As
US
Doesn't Fund UN Slavery Memorial, Tax Equalization Fund Eyed?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 26 -- To build at the UN
a memorial to the Victims of
Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, a committee is seeking to
raise $4.5 million. So far the big donors are India with $260,000
and Australia with $100,000.
What about the United States, Inner City
Press asked Ambassador Raymond Wolfe of Jamaica on Friday.
Ambassador
Wolfe
said he discussed the matter with US Permanent Representative Susan
Rice but that she said the US Mission does not have money to make
such contributions, it would have to go through Congress.
Inner
City Press
pointed out to Ambassador Wolfe that the US Mission
and State
Department recently allowed the UN to keep $100 million in US Tax
Equalization Funds without any Congressional approval. Wolfe
indicated he may look into that route.
Wolfe and Russell Simmons, Susan Rice and TEF not shown
Later
in the
Delegates' Entrance to the General Assembly, Wolfe and the Ambassador
of Cameroon noshed on a sort of three bean salad and other
Cameroonian specialties like dried bananas -- Inner City Press was
told there's exploration of packaging for export. And so it goes at
the UN.
* * *
As
UN
Admits
Shooting Dead a Haitian, Lack of Transparency in UN Caused
Deaths
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March
24 -- When the UN kills someone, shouldn't they
announce it?
After
the
elections
in Haiti, Inner City Press on March 24 asked Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky about ballot
irregularities blamed on the UN system, and about reports of the
shooting death of a Haiti by the UN mission MINUSTAH, specifically by
a Blue Helmet from Argentina.
While
Nesirky
by
that time had an “if-asked” sheet of paper with him, to be read
out only if the question was asked, he left unanswered Inner City
Press' follow up question: “How does the UN report where it has
caused the death of a citizen of the country they are in”?
From
the
UN's
March
24
transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
There are some reports blaming UN or UNDP [United Nations
Development Programme] for some missing of 200 and, 2,009 ballots in
this most recent one. I am not sure if the UN has a response to
that. And there is also, it seems that the Argentine part of the
peacekeeping mission acknowledges a role in the shooting of this
Haitian citizen. Is that something that MINUSTAH has confirmed and
what brought that up?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky:
On the first question, I would need to check on the
question about the ballots. I would need to check on that. On the
second, what I can tell you is that in the morning of the election
day, which was Sunday the twentieth, in Dessalines in Artibonite, a
group of 50 to 60 unidentified armed men attempted to attack a
polling centre. And the UN Peacekeepers who were guarding the centre
had no choice but to use force in order to protect the centre and the
Haitian civilians who were at threat at that point.
And
according
to
the rules of engagement, the peacekeepers used all
peaceful means to try to dissuade the group from progressing toward
the centre. But the group continued to progress in a threatening
way. The peacekeepers issued halt calls and fired several rounds of
warning shots. And they were then engaged by the assailants, and had
no choice but fire back in self defence, and this was to protect the
centre and the civilians. The assailants then dispersed and fled,
and the attack was repulsed. The voting process was able to start
again. During the exchange of fire, one individual was hit by a
bullet and wounded. The peacekeepers provided medical assistance and
took the person to the closest hospital, but that person later died
from his wounds. And, as it is the case when there is any loss of
life, the Mission launches an investigation, and has launched an
investigation, to determine the exact circumstances. And I can
confirm that these were Argentine peacekeepers. There were four
Argentine peacekeepers at this center.
Inner
City
Press:
Is there some rule, I mean I, thanks a lot for that, it’s
really helpful, is there some, I mean, how frequent is this? How
does the UN report where it has had to engage and may have caused, in
self-defense or otherwise the death of a citizen of the country
they are in?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
As
I’ve said, whenever there is loss of life, then the
mission, or any mission, any mission would investigate.
Even
if
the mission
“would investigate,” what is the UN system to announce when it
has killed someone? And why aren't the results of the investigations
made public?
UN peacekeeper blocks cholera, reporting of deaths not shown
After a
Haitian teenagers died, allegedly strangled in a
peacekeeping base in Cap Haitien manned by the Nepalese, the UN never
released its
report, and has apparently not waved the immunity of staff member Joelle Rozefort to allow or require
testimony.
From the
January 11 UN
transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
there
was
a case some time ago of a boy that was found
hung — a Haitian boy found hung in a Nepali base in Cap Haitien. Some
say that Mr. Mulet has asked the Secretary-General to remove the
immunity of a national staff member there, Joelle Rozefort, so she
can testify to a court about this. Is that – one, has Mr. Mulet
made the request? But whether he has or not, is the
Secretary-General considering removing the immunity of this staff
member to respond to a court subpoena?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky:
I’m
aware
of the incident you’re referring to in
which someone was found to have been hanged. And I think we may be
able to provide you with a little bit more information on the
question that you’ve asked a little bit later.
But
more than two months
later, no information has been provided. Watch this site.
, 
