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As Press Pushed from UN Council, Protests to Ban, "Tear Down This Wall!"

UNITED NATIONS, April 6, updated -- "Mr. Ban, tear down this wall!" A long time UN correspondent said this Tuesday morning, loudly, in protest of the press corps being pushed away from the Security Council's new location in the UN basement. On Monday, Inner City Press was informed that in a closed Council consultation, a proposal was made to push non-Council member states out into the hallway, and push journalists even further back.

  Following questions posed to UN Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe at Monday's noon briefing, then to April's Council president Yukio Takasu of Japan, the UN Correspondents Association put together a letter of protest, to be handed alongside Tuesday Council meeting on Iraq to President Takasu and the Ambassadors of the Permanent Five members of the Council.

  But with the press corps penned in far back from the stairs, even the letters of protest could not be handed to Ambassadors as they entered. U.S. Ambassador Rice strode in. Even as reporters called out, "We have a letter for you," she smiled bemused and continued into the Council chamber. Later a spokesman accepted the letter.

UN's Ban, US' Susan Rice, Patricia O'Brien and team, press access not shown

   UK Deputy Permanent Representative Parham came over and took the letter himself. Russia's Dolgov accept it, asking, "Is it in Russian?" Long after the meeting began, Council President Takasu had still not been served. Nor had the Chinese mission. This job was left to Inner City Press.

Update of 2 p.m. -- Inner City Press gave the letter to President Takasu, when he came to speak to the Press after consultations on Iraq, Guinea Bissau, the DRC and Somali piracy. After the issue was raised to other non-Permanent Council members like Brazil and Uganda, it was said that Ambassador Takasu as President raised it as a "housekeeping" matter.
  
   At the stakeout, he said again therre should be equivalent access. Inner City Press asked President Takasu, and before him UN Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe, about even UN Peacekeeping staffers being now excluded from the Council consultation room. Ms. Okabe conceded that such presence had been "useful." Ambassador Takasu did not ask that question when asked, reverting to the Press question, saying further consultations will be had. Only at the UN. Watch this site.

Here is the text of the letter:

Dear Ambassador Takasu,

I'm writing to you in your capacity as the President of the Security Council on behalf of the U.N. Correspondents Association to express our serious concern about proposed restrictions on press access to Council members outside their new meeting area. The proposed limiting of reporters to a narrow strip of floor on the side of the stairs with no right to ascend or descend the staircase would represent an unprecedented and unacceptable curtailing of the ability of reporters to follow delegates in and out of Council gatherings – and to do their job. We understand that several permanent members of the Security Council voiced their concerns about press access to delegations and support reducing our access under the guise of improving their delegates' "safety". The moves to implement unjustifiable restrictions are taking place alongside attempts to shut out U.N. member states that are not currently on the Security Council and the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Our position is clear. Any attempt to use the move and/or safety concerns as a pretext to institute unprecedented and unnecessary limitations on press access to the delegations is unacceptable to UNCA members since it would further reduce the transparency of the most powerful body within the United Nations. It is ironic that the very council whose members have jointly and individually criticized governments around the world for not allowing a free press to operate in their countries have suddenly gotten into the business of curtailing a free press at UN headquarters.

Once again, we expect that the conditions we had prior to the move will be replicated to the full extent possible without any new restrictions being arbitrarily imposed on our freedom of movement throughout the building -- restrictions that were imposed on us unilaterally, without prior consultation and in complete disregard of the Council's long history of making interested delegates available to accredited journalists. That does not mean we oppose roping off designated areas to allow reasonable corridors for diplomats and U.N. officials to comfortably enter and leave meetings. But it does mean that we must continue to have access to all stairs and escalators as has been the case for nearly six decades. U.N. delegates are free to decline to comment to any reporter as they wish. We are all professionals and will respect those wishes.

We appreciate your advocating for us and your stated commitment to replicating the conditions of the old stakeout area as much as possible. We are confident that you are among those who appreciate that a free press is one of the key building blocks of democracy throughout the world.

We have sent a copy of this letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in charge of managing the building and has repeatedly stated his commitment to a free press worldwide.

Sincerely,

UNCA President

CC: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Permanent Representatives of the Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States

Under-Secretary-General Kiyotaka Akasaka

H.E. Ali Treki, President of the General Assembly

Watch this site.

Footnote: UNCA also has a long outstanding request for a briefing by top UN lawyer Patricia O'Brien, on topics ranging from the UN's involvement in the trial of Somali pirates in Kenya to the Hariri tribunal to that in Cambodia. But Ms. O'Brien has not come. Here's how it was raised in a recent UN noon briefing:

Inner City Press: This is a question both about Kenya and about, it’s a question on behalf of UNCA [United Nations Correspondents Association], believe it or not, the second part of it, first is that -- you will see how they’re related.

Associate Spokesperson Farhan Haq: A question on behalf of UNCA?

Inner City Press: You’re going to see how they’re related. The first is, Kenya has announced that it’s seeking to give six months’ notice to terminate its agreement with the UN to prosecute Somali pirates that are caught by nations. And here is the UNCA part of it, is that UNCA -- and I am saying this as authorized by the annual meeting and by a recent meeting -- Patricia O’Brien, who is the head lawyer of the UN, travelled to the region and is obviously involved in the process. She was asked in writing by UNCA, in a letter, to come and give a briefing on that topic, the [Rafik] Hariri Tribunal, matters of general interest that she works on for the UN, and there has been no response to the letter at all. Two others that were invited have come: Helen Clark and Kim Won-soo. So I wanted, UNCA has voted to reiterate to have Ms. O’Brien come.

Associate Spokesperson: Our Office has been in touch with Ms. O’Brien, who has often expressed her willingness to speak to the press. So we will try to talk to her again about when such a meeting can be scheduled. That shouldn’t be a problem.

But it has been a problem, for months. Mr. Ban, tear down this wall!

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