UNITED
NATIONS, June
6 -- The UK is
very concerned
about Somalia.
How else
to explain
their Africa
Minister Mark
Simmonds
arriving in
New York
to chair a
Somalia
meeting of the
UN Security
Council under
the UK's
presidency,
just as the
UK's Nicholas
Kay takes over
the UN mission
in Mogadishu?
We say
Mogadishu
because it
remain
unclear, at
least to us,
what the
UK's stance is
on
Somalialand,
its former
colony. The UN
system
handed over
its airspace
to Mogadishu
as well,
despite the
impact on
flights which
could have but
were not
replaced by
the EU-funded
"Humanitarian
Air Service."
Somaliland
couldn't
even get their
letter to the
Security
Council
circulated to
the 15 members
earlier this
year. Even
news of the
letter was
tightly
controlled.
But has that
become the UK
way?
As
we've inquired
into since
May, and
reported on
each day this
month,
the UK
is literally
presiding over
the roll-back
in (new) media
access to the
Security
Council
from what
existed not
only during
the
Council's
renovation
relocation but
also before
it.
Before,
there was
a media
worktable
right by the
Council's
entrance and
journalists
could work
there with
laptops and
speak to
diplomats and
UN officials
like Kay now
in as they met
in and out of
the Council.
Now
there is a
rule, agreed
to by the old
UN
Correspondents
Association
executive
committee
largely
dominated by
UK favorite
Reuters as
wells
the BBC which
for now
provides:
"f.
The Security
Council
stakeout area,
including the
Turkish
Lounge, is
not to be used
as a permanent
workspace for
the media."
Even
a small
fold-able
table set up
by the new
Free UN
Coalition for
Access on June
3, the first
working day of
the UK
presidency,
was
seized and
taken away.
Very funny.
Then
when Inner
City Press for
FUNCA asked UK
Ambassador
Mark Lyall
Grant
if he
supported
continued
media
workspace at
the Council
and if so
what he would
do about it,
Lyall Grant
said this is a
matter for the
UN Department
of Public
Information
and "the
journalists"
-- it's
becoming clear
which
journalists.
Even the UK's
transcript of
Lyall Grant's
press
conference
mis-represents
the questions.
Is
always easier
to dodge a
question other
than the one
asked. Compare
transcript to
UN
web cast video,
from Minute
17:32.
Who
is
responsible?
In other news,
the UK
apologizes for
Mau Mau
torture
- but says it
is not liable.
So
coming full
circle, what
will be the
UK's position
on press
freedom
in Somalia,
say? They want
to be close to
the new
government,
and so
operate with
kid gloves.
Even
when, despite
their position
on blog-style
new media
reporting at
the
Security
Council, their
diplomats respond
on social
media, as UK
ambassador to
Jordan Peter
Millett did
yesterday,
they speak in
grand
principles
which are not
tied down and
applied what's
actually in
front of them,
like Jordon
blocking over
200 web sites.
We are, as
noted,
experimenting.
Watch this
site.
, 
