On
Sudan, As UN
Belated Speaks
on Za'tari,
Silent on UNFPA
& OCHA,
Findings
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Follow Up on
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 25, more
here --
Amid charges
that the UN in
Sudan,
including
Herve Ladsous'
UN
Peacekeeping
in Darfur, has
colluded with
the
authorities in
Khartoum to
cover up rapes
and killing,
now the UN's
Resident
Coordinator
Ali Al Za'tari
has been
ordered to
leave Sudan by
January 2,
Inner City
Press first
reported
earlier today.
On December
24, Inner City
Press
similarly exclusively
reported
and then asked
UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
UNDP Country
Director
Yvonne Helle
being ordered
out of Sudan,
citing her and
Al-Za'tari's
e-mails. Video
here.
Later on
December 25,
Dujarric
issued two
statements
about the UN
protesting,
then Ban
Ki-moon
condemning,
Sudan's
decision.
Source in
Khartoum tell
Inner City
Press reversal
of the
decision,
particularly
as to Za'tari,
is unlikely.
The Sudanese
government has
been
complaining
about
Za'tari's
quotes to a
Norwegian
newspaper; perhaps
for that
reason, Za'tari
cravenly did
NOT push back
against
Sudan's
December 24 ouster
of Helle,
which Inner
City Press first
reported here.
They point out
that the UN
did NOT push
back when the
country chief
of UNFPA, the
UN's
Population
Fund, was
thrown out by
Sudan in
April, thereby
encouraging
this round.
As Inner City
Press reported,
another UN
staffer has
this Fall be
"harassed" and
chased out of
North Darfur
and the
country by the
NISS security
forces. Nothing
was said then
either (although,
contrary to
Za'tari's
dismissive
treatment of
the UNFPA
director, the
Darfur aid
staffer was at
least
protected by
UN Department
of Safety and
Security on
the way to the
airport).
Others point
out a finding
this year
against
Za'tari, in
the UN's
Appeals
Tribunal no
less: "The
case is
referred to
the
Administrator
of UNDP under
art. 10.8 of
the Statute of
the Tribunal
for the
purpose of
considering
what action
should be
taken in
respect of the
conduct of Mr.
Al-Za’tari for
his
unwarranted
public
humiliation of
the Applicant
in the
workplace and
lack of
integrity in
the process
leading up to
the
non-renewal of
the
Applicant’s
secondment."
The Administrator
of UNDP, which
as yet to
answer Press
questions
about what's
called its
collusion with
Khartoum with
(dis) respect
to Sudanese
national
staff's bank
accounts in
the UN Federal
Credit Union,
is Helen Clark,
who'd like to
replace Ban
Ki-moon as UN
Secretary
General. This
is today's UN.
This too: A
full day after
Inner City
Press asked
about Helle's
ouster by
Sudan, citing
Za'tari's
email, at the
December 24 UN
noon briefing
, Reuters
reported on
Helle's ouster
-- typically,
for Reuters, with
no credit
to the Press'
prior
exclusive
story.
(Reuters' UN
bureau chief
has said he
has a policy
of not
crediting
Inner City
Press'
exclusive, and
has gone to
far as to
censor,
Sudan-style,
his "for the
record"
anti-Press
complains to
the UN, click
here for that,
via EFF's
ChillingEffect.org).
Now,
after UN
Spokesman
Dujarric issued
two statements
on the
afternoon and
evening
of December 25
responsive to
the question
Inner City
Press asked at
the December
24 noon
briefing,
Reuters has
run a piece
with no fewer
than eight
journalists
listed,
and of course
no credit.
This is
policy,
untransparenty
(when Inner
City Press
asked top
Reuters brass
including
Stephen J.
Adler for
Reuters policy
on crediting,
none was
provided.)
But
eight
journalists?
The
above-referenced
Reuters UN
bureau chief,
it must be
noted, under
his own byline
sought to
exonerate
Ladsous,
reporting
without
context
complaints
made to
Ladsous about
another UN
staff member,
without
mentioning
Ladsous' own
role in
covering up
rapes in the
DR Congo and
now Darfur.
Reuters has
not reported
the complaints
against
Ladsous, even
as a Permanent
Three mission
on the
Security
Council has
confirmed to
Inner City
Press its
receipt of the
letter.
On December
24, Inner City
Press asked UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
Sudan
having just
similarly
"PNG-ed"
or declared
persona
non-grata the
Sudan Country
Director of
the UN
Development
Program Yvonne
Helle, with
Za'tari barely
pushing back
against the
government.
Dujarric said
that host
countries'
ordered to PNG
a UN staff
member are
treated
seriously and
should be sent
to, and
considered and
acted on by,
Ban's
Secretariat in
New York. But
Dujarric in
the 18 hours
after Inner
City Press
asked about
Helle has not
returned with
any
information or
answer. Then
Reuters
published its
story, with no
credit.
, 
