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

At UN, Ban on Transparency Leaves Deng Conflict in Sudan in Shadows

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 19 -- Transparency and financial disclosure, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said to the Press last Friday, are the hallmarks of his administration. He said that 99% of his officials make online, public descriptions of their finances.

  In fact, numerous officials file a form saying their decline to make any public disclosure. Even for those who do file, the disclosures are so vague as to be useless.

  Take for example UN official Francis Deng, Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser on Genocide. He gets UN assistance to write sections of books about Sudan, while on his financial disclosure he mentions “property in Sudan” and “House in Sudan.”

  On January 19, Inner City Press asked Deng to disclose if any of his property in Sudan would be impacted by the referenda or slated popular consultations. Video here, from Minute 29:05.

  Deng called the questions too “personal.” Ultimately, he said that he has a large family, and there might be “some huts” that could be construed as owned by his family. But I do not, he said, own a house in Abyei.

  The purpose of financial disclosures is to determine when a conflict of interest exists or might appear to exist. With this level of (non) disclosure, it is impossible to make such determinations.

  Admittedly, the fault is not only Deng's. Ban Ki-moon brags about financial disclosure, but does not require his officials to make it public. Even when they do, it is vague.

  Meanwhile Ban's Spokesman Martin Nesirky cut off Inner City Press from any second round of questions, which he granted to other media. Forgot transparency - a Ban on retaliation would be rare progress in this UN.

Deng insisted that he did not write books on UN time, but his previous defense acknowledges that he wrote the introduction to his most recent book on Sudan while on UN time, with UN help. He says that chief of staff Vijay Nambiar approved it. Click here.

Meanwhile Inner City Press sought to ask, before Deng's and Ed Luck's briefing, a question about the government in Sudan shooting students in El Fasher. Nesirky refused to take the question, although it was only 12:15, barely into the announced noon press briefing.

Later Nesirky refused genocide related questions for the panel. Deng's and Luck's briefing was about Cote d'Ivoire, but Nesirky failed to take in the brieing, or answer when e-mailed, a questions about Cote d'Ivoire.

UN's Ban & Deng & his office: UN pay for work on Deng book & disclosure not shown

   With many questions unanswered by his office, Inner City Press later submitted only a handful of new question, about Sudan and Cote d'Ivoire, along with a request that top UN lawyer Patricia O'Brien come and give a briefing.

  At close of business Wednesday after 6 pm, not a single question had been answered -- not even an acknowledgment of reeipt of the questions by Nesirky and his deputy Farhan Haq. Oh, transparency....Watch this site.

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 18 -- As the UN and its Security Council heaped praise on the government of Omar al Bashir for the Southern Sudan referendum, the UN had no comment on Bashir officials' torture of Darfur activists and detention of (Islamist) opposition figure Hassan al-Turabi.

  Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Martin Nesirky about the reported torture of the editor of Al Sahafa newspaper, and Turabi's arrest. On the torture, Nesirky said he would have to check, presumably with Ibrahim Gambari. On the latter, Nesirky said “I think we'll be able to say something a little later.”

  Running to the Security Council stake out, Inner City Press asked Sudan's Ambassador Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman about Turabi's arrest. “Let me ask you a question,” Sudan's Ambassador replied, blaming the arrest on a call for Tunisia like demonstrations.

  Inner City Press asked him why his government had not flown International Criminal Court indictee Ahmed Haroun to Abyei rather than having the UN do it.

  He first claimed not to know of Haroun's trip. Then to an Inner City Press follow up he said, the UN is not an off shoot of the ICC.

  When UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant took questions some days ago, Inner City Press asked him about the UN Mission in Sudan under Haile Menkerios using a UN aircraft to transport ICC indictee Haroun.

  I am not going to second guess the UN, Lyall Grant said. So much for overseeing the UN's compliance not only with human rights standards but even the Council's mandates.

UN's Ban & Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman - UN flying Haroun not shown

   Inner City Press asked this month's Council president, Bosnia's Ambassador Barbalic, about the UN flying Haroun around, even the Council's Press Statement's reference to holding accountable those responsible for crimes in Darfur. That was not discussed today, he answered and said, I do not have the information.

   After the Council meeting, Inner City Press asked top UN peacekeeper Alain Le Roy about the UN flying ICC indictee Haroun into Abyei. Le Roy at least acknowledged being aware of the criticism, but said that getting Haroun there to speak with normadic tribes was the focus.

  But Sudan has its own airforce, which uses to bomb. That Haroun set up a TV interview for the airport at which he landed in the UN plane does not appear to be a coincidence. The UN was used to undercut the war crimes indictments. And the UN says nothing about it. Watch this site.