Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

With Rajapaksa in US Why Wouldn't Ban Ki-Moon's UN Panel, Blocked from Sri Lanka, Seek an Interview with Him?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 20, updated -- As the Sri Lankan government has confirmed the trip of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the United States, Inner City Press on January 20 asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky if Ban's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka would seek to speak with Rajapaksa during his time in the US. Video here, from Minute 9:05.

While Ban praised Rajapaksa's “flexibility” on December 17, saying that his Panel of Experts would be able to travel to Sri Lanka, more than a month later the Panel has not traveled, effectively blocked by the Rajapaksa government.

The lengthy New Yorker magazine article describing war crimes in Sri Lanka, about which Nesirky on January 19 told Inner City Press he would get the response of Ban's chief of staff Vijay Nambiar whose role in the white flag murders is detailed in the article, shows the hands-on command responsibility in Sri Lanka of Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family members.

Amid calls for the US to formally investigate Rajapaksa or unless he is traveling under the US-UN Host Country agreement to UN Headquarters to deny him a visa, it seems logical that the UN Panel, blocked by Rajapaksa from visas to travel to Sri Lanka, would seek to speak with him while in the US.

Nesirky said “Let me check.” [See below.] Meanwhile, Nesirky and his Deputy Farhan Haq have left unanswered basic questions, reiterated on January 19:

-with whom in the Sri Lanka government did Ban or the UN speak before his Dec 17 announcement, talking into account that the External Affairs Minister Peiris later said he learn of it in the media?

- what agreements or understanding have been reached about with whom the Panel will speak in Sri Lanka?

UN's Ban in Sept 2010 with Rajapaksa, flexibility not shown

Also unanswered by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to which Nesirky referred Inner City, and now ignored by Nesirky himself, are these questions:

when did Ms. Bragg apply for a visa to Sri Lanka, when was it granted and are there any conditions on the visa, regarding where to travel, whom to speak with, etc?

What does [the UN] say to the protests in east Batticaloa about allegedly inequitable distribution of aid?

Or, as previously requested, on the new rules requiring NGOs and INGOs to register with the Department of Defense, etc

Also, as previously asked-- Does the UN have any comment on Sri Lanka's government ordering the International Committee of the Red Cross out of Northern Sri Lanka?

While Ban Ki-moon's spokesman has not answered any of these questions, he has said he will “check” to see if Ban's Panel will seek to speak with Rajapaksa. Watch this site.

Update: after 5 pm, the following came in:

From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Repy [at] un.org

Date: Thu, Jan 20, 2011 at 5:27 PM

Subject: your question at noon

To: Inner City Press

On your question on Sri Lanka at the briefing today: We understand the Sri Lankan President has no business scheduled at the UN. He is not set to meet any of the Panel members, nor anyone else from the Secretariat.

* * *

While UN's Sri Lanka Panel May Not Go, Bragg Won't Convey IDPs Tales

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 18 -- While the trip to Sri Lanka by the UN's panel on accountability is in limbo or, sources tell Inner City Press, about to be canceled, UN humanitarian deputy Catherine Bragg will now travel to Northern Sri Lanka to speak with civil war returnees -- but only about flooding, the UN says.

Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky for the second day in a row about Catherine Bragg's trip. On January 17 Nesirky told Inner City Press to “ask OCHA,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Inner City Press submitted questions to OCHA, which were acknowledged as received, but by the next day's noon briefing no answers had been given.

So when Nesirky on January 18 said Bragg would “advocate on behalf... of returnees,” Inner City Press asked if she will advocate with respect to the alleged war crimes which made them displaced.

No, Nesirky said, Bragg's trip has nothing to do with the Panel of Experts, which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced on December 17 would visit Sri Lanka. Video here, from Minute 45:23.

Insiders late on January 17 told Inner City Press that despite Ban's statement, his Panel will now probably NOT visit the Island. Despite Ban's December 17 announcement praising President Mahinda Rajapaksa's “flexibility,” since then Rajapaksa's government has written to the UN to say not only that the Panel should not come, but that neither the government nor its Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Panel will speak with the UN Panel of Experts.

It is expected now that representatives of the Rajapaksa government will, in New York only, speak with Ban Ki-moon's Office, not his Panel.

So did Ban Ki-moon misspeak, some now wonder, on December 17, or in what he told the Press on January 14?

Inner City Press is told that Ban's Panel has written three letters seeking visas. At first the Panel was told that it could make “submissions” to the LLRC. Ban's Panel said that it cannot provide testimony, but rather take it, not only from the LLRC but from any and all who are involved in the accountability process.

Later Ban's Panel made further concessions, saying they wouldn't care what it was called, submission or representation, they'd just like to go. Then the sources say the Rajapaksa government still said no.

The current state of play, the insiders say, is that Ban's Panel will probably NOT go to Sri Lanka.

Ms. Bragg will go, but will not pass along anything that displacees say about WHY and BY WHOM they were displaced and worse. Some Organization.

Questions on Sri Lanka that Inner City Press asked UN OCHA on January 17:

when did Ms. Bragg apply for a visa to Sri Lanka, when was it granted and are there any conditions on the visa, regarding where to travel, whom to speak with, etc?

What does OCHA say to the protests in east Batticaloa about allegedly inequitable distribution of aid?

Also, previously asked to Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary General:

Does the UN have any comment on Sri Lanka's government ordering the International Committee of the Red Cross out of Northern Sri Lanka? http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91160

Or, as previously requested, on the new rules requiring NGOs and INGOs to register with the Department of Defense, etc?

Watch this site.

* * *

Ban Says Panel “Finalizing” Sri Lanka Dates, “Will Be Able” to Talk B/y LLRC

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, January 14 -- For the four weeks since UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on December 17 announced his Panel of Experts would visit Sri Lanka and praised the “flexibility” of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his Spokesperson's office has refused to answer questions about Rajapaksa officials' statements that they were unable of any trip, that Ban's Panel would get only “conditional visas,” not to investigate but only “make representations” to Rajapaksa's Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission.

When Ban held his next monthly press conference on January 14, Inner City Press sought to ask, as it has in writing without a responsible answer, when and under what conditions the Panel might travel, given that it was supposed to issue a report by January 15.

But despite Inner City Press signing up to ask a question, and keeping hand raised throughout Ban's 45 minute press conference, Inner City Press was not called on to ask any question. This was something new.

While other reporters shouted out questions about Ban administration corruption and if Ban will seek a second term -- no comment -- Inner City Press chose not to get into shouting. Rather, Inner City Press waited by the exit of the Dag Hammarskold Library where Ban would pass.

“Mister Secretary General, you said your Panel is going to Sri Lanka,” Inner City Press asked, “what happened?”

Ban Ki-moon replied, “They are now working very seriously on finalizing the dates of visiting Sri Lanka.”

Inner City Press asked about “the government has said they can only talk to the LLRC, that they can't investigate anything.”

Ban Ki-moon replied, “They will be able to... They are now discussing that.”

This again in contradictory to what the Sri Lankan government has said, and even to what Ban's spokespeople have said. Ban's acting Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq, bypassing Inner City Press' outstanding questions, told BBC's Sinhala service that the Panel might only meet the LLRC outside Sri Lanka.

Then, when Inner City Press asked questions on it day after day, Haq said that Ban's Panel's mandate is broader than the LLRC. Haq refused to answer if the Panel or its staff would travel to Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka government immediately said that to the contrary, it would only be with the LLRC, that no investigation or other discussion would be possible, and visas would be limited to this effect.

Inner City Press asked Ban Spokesman Nesirky with whom Ban spoke before making his December 17 announcement and praising Mahinda Rajapaksa. Nesirky refused to answer, just as he has refused any answer to the question of Ban's prior relations and meetings with Rajapaksa, and Ban's close family members' dealings and presence in Sri Lanka: all factual questions refused.

UN's Ban and his Panel: who did Ban speak with, who will they speak with?

Nesirky's office on January 14 emailed Inner City Press that the Panel would delay its report into February. (Nesirky's Office's post hoc insertion in the transcript, below, refers to the end of February ).

Then Nesirky refused to allow any question from Inner City Press: the above quoted and recorded answer was only possible by waiting in the entrance of the auditorium.

Ban claimed transparency, but this is not it. Watch this site.

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund. Video Analysis here

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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