At
UN,
Talk of Dutch Replacing Choi, Carpetbagger Aims for Iraq,
Musical Chairs
By
Matthew
Russell Lee, News analysis
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 24 -- With Abidjan buzz with reports that Dutch
politician Bert Koenders is set to replace UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon's ally Choi Young-jin atop the UN Mission there, in New York
it fits into a puzzle of Ban's doling out of UN posts
by country.
Currently
the
Netherlands “has” the UN top spot in Iraq's UNAMI mission, in the
person of Ad Melkert. But Melkert is coming up on two years in the
job, and is said to be on his way out.
Sources
tell Inner
City Press that already Michael von der Schulenburg, the UN official
chopping
at the bit to get out of Sierra Leone, is vying to replace
Melkert in Iraq. These well placed sources say that von
der
Schulenburg previously while serving the UN in Iran ran a business
exporting carpets and other antiquities. What better new posting,
then, than Iraq?
While
the UN this
week confirmed to Inner City Press that Ban has tapped Norway's Hilde
Johnson, in advance, to replace Haile Menkerios in South Sudan, at
Friday's noon briefing there was said to be no announcement ready
about Choi. On June 22 Inner City Press asked about a set of
Assistant Secretaries General whose contracts have expired:
Inner
City
Press: it appears that some of the ASGs [Assistant
Secretaries-General] in DESA [Department of Economic and Social
Affairs], Thomas Stelzer or Ms. [Rachel] Mayanja, that their
contracts have expired, that according to Secretariat data, in the
one case, expired in December; in one case, expired in March; the
idea being that maybe they are not going to be renewed, that they are
supposed to find other posts as part of mobility. Can you confirm
that, and what is the, what are the legalities, what are the
specifics of working at the UN without a contract? It said that Mr.
Stelzer is being paid as, almost as a consultant, although he is an
ASG, at least on paper.
Ban & Schulenburg, note the
empty chairs, magic carpet not shown
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky: Well, I don’t think right here and now I would
want to get into individual personnel cases. I don’t think that is
appropriate. If that picture changes, I will let you know.
Inner
City
Press: can you say as a general matter that this idea that five
years in a post may be enough and that people should look, not to
leave the system, but look for other posts in the system. Is that
something that the Secretariat is putting out?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
As you well know, that is something that has been discussed
at some length amongst Member States, and there are differing views
on that amongst Member States. And as a general rule, as a general
practice, it is not appropriate to comment on individuals’
contracts or employment status with the Organization. Other
questions? Yes, Mr. Abbadi?
Ah,
UN
transparency. There are a number of UN officials who are coming up on
five years in the same job: let the musical chairs begin! Watch this
site.
* * *
Amid
UN
Council Card Games, Turnover Continues, Olek Matsuka's Rise
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 24 -- The UN Security Council late on June 23 resembled
a casino or series of card games. In the consultations room there
were consultation on sanctions in Liberia. Elsewhere, the new draft
resolution to send Ethiopian troops to Abyei was being discussed.
As
experts on the
Golan Heights mission UNDOF returned from meeting in the UN's North
Lawn building, it emerged
that Russia had “put into blue” its
draft resolution on the topic, not containing the condemnation of
violence sought by Western members including the United States.
(Being
put in blue
ink connotes that a resolution can be voted on within 24 hours. Click
here
for Inner City Press' previous article about the departure
of
the Council's long-time and much missed “Mister Blue,” Troy
Setiawan.)
Speaking
to
Council diplomats as they went in and out of the casino, Inner City
Press learned that Russia had just circulated a draft resolution
seeking to establish a new UN Special Representative on the
allegations of organ trafficking in and by leaders of Kosovo.
“It's
tied to something else,” one diplomat whispered to Inner City
Press. It always is.
If
the Council is
a casino, its work is held together by a staff of croupiers or card
dealers. This staff, called the Security Council Affairs Division, has
seen rapid
turnover of late.
As Inner City
Press exclusively
reported, the chief
of the UN Department of Political Affairs which oversees SCA Lynn
Pascoe, after issuing a disciplinary note to
file moved Horst
Heitmann from the top job in Security Council Affairs over to DPA's
Middle East division.
Norma
Chan
returned from retirement to fill in at the top, and Loraine Sievers
continued in what's called the second spot. After a longer interim
period than projected, Movses
Abelian came south from being
omnipresent secretary of the Fifth (Budget) Committee in the North
Lawn to SCA's top spot.
(That the
Fifth Committee under Abelian's successor Sharon van Buerle has still
not, as of June 24, finished what's called its "May" session is
referred to by some, only half in jest, as a tribute to Abelian.)
Now,
with Loraine
Sievers retiring at the end of this month, a recruitment was held to
replace her. Source told Inner City Press that Abelian wisely played
no part in the panel, since he would have to keep working with whomever
came in second to be second. (Abelian explains this as that the
process began before he took up his position.)
The
finalists
were Oseloka Obaze, who rose to prominence in DPA when former
Nigerian diplomat Ibrahim Gambari had what's now Pascoe's job, and
Oleksandr Matsuka, who despite the Japanese sounding name is listed
by the UN as UKR: Ukrainian.
During
the
selection process, staff were told to send all notices for July 2011
to Matsuka, called Olek. Some thought this indicated in advance who
would win. They were not surprised, then, when a belated e-mail went
out declaring Matsuka the winner.
There
was dark
talk that Obaze, who has more seniority, was passed over due to his
connections with Gambari, said to not be a selling point with
Pascoe's chief of staff Karin Ann Gerlach. Others note that both are
qualified, and will be working together in the number two spot to
some degree.
Before the shifts: Heitmann claps for Urbina, Chan
& Sievers behind
After
Inner City
Press mentioned the transition, presaged by the direction to send
July e-mails to Matsuka, in a piece
this week about another Security
Council member transition, UK Political Coordinator David Quarrey's
return to London to a national security job, it was quickly
explained
to Inner City Press first that both Matsuka and Obaze were
getting the e-mails about July.
Then
this was
modified: Matsuka was receiving July, and Obaze August. While
promotions to posts at the UN's D-1 level like this are usually not
announced, it was done in this case.
Sievers,
after her
long service in the Council, will become the co-author of the fourth
edition of the standard treatise on the procedures of the Security
Council. We wish her well, as the games go on.
We'll
aim to have
a book review, as well as an update on an overarching question here:
what happens with Lynn Pascoe, and with the top spot at the UN
Department of Political Affairs? Watch this site.
* * *
, 
