UN
Denies
Role In Haiti Detaining Duvalier, Pays Montas Calling
For It, Kouchner?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 18 -- With Baby Doc Duvalier apprehended in Haiti,
the UN in New York insisted Tuesday at noon that it had nothing to do
with the arrest.
But the UN has acknowledged to Inner City Press that
it is still
paying Michele Montas, through June 2011 -- and Ms.
Montas' public
statement on CNN about filing a criminal complaint is
reportedly related to the arrest.
“Michele
Montas, a Haitian journalist and a former spokeswoman for the United
Nations secretary-general, said Monday night that she plans to file a
criminal complaint against Duvalier. 'We have enough proof. There are
enough people who can testify. And what I will do is go to a public
prosecutor and there is a public prosecutor that could actually
accommodate our complaints,' she
told CNN's 'Parker Spitzer.'”
Ms.
Montas'
successor as Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky disclaimed any
UN involvement in Duvalier's detention. He did however call him a
“dictator” who was chased out of his country by his own people.
Minutes
later,
asked about Tunisia's Ban Ali, Nesirky would not use the same words
or call for accountability.
Ms. Montas with Mulet, Kouchner not shown (in 2 months?)
Earlier, UN
envoy to Cote d'Ivoire Choi
Young-jin spoke of denying Laurent Gbagbo funds to pay “his”
140,000 civil servants. Is Gbagbo less legitimate than Myanmar Than
Shwe or North Korea's Kim Jong-Il? Is the UN trying to deny their
civil servants their pay?
Meanwhile,
the
French press is reporting that Bernard Kouchner's “courtesy”
visit with Ban Ki-moon was about replacing Edmond Mulet as top UN
envoy to Haiti. Nesirky on January 17 said he refused to comment on
rumors.
Inner
City Press
asked top UN peacekeeper Alain Le Roy, what about Kouchner to Haiti?
It is up to the Secretary General, he said, and no decision is needed
until March. But what would then happen with Peacekeeping's Number
Two, Atul Khare, if Mulet returns to this post? Especially with major
troop contributor India now on the Security Council?
For
weeks, Inner
City Press has asked the UN how much former UN Spokesperson Michele
Montas has been paid. At first, Martin Nesirky said he “would not
comment.” Then he suggested to “ask MINUSTAH.” Finally this
arrived:
Subject:
Re:
Your
question regarding Special Advisor in Haiti
From:
UN
Date: Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 2:52 PM
To:
Inner
City
Press
In
response
to
your querry with the Spokesperson of the Secretary
General regarding Ms Montas's appointment to MINUSTAH, please find
the answer below.
"Following
the
devastating
earthquake of January 2010, which had a severe impact
on the substantive sections of MINUSTAH, Ms Montas was engaged by the
mission's senior leadership as the D-1 Special Advisor to the Head of
Mission. Her contract will terminate on 30 June 2011, when the post
itself will be eliminated, as part of the mission's post-surge
readjustment."
Watch
this
site.
* * *
In
Haiti,
UN
Calls Criticism “Claptrap,” Defends IOM On Pepper Spray
Report
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January
10 -- The UN refuses to accept criticism, even where
as in
Haiti it is faced with street protests telling it to leave, and
critiques by high officials of the regional organizations the UN
says it works with and respects.
Inner
City
Press
asked Nigel Fisher, the UN Resident Coordination in Haiti, to respond
to comments by former top Organization of American States envoy
Ricardo Seitenfus, that the UN has spent too much on violent policing
in Haiti. “Claptrap,” was Fisher's response. Audio here,
from
Minute
28:45.
Fisher
derided
Seitenfus
for saying Haiti is being used as a “humanitarian
laboratory.” While he claimed to only be involved in the UN's
development side, Fisher defended the huge MINUSTAH Peacekeeping
bills as being about strengthening the rule of law in Haiti.
But
on the rule
of law, Inner City Press asked Fisher about a documented incident in
Camp Imakale in Cite Soleil in December, in which UN peacekeepers
pepper sprayed protesters who say that the International Organization
for Migration predicated aid on reducing public protest.
Fisher
said
he
couldn't imagine IOM “conditioning assistance on stopping
criticizing the government.” (In fact, it was criticism of IOM and
of the UN which was allegedly being discouraged.)
Seitenfus
put
his
job at risk in order to speak up for what he saw as mistreatment of
Haitians. Fisher offers knee jerk responses. The UN's performance does
not improve.
Nigel Fisher in previous video appearance, learning not shown
For
weeks, Inner
City Press has asked the UN how much former UN Spokesperson Michele
Montas has been paid. At first, Martin Nesirky said he “would not
comment.” Then he suggested to “ask MINUSTAH.” Finally this
arrived:
Subject:
Re:
Your
question regarding Special Advisor in Haiti
From:
UN
Date: Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 2:52 PM
To:
Inner
City
Press
In
response
to
your querry with the Spokesperson of the Secretary
General regarding Ms Montas's appointment to MINUSTAH, please find
the answer below.
"Following
the
devastating
earthquake of January 2010, which had a severe impact
on the substantive sections of MINUSTAH, Ms Montas was engaged by the
mission's senior leadership as the D-1 Special Advisor to the Head of
Mission. Her contract will terminate on 30 June 2011, when the post
itself will be eliminated, as part of the mission's post-surge
readjustment."
Watch
this
site.
, 
