. [Nigel] Fisher yesterday about
the death rates being lower, but still the number of cases being very
high. So this is something that needs to be tackled as a priority.
Inner
City
Press
[misidentified
as Spokesperson in transcript]: So I
understand that the panel comes first. But I just want to know, I
mean maybe you can answer this — does the idea, in the abstract, of
compensation seem unreasonable to the UN? Depending on what it
finds?
Spokesman
Nesirky
[misidentified
as “Question” in Transcript]: Look, I
don’t – this is something that – let’s do things
step-by-step. And the most important thing is to help those in need.
You’ve heard extensively, not just from Mr. Fisher but most
recently from Mr. Fisher, on that. And you also know that this —
the four panel members, experts each in their own right, are working
hard to establish precisely what the source of the outbreak was, if
they are able to do so. Okay. Thank you very much.
A
few hours later
in the UN's North Lawn building, an event was held about Haiti,
sponsored by Canada's Mission to the UN and a trio of NGOs. Canada's
Permanent Representative John McNee sat on the panel and spoke, but
when the Q&A started, McNee left the room and took no questions,
not even about his country pulling out of Jacmel. In fact, Inner City
Press was not allowed to ask any questions at all.
UN peacekeeper blocks cholera, protection of civilians not shown
Meanwhile,
an
intrepid
correspondent
spotted Alain Le Roy in JFK Airport in New
York on Tuesday morning seeking to fly American to Haiti for the
anniversary. While others were unceremoniously booted from the
flight, which also include Wyclef Jean, Le Roy remained on, leading
some to wonder if despite the relatively short length he was flying
first class. We'll see what he say while in Haiti -- he said little
of use from Cote d'Ivoire. Watch this site.
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