Ban's
Envoy Downer Calls His Business with Huawei "Private" From UN, Zerihoun
Leaving Cyprus?
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April 27 -- "I have my private life," Alexander
Downer told the Press on Tuesday." It's mine and it's private."
Video here,
at Minute 36.
Inner
City Press
had asked Downer, the part time chief of the UN's Good Offices role
for Cyprus, whether the fact that his employer Bespoke Approach
represents Chinese technology firm Huawei, which does business in
Turkey, showed a need for UN rules against the appearance of conflict
of interest.
"With
the
greatest respect," Downer said, "I might know more about
this that you... Ipso facto
-- it's my business."
Previously,
Downer
has told Inner City Press that there
can be no conflict of interest
because Bespoke Approach's clients don't do business in Cyprus or, by
implication, Turkey or Greece, which have direct interests in Mr.
Downer's UN work.
Now
that Downer has
confirmed that Bespoke Approach represents Huawei, which itself brags
on its website about its Turkey business, the question is squarely
raised: why doesn't the UN prohibit or have rules about this?
Secretary
General
Ban Ki-moon has promised transparency, and has urged his senior
officials -- although apparently not part time officials like Downer
-- to publicly disclose their financial holdings.
But
on Tuesday, Mr.
Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky tried to cut off the question by
saying, "Matthew, the Secretary General chose Mr. Downer [based
on] his demonstrated integrity. I don't think one needs to say more
than that." Video here,
from 37:52.
But
what about
having generally applicable rules? If confidence in particular
individuals' integrity was enough, Mr. Ban wouldn't have urged public
disclosure of financial holdings to avoid the appearance of conflict
of interest.
UN's Ban and Downer, rules against conflicts of
interest not shown
While
Inner City
Press asked two questions about the Cyprus process, Downer sought to
not answer them, saying to Inner City Press, "You're not really
interested in Cyprus."
One
of the
questions concerned Cypriot president Demetris Christofias' request
to Qatar's Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani that Qatar get
involved in the Cyprus process. How did Downer think this would
dovetail, or not, with his work?
Downer
said, This
is a UN process, Mr. Christofias and Mr. [Dervis] Eroglu are aware of
that.
Only
at the end of
his press conference did Downer, once reminded, consent to answer
Inner City Press' other question, about the relation of his work with
that of Mr. Ban's current representative to Cyprus, Taye-Brook
Zerihoun. He runs UNFICYP and I run the Good Offices, Downer said. He
is my deputy on the Good Offices. "You are very interested in
this.. I am only part time, Mr. Zerihoun has filled in" for me
and comes to meetings even when I am there.
Inner
City Press
had, during Nesirky's briefing while Downer waited to speak, asked
what something it heard and reported yesterday, that Zerihoun is
being recalled to UN Headquarters to replace Haile Menkerios, now in
South Sudan, in the Africa Division of the UN Department of Political
Affairs. When Inner City Press asked if Nesirky could confirm, he
said "Not at the moment, but I'll find out." Video here,
from Minute 17:03.
When
Inner City
Press asked Downer if he was aware of Zerihoun, which whom Downer
said he plays golf, leaving the Cyprus post as early as May 1, Downer
said that was for the S-G and his spokesman to answer. Video here,
from Minute 46:22. Nesirky said,
"I've already answered that." Inner City Press replied, no,
you said you didn't know, you'd find out.
Ironically,
not
only Ambassadors and people in the Department of Political Affairs
were speaking about Zerihoun's getting the job, so was another
spokesperson at the UN. Watch this site.
* * *
At
UN, Downer Says Anti-Obama Op-Ed Has No Effect on Cyprus Work with
U.S.,
Coal Role
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, December 9 -- Alexander Downer, alongside being the UN
Special Adviser on Cyprus, works
for the consultancy Bespoke
Approach, serves as a director of Hong Kong based mining firm
ResourceHouse and its China First coal, and writes op-eds, most
recently saying Barrack Obama should not have been awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize.
Inner
City Press
asked Downer on December 9 if this op-ed had any effect on his
discussion for the UN with Obama's Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, with whom he met about Cyprus on December 8. Downer laughed
and said, "Of course not! No such thing was discussed."
Video here, from Minute 8:32.
But
the question
isn't whether Hillary Clinton brought up the op-ed: it's whether it
has any impact of Downer's effectiveness for the UN on the Cyprus
issue. Another correspondent pointed out that Downer had offered the
Press nearly exactly the same upbeat assessment of the talks back in
May. Has any progress been made?
Previously,
Inner
City Press has asked
Downer and the UN what safeguards are in place
to avoid any conflict of interest between Downer's work for the
consultancy Bespoke Approach and his UN role. Downer scoffed that
Cyprus doesn't have much business. But of course, Turkey and Greece
have a stake in Cyprus, and both have big business. In fact, while
KKR lists Bespoke Approach as an Easter affiliate, KKR has business
interests in Turkey. So where are the safeguards?
Downer
is also on
the board of directors of ResourceHouse, which is raising funds for a
China director coal mine in Australia. Inner City Press asked Downer,
in this light, to comment on the UN climate change negotiations in
Copenhagen.
Downer
against
laughed, saying that his Cyprus role does not involve climate
change.
How about his China First Coal role?
Downer at stakeout, round and round, hook not shown
Ironically,
in a press conference the same day the head of UN
peacekeeping argued that all UN peacekeeping mission are impacted by
climate change. But Downer, without responding to the question about
China First Coal, said that his personal hope is that the
negotiations succeed. And that an $2.25 will get you on the subway in
New York: appointments with Bespoke Approach cost more. Watch this
site.
Footnote: the UN's
force commander in Cyprus is slated to be changed in the Spring of
2010. A question at the stakeout about Slovakia's
public claim to be lobbying for the position yielded no answer,
except that the process takes place in New York. We will follow this.
, 
