UN
Reform
Withdrawn by
Swiss After
Letter of
Ban's Lawyer,
Who Won't
Speak
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 16 -- Less
than three
hours after he
withdrew
the Small
Five draft
resolution on
Security
Council
working
methods,
Swiss
Ambassador
Paul Seger
told Inner
City Press
that the
letter by UN
Legal Adviser
Patricia
O'Brien that
led to the
withdrawal was
"wrong," but
that the
President of
the General
Assembly had
let
it be known
that he would
express
support for
the letter.
In
his withdrawal
speech, both
as prepared
and delivered,
Seger
criticized
"legal
arguments
according to
which our
resolution
should be
submitted to a
qualified
majority of
all member
States under
resolution
53/30 which
we find, with
all due
respect,
utterly wrong
and biased."
Inner City
Press obtained
the O'Brien
letter and
exclusively
published it
May 15;
Seger on May
16 referred to
it being
leaked to the
press. But it
should have
been public.
At
Wednesday's
noon briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
the spokesman
for Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon if Ban
agrees with
his lawyer's
ruling. The
spokesman,
Martin
Nesirky, said
that since the
resolution was
withdrawn
there was no
reason to
answer.
Inner
City Press
asked again
that Patricia
O'Brien hold a
press
availability
to answer
questions, now
that she had
issued a legal
opinion not
only to Ban
but all 193
member states.
Nesirky said
such a
briefing is
"unlikely,"
for the reason
he previously
said. But now
O'Brien has
impacted a
major UN
reform issue:
is there no
accountability?
Ban
Ki-moon talks
about
transparency,
but O'Brien
never takes
press
questions.
Ban's more
recent hire,
top
Peacekeeper
Herve Ladsous,
never answers
questions,
unlike for
example Kofi
Annan's top
Peacekeeper
Jean-Marie
Guehenno.
Ban
talks about
reform, but
blocks it.
Here his top
lawyer rules
for a
two-third
General
Assembly vote
for a reform
he disfavors,
when for his
half-baked
"Change
Management"
Ban wanted to
proceed
without any GA
vote at all,
until the
Group of 77
slapped him
down.
Some reformer.
Ban
main reform
has
been the five
year mobility
rule, now
renamed the
"rotation"
rule. Inner
City Press
asked on
Wednesday if
it applies to
Patricia
O'Brien and
later this
arrived:
Subject:
Patricia
O'Brien
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at]
un.org
Date: Wed, May
16, 2012
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Regarding
Patricia
O'Brien, her
term started
in 2008.
Please see
below:
6
August 2008
Secretary-General
SG/A/1147
BIO/4002
SECRETARY-GENERAL
APPOINTS
PATRICIA
O’BRIEN OF
IRELAND AS
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL
FOR
LEGAL AFFAIRS
AND UNITED
NATIONS LEGAL
COUNSEL
United
Nations
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
has appointed
Patricia
O’Brien
of Ireland as
Under-Secretary-General
for Legal
Affairs and
United
Nations Legal
Counsel. Ms.
O'Brien, the
first woman in
this position
in the history
of the United
Nations, will
replace
Nicolas
Michel.
Note
that Michel,
whatever other
issues, at
least held
press
conferences.
So, O'Brien
until August
8, 2013? And
now Q&A or
accountability
until then?
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
Ambassador
Seger
recounted how
after he
briefed the
Security
Council
as head of the
Burundi
Peacebuilding
Configuration
he was not
allowed
into
consultations.
Inner City
Press
suggested, ask
for an Arria
formula
meeting, like
was held on
Guinea Bissau.
There,
Brazil's
Ambassador who
heads the PBC
on Guinea
Bissau pressed
to get
admitted. It
shouldn't be
required every
time, fine --
but if it is,
why not press?
, 
