UN
Says
Silva "Not
Participating"
in SAG, But
Coverage "Not
Permitted"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 10 --
After UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
repeatedly
declined to
opine on or
oppose the
appointment to
his Senior
Advisory Group
on
Peacekeeping
(SAG) of Sri
Lankan General
Shavendra
Silva, whose
58th Division
is depicted in
Ban's own
Panel of
Experts report
as engaged in
war crimes,
the SAG chair
Louise
Frechette
herself ruled
Silva
inappropriate.
On April
9, Sri
Lanka
Permanent
Representative
Palitha
Kohona
told Inner
City Press
that
the only
reason Silva
did not attend
is that "he's
not here, Mr.
Silva is out
of the country...
Two points,
one is, it's
illegal, this
is
inconsistent
with the
resolution.
The chair has
no right to
say I don't
like your
face. Second,
the chair
can't tell the
Asia Group who
to send. This
is insulting
and
humiliating to
the Asians."
It
seems obvious
in this
context that
to
journalistically
cover this
issue requires
going to
observe if
Silva attends
or does not
attend the UN
SAG meetings.
But earlier
this month the
SAG's
"organizers,"
Inner City
Press was
told, "did not
give their
permission for
press
coverage."
Ban's UN
Secretariat,
citing a
meeting with
the UN
Correspondents'
Association,
said that the
Press cannot
go try to see
if Silva
attends the
meetings,
at least not
without a
minder.
This
followed Inner
City Press
going on April
2 to see if
Silva would
attend the SAG
meeting, which
was held in
the UN rented
building at
380 Madison
Avenue.
Several
members of the
SAG spoke with
Inner City
Press, but
again, Ban's
Secretariat
claims that
"the
organizers"
don't want
this --
without
identifying
who the
organizers
are.
Inner
City Press
wrote to the
spokesman of
UN
Peacekeeping
asking
"on
the
Senior
Advisory Group
on
Peacekeeping
Operations,
you circulated
Ms.
Frechette's
statement but
said she
doesn't have a
spokesperson,
does she now
or please ask
and get answer
to: what is
Shavendra
Silva's
current status
with the SAG?
Was the Asia
Group
represented at
April 2-3 SAG
meetings? I've
been told SAG
'organizers'
do not give
their
permission for
press coverage
-- is
Frechette that
organizer? Who
are the
organizers,
and why do
they seek in
inhibit press
coverage? On
deadline."
The
next day, not
having any
response to or
support on
this, Inner
City Press put
the questions
to Ban's
spokesman:
(video
here)
Inner
City
Press: This
has to do with
the Senior
Advisory Group
on
peacekeeping
operations,
they met April
2 and 3, and I
went to try
and cover it,
it appears
that Shavendra
Silva who
appears in Ban
Ki-moon’s
report about
this Panel of
Experts, his
division is
depicted
engaged in war
crimes, did
not attend. If
I can just get
a confirmation
from the UN
system that he
didn’t attend.
I am told by
the Sri
Lankans that
the only
reason he
didn’t attend
is that he was
out of town.
What bothered
me the most I
heard from
Media
Accreditation
here that the
organizers did
not give
permission for
press coverage
of the
meeting, and
it was unclear
to me, number
one, if that
in the UN
system people
have to give
permission for
press
coverage, but
more
substantially,
I don’t know
who the
organizers
are. Is it a
panel? Ban
Ki-moon
appointed some
people,
regional
groups
appointed
others, who
makes that
decision? Who
are the
organizers,
because a
number of the
Member States
on it did not
only permit,
but invited
press
coverage, and
so I want to
know, it may
seem like a
little bit
kind of a
logistical
question, but
since it is
something that
I was trying
to cover, it’s
a committee
that advises
Ban Ki-moon
and I am told
I can’t cover
it without
their
permission, I
would like to
know what the
position is.
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky :
Well, I think
there is a
difference
between
covering it
and seeking
access to a
building
without being
accompanied by
an official
from the Media
and
Accreditation
Liaison Unit,
which is
standard
procedure. And
as I
understand it,
MALU, the Unit
in question,
has made it
very clear
what the rules
are, but also
their
readiness to
help you to be
able to have
access to
parts of the
UN premises
that are off
campus, if you
wish, to be
able to cover
an event. So,
that’s the
technical part
of it. On the
other bits,
let me find
out.
Inner
City
Press: The
problem that I
have here is
that, if they
are saying
that the
organizers,
and I don’t
know who they
are, don’t
permit press
coverage, it
seems strange.
I’m going to
cover it the
next time they
meet, I intend
to cover it.
The question
becomes they
said yes,
we’ll escort
you into the
building, but
does this
require [the
permission of]
the
undisclosed
and unnamed
organizers who
I don’t know
who they are,
and I would
like to know
if the
Secretariat is
some part of
it--
Spokesperson:
Well if…
Inner
City
Press: the
other part of
the question,
if I can just
say this…
Spokesperson:
Yeah.
Question:
I hate to say
this, but
[garbled by UN
- the word
"minders" was
used]
Spokesperson:
Well, if you
hate to say
it, why are
you saying it?
Question:
Okay, does
MALU report
any
information to
the rest of
the
Secretariat? I
am a reporter
trying to get
information --
Spokesperson:
Matthew, can I
just interrupt
you?
Correspondent:
Please.
Spokesperson:
For one
second?
Correspondent:
Yes.
Spokesperson:
Which I don’t
do terribly
often, but…
Correspondent:
Okay, I
understa… no,
I [inaudible].
Spokesperson:
But, let me
just say, I
think that
this is a
conversation
that is best
carried on
off-line
rather than
taking up the
time of the
briefing on
what is very
much an
individual
request, which
I respect,
which I
respect, but I
think that we
can deal with
it off-line.
So let me just
— I know you
have a
question on
Congo — but I
want to see if
other people
have other
questions
first. No,
they don’t.
This
is typical.
The spokesman
cuts off a
question about
the
Secretariat's
own
performance by
claiming that
there are
other
questions --
only, there
aren't any
other
questions. The
UN transcript
intentionally
garbles the
questions, and
cuts out words
like
"minder."
Compare to video,
here.
Nevertheless,
after
the above
exchange, UN
Peacekeeping's
spokesman
replied with
this:
Subject:
Reply
... on / for
Senior
Advisory Group
on
Peacekeeping
From: Kieran
Dwyer [at]
un.org
Date: Tue, Apr
10, 2012 at
6:03 PM
To:
matthew.lee[at]
innercitypress.com,
cc:
Andre-Michel
Essoungou [at]
un.org
Dear
Matthew,
In response to
your question
about the
Senior
Advisory
Group, I have
the following
information -
I am following
this up to
facilitate
your query but
I am not the
spokesperson
for this
advisory group
which is not
part of DPKO.
The Senior
Advisory Group
(SAG) does not
have a
spokesperson
or media
officer. I am
advised that
the SAG is
continuing its
assessment of
troop cost
reimbursement
issues. Once
the Group has
finished this
assessment, I
understand
that it will
deliver its
report to the
General
Assembly
through the
Secretary-General,
as mandated in
its founding
resolution. I
am advised
that General
Silva is not
participating
in the Group,
and that the
Chair's
previous
statement on
this matter
stands. There
are nineteen
other SAG
members,
including
several from
the
Asia-Pacific
region. I am
continuing to
follow up on
your other
questions.
It's
appreciated.
The other
questions
concern, among
other things,
the UN's
seeming use of
mercenaries...
Footnote:
there
has been no
help from the
Correspondents'
Association.
To the
contrary,
an officer
of the
Association on
April 9
emailed other
members of the
Executive
Committee --
of which Inner
City Press is
an elected
member --
seeking to
exclude Inner
City Press
from future
meetings, all
without
sending a copy
to Inner City
Press, amid without
apparent irony
references to
journalistic
ethics.
When
confronted,
the officer
said "there
was no
meeting, do
your
homework."
Indeed. The
issue is not
as claimed
describing any
purportedly
confidential
Correspondents'
Association
meeting --
with MALU, one
that the
officer in
question
didn't even
take the time
to attend --
but rather
that the
current
Ban-era
Association,
supposed to be
supporting
journalists to
be able to
physically
cover the UN,
in fact seeks
to engage in
censorship,
then to censor
any reports of
its own
actions, and
to exhort in
its own
meetings "more
positive
coverage of
the UN."
While
a diversion,
we can have
more on this.
Watch this
site.
, 
