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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFT Q&A

UN GATE, March 22 – Back on last February 15 the UN's Syria envoy Geir O. Pedersen released a transcript of his "on the record" press breakfast in Geneva, see below. In September, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has tried to stay on track to a corrupt second term as SG by naming a "UN Board of Inquiry in northwest Syria," to be led in its secretive work by Nigerian Lt General Chikadibia Obiakor.

   Now on March 22, Guterres who is trying to steal a second term as UNSG after failing on Syria, Cameroon and elsewhere, issued this: "The Secretary-General strongly condemns the recent wave of attacks in northwest Syria, which have killed and injured dozens of civilians. A hospital in western Aleppo Governorate hit by artillery strikes on 21 March had received UN support. There have also been reports of shelling of a residential neighborhood in Aleppo city causing civilian casualties, as well as airstrikes close to densely populated areas with camps for displaced people. Aerial attacks have also been reported near Bab al Hawa on the Syria-Turkey border, where life-saving UN cross-border humanitarian deliveries take place.      The Secretary-General reiterates that directing attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including medical units such as hospitals, are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law. There must be accountability for crimes perpetrated in Syria."

Accountability? Guterres who hid his links to UN briber CEFC China Energy by ousting and banning the Press, then covered up the sexual abuses of his cronies like Fabrizio Hochschild, talking about accountability? This is today's UN. 
  On April 6, 2020, while Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming were covering up the UN's role in spreading Coronavirus in South Sudan with busses for national staff with no social distancing, from Guterres and Dujarric this: "Earlier today, the Secretary-General transmitted to the Security Council a summary of the report of the United Nations Headquarters Board of Inquiry into certain incidents in northwest Syria since 17 September 2018 involving facilities on the United Nations deconfliction list and United Nations supported facilities... 34. The school was not on the United Nations deconfliction list. 35. When the grain silos near the school were hit in early April 2019, services and hours at the school were reduced. In late April 2019, the Government of Syria and its allies launched a military offensive in the area of Madiq Castle. The Government eventually succeeded in reasserting control over the area on or around 10 May 2019. The Board understood that educational services at the school were suspended on or around 20 April 2019. The Implementing Partner informed OCHA that this was because of the daily bombardment that had been taking place. 36. At around 1:00 am on 28 April 2019, the compound housing the Secondary School was hit. Due to its proximity to the place of impact, the school suffered damage to its façade, including its outer wall  9  and windows. No one was killed or injured. After considering all the information available to it, the Board concluded that the school had been hit from the air by a fixed-wing aircraft. For lack of any forensic evidence, the Board could not conclusively determine the nature of the weapons that had been used. However, having considered all the information available to it, it concluded that that it was highly probable that they had been guided munitions. 37. The Board found it highly probable that the Government of Syria and/or its allies had carried out the airstrike. However, the evidence that it had gathered was not sufficient for it to reach a conclusive finding." And what about the UN's role in Coronavirus in South Sudan, and refusing all questions on it?

All b.s. Inner City Press, now banned from even entering the UN for 578 days and counting after asking Guterres about his failures and corruption, will have more on this.

 On October 31, Guterres while refusing for the 11th day to answer on UN rapes, and Inner City Press' questions from the SDNY about Turkish state bank sanctions buster Halkbank, said nothing about either while physically in Syria - traveling, it seems, on the El Chapo money he bragged about receiving from Honduras. Then from the US, an actual read out, of the type corrupt Guterres unlike even Ban Ki-moon doesn't give while claiming the public should have any confidence in him: "The following is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:  Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke yesterday with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.  Secretary Pompeo reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to our bilateral relationship and, in particular, they discussed the importance of the October 17 U.S.-Turkish Joint Statement.  The Secretary noted our position requiring that the Turkish military, the Turkish-supported Syrian Opposition forces, and the withdrawal of YPG forces be in accordance with the statement regarding the safe zone.  The Secretary emphasized the need for all parties to adhere to the spirit and letter of the statement in order to address our mutual interests and concerns in Syria."

 Meanwhile, the UN won't even say if Guterres was told before or after Turkey's move on the Kurds in Syria. The UN, or at least Guterres, is corrupt - and of their censorship of Press there is no doubt.

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