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General Assembly's Kerim Refuses to Disclose Payments from WAZ Media Group, No Olympics Showing Either

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, April 11 – The President of the General Assembly Srgjan Kerim declined in a press conference on Friday to disclose his financial relationship with the WAZ media group, calling it irrelevant.  In response to questions from Inner City Press, Kerim acknowledged that "if a government pays the president of the GA, he has to have a relationship with that government." Asked why it would be different if a corporation pays him, particularly but not only if it were a contractor with the UN, Kerim said, "of course if it would be a contractor with the UN then you would have a conflict of interest." He added, "In this case we don't,  my company has nothing to do with the UN." Video here, from Minute 24:50.

            In the more than five minute exchange Friday, Kerim repeatedly said "this is a matter of principle," and not about him personally. Inner City Press agrees, and has informed Kerim's spokesman, that it is not personal, that after Kerim told Inner City Press candidly and to his credit that those who give funding ask favors, the question about funding from WAZ had to be asked.

Srgjan Kerim on April 11, reforming but payments not shown

            President Kerim's spokesman, from whom Inner City Press tried to get these questions answer prior to and outside of the press conference, has stated in writing that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

"Government has made an arrangement with Dr. Kerim’s employer the WAZ media group allowing for the one year release of Dr. Kerim to take up his duties as the GA President. This agreement allows for maintaining his contractual status with the media group. Dr. Kerim has a five year contract with WAZ and the details of that contract are confidential."

            But public financial disclosure is not only for cases where the discloser acknowledges a conflict of interest -- rather, they are across the board, in order to identify possible conflicts of interest. Kerim on Friday said that "member states knew that I came from the private sector and represent a company, they did not object to it."  Very few of the Ambassadors asked this year about President Kerim's arrangement knew that the president of the GA might still be paid by a private company, until they read it in Inner City Press.

Press analysis: There has to be a better way. At a minimum, presidents of the General Assembly should disclose where their funds come from, as well as with whom they meet. These modest reforms do not have to wait for any vote on General Assembly revitalization, they could be implemented right now. There is nothing personal, but perhaps something precedential as well as presidential, about it.

Olympic footnote:  Inner City Press also asked Kerim if he will attend any part of the Beijing Olympics. No, he said, "I have some other commitments and tasks to do." Earlier in the week, also in response to Inner City Press' questions, Ban Ki-moon's Deputy Spokesperson said Ban will not attend "due to scheduling issues." These are the top two officials in the UN, and Chinese is a Permanent Member of the Security Council. One wonders if the "we will not attend" positions will survive through August 8. Watch this site.

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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

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