Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

As UN Sends “Low Level” Envoy to Libya, Provides “Cover to NATO"

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 17 -- With the UN making much of having sent Jordanian senator and businessman Abdel-Elah Al Khatib as its envoy to Libya, Inner City Press on May 16 asked Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations what he thinks might come of the UN's work on Libya.

“Nothing,” Cook said flatly. Pressed, he said that even countries which “supposedly have leverage... like Turkey with Assad” of Syria, are having little impact. It has become “existential” for Gaddafi, Assad and Salih of Yemen, he said.

So sending a “relatively low level Arab functionary, a former foreign minister” like Al Khatib will accomplish little, he predicted. “The UN need to be doing something because it's the UN,” he said.

Inner City Press asked about the UN's role, under the Security Council's resolutions, in coordinating and record-keeping for enforcement of the Libya no fly zone and arms embargo. Cook was again dismissive. “The UN provided legal cover for NATO in Libya,” he said. And that was it.

Ban and Jordanian senator Khatib: still (Bi Ki) Moon-lighting?

Meanwhile at the UN on Tuesday, the Security Council will get a briefing on Yemen, where the immunity deal brokered by the GCC has fallen apart. No action has been taken, or even tried of late, regarding Syria.

The UN has still refused to “clarify” Al Khatib's contract, how he was at once work for the UN and be a paid Jordanian senator. The UN Department of Political Affairs put Ian Martin in a position for “post transition” Libya, but has refused requests by Inner City Press to describe what Martin is doing, or even what his rank is.

Now Inner City Press is told that Martin wants to replace Haile Menkerios in South Sudan, in a mission that Khartoum is moving to throw out of the North. And so it goes at the UN.

* * *

At UN on Syria, Moves for a Resolution As Non-Binding As 1st Libya Statement

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 10 -- The next moves on Syria in the UN Security Council began to emerge on Tuesday. Numerous sources told Inner City Press that the move is to put into a draft resolution the type of non-binding, non-punative Council press statement as was issued on Libya on February 22.

The idea is that provision such as were contained in the subsequent Libya Resolution 1970 -- sanctions and referral to the International Criminal Court -- have absolutely no chance of passing the Council at this point.

Meanwhile an aspiration statement as was made on Libya, a “shot across the bow” as one diplomat put it to Inner City Press, might have a chance.

But when Inner City Press asked Chinese Permanent Representative Li Baodong about this “Western” strategy, he said “I don't think they can do it.”

Even a Western diplomat complained to Inner City Press that with the way things have gone in Libya, Council passage of a “first step” text on Syria is unlikely for now.

Last week Inner City Press reported that the UK was moving toward introducing a resolution, which unlike the previous draft press statement could not be blocked by a single non-Permanent member like Lebanon. Watch this site.

Footnote: at the UN's May 10 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked UN acting deputy spokesman Farhan Haq how much of UNRWA's operations in Syria have been suspended, and whether UNRWA has been able to provide any information on the humanitarian situation in Syria to the UN Secretariat. Haq said, we don't reveal our sources. One wag wondered what sources the UN actually has in Syria.

* * *

At UN on Syria Much Posturing, No Text or TV Camera, Libyan Ships

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 9 -- When Syria was raised in the Security Council on Monday afternoon, it was only about the UN's now postponed humanitarian assessment mission to Deraa.

Afterward Inner City Press asked Humanitarian Coordinator Valerie Amos about UN access to Deraa. She said that she's gotten assurances the team can get in to Deraa later this week.

Such access had already been promised, then not provided. Leaving the Security Council, German Permanent Representative Wittig told the Press that he had spoken strongly against the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

Another Western diplomat said, carefully, that while there is so far no draft resolution on Syria, they are trying to find “what the market will bear” in terms of condemning Syria. Note: they might want to check with Russia.

Amos on Libya border; the Search continues

When the session was over, Council President Gerard Araud begrudgingly came to the stakeout -- where, in fact, the UN TV camera had already been turned off.

Given his attitude, no one told him that the TV cameras were dark. He answered a question about harm caused in Libya by NATO bombing by saying, there is no question. But there are questions, and they will keep being asked.

Inner City Press asked Valerie Amos what the UN knows about the deaths of those seeking to flee Libya by sea. She answered about two reports: a ship with 72 people on it, out at sea for 16 days, with only 11 survivors, and a ship with 300 to 600 people onboard sinking. Of the latter, she said there've been reports of a NATO ship nearby.

The French reply that the nearest ship was 100 miles away -- 100 nautical miles. We'll see.

Click for Mar 1, '11 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

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.

Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations