UNITED
NATIONS, May
28 -- The UN's
envoy to the
Great Lakes
Mary Robinson
will be based
not in Africa
but in Dublin,
the UN on
Tuesday
answered
Inner City
Press'
question from
May 24.
Inner
City Press was
also first to
ask why
the Sahel
envoy of
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon,
Romano Prodi,
is allowed to
be based in
Rome,
where he unsuccessfully
ran for the
Italian
presidency
while
simultaneously
an ostensibly
independent UN
official.
On
Prodi, the UN
on May 28 said
only that its
report, and
that of the
Advisory
Committee on
Administrative
and Budgetary
Questions, are
before the UN
General
Assembly.
There,
and at the
African Union
in Addis
Ababa, there
are more and
more
questions
about what
Ban's UN is
becoming: a
dumping ground
for
former
politicians,
allowed as UN
Under
Secretaries
General to
work
from home,
until
something
better comes
along?
It
was complained
to Inner City
Press last
week that
while
Robinson's
office is
supposedly in
Nairobi, she
is in fact
based in
Ireland.
Inner City
Press
asked the
question on
Friday, May 24:
Inner
City Press: I
had asked
Martin, before
he went on the
trip about Mr.
Romano Prodi
being based in
Rome and the
fact that ACABQ
[Advisory
Committee on
Administrative
and Budgetary
Questions] has
said that
that may be a
waste of money
for the UN.
So far, I
haven’t gotten
a response
yet, but I
want to add to
that one.
Some, at least
within
the UN, want
to know where
Mary Robinson,
who is
obviously the
Envoy
to the Great
Lakes, just to
know
factually, is
she based in
Dublin,
Ireland, or is
she based in
Nairobi? And,
if Dublin,
Ireland, how
would you
address the
same concerns
that were
raised about
Mr. Prodi
being based
out of Rome?
Deputy
Spokesperson
Eduardo Del
Buey: I
believe her
office is
located in
Nairobi, and
that’s where
her UN
staffers are,
but we will
check on
that for you.
At
the next UN
noon briefing
on May 28, Del
Buey
acknowledged
that
Robinson is,
in fact, based
in Dublin. He
excused this
by saying she
is paid only
"When Actually
Employed." So
will she be
disclosing her
hours, and any
extra costs to
the UN from
being based
in Dublin? We
will closely
watch and
report on both
envoys' work.
Will Prodi,
with respect
to Rome? Watch
this site.
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