At
UN,
Yanukovych's
Old PR Tells
ICP He Flipped
on Dec
1, Represents
People
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 24 --
Amid the
changes in
Ukraine, its
Ambassador
to the UN
under
Yanukovych,
Yuriy
Sergeyev,
scheduled a 3
pm press
conference at
the UN. He
began by
trashing his
former boss
Yanukovych,
and quoting a
leader from
Donetsk Oblast
as wanting to
remain with
Kyiv.
Inner
City Press
asked what
seemed the
obvious
questions: why
did he break
with
Yanukovych?
And what about
Crimea?
Yuriy
Sergeyev gave
a long answer
on Crimea,
saying the
entire east of
Ukraine wants
to remain
united. But he
did not answer
the personal
question.
Another reporter
to her credit
reminded him
to answer
Inner
City Press'
question.
Then
Yuriy Sergeyev
said that on
December 1,
when there was
a "huge
manifestation
of Ukrainians,
Americans" at
his mission,
he said,
"I am with
you." He
repeated it.
But one might
ask: is
there a video?
This
happened
before at the
UN, with the
same pre-
and post-coup
ambassador of
Mauritania.
Later
in the press
conference, a
diplomat from
Georgia tried
to ask a
question but
was shouted
down, "Media
only." Earlier
Yuriy
Sergeyev had
thanked other
countries for
being in the
briefing room,
from which in
other cases,
other
countries'
diplomats have
been
banned, even
when it is
their country
being
discussed.
Yuriy
Sergeyev
concluded: he
works for no
government,
only for the
state
and its
people.
Sometimes it
is not that
clear. Watch
this site.
Footnote:
After the
first question
was taken and
branded
without
apparent irony
"on behalf of
the President
of the UN
Correspondents
Association,"
now known as
the UN's
Censorship
Alliance,
Inner City
Press made a
point of
thanking
Sergeyev on
behalf of the
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
which is
pressing for
journalists' input
into at least
the criteria
to select the
UN officials
which
interface with
the media. Click
here and here for
that. And
watch
this site.
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