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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NYP

UNITED NATIONS GATE, July 13 –How corrupt has Antonio Guterres made the UN? Before roughing up and banning Inner City Press in July 2018 and since as it asks about his failure to disclose his links to UN briber CEFC China Energy, in February 2018 Guterres went to Geneva and bragged about his performance on Myanmar, where he continued to support pro-government Renata Lok Dessallien while the Rohingya were being slaughered.

  Was this systemic failure due to Guterres' anachronistic and some say creepy infatuation with Aung San Suu Kyi? Or was it just another example of Guterres' capture by China, which along side CEFC China Energy Patrick Ho's arrest and denial of bail try to buy the oil company of Gulbenkian which paid Guterres?

  On Cameroon Guterres' failures continued in February 2018, with a gushing visit by his Germany humanitarian Ursula Mueller and then by Francois Lonceny Fall, who equated secessionists with extremists, i.e. terrorists to be killed? Guterres refused these questions and, it's now clear, was preparing to take what he considered a final solution with regard to Inner City Press and its criticism: violence and banning. But even from outside the gates...

 Back on 2 January 2018 Inner City Press asked Guterres Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq about his failure in Cameroon:  January 2, Inner City Press asked Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here:

Inner City Press: I want to ask you about Cameroon... There's been quite a lot of military action, including near the border of Nigeria, more refugees.  Did Mr. [Francois Lounceny] Fall, during this 10-day period, have any contacts?  Because things seem to actually be getting more militarized and more people killed in the towns I emailed you the names of.

Deputy Spokesman:  He's following the situation, and he'll continue to engage with the authorities in Cameroon as well as the contacts he's made on this."

What contacts were those? 18 months later nearly everyone acknowledges things are worse in Cameroon.

By the end of January 2018, long after Patrick Ho of CEFC China Energy had been indicted and jailed for UN bribery of Uganda's Sam Kutesa and Yoweri Museveni,Guterres in Addis Ababa met Museveni, with Kutesa himself in Addis as well. Museveni tweeted a photo and read out -- "Met UN Secretary General @antonioguterres on the sidelines of the 30th AU Ordinary Summit in Addis Ababa. We discussed regional peace, UN reforms and support for refugees." Meanwhile, consistent his declining transparency, Guterres did not issue any read out. Did the UN bribery scandal come up? Or get further covered up? Cover it, it seems clear. When will Guterres resign or be impeached or indicted?

Back on 5 March 2019 when Guterres refused Press questions on Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, UN sexual abuse, Japan, China abuse and his own censorship, Guterres had the day prior spent public money to spin unnamed correspondents, one of whom Stephen Schlesinger later gushed: "I attended a fascinating off-the-record lunch today with UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterrez, along with a few other journalists." Photo here; Dutch Ambassador Karel von Oosterom, who has withheld every single document about Cameroon from Inner City Press under the WOB, retweeted it. On the morning of March 5, Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres, his deputy Amina J. Mohammed, Alison Smale and spokesman Stephane Dujarric, "Please immediately state who, with public funds, the SG invited to eat halibut with him on March 4, and why it was not on his public schedule. Please state whether the UN considers "The Century Fund" to be a media and if so, why - and, AGAIN, immediately explain how it is legitimate to ban from enter into the UN the media that has been asking about these and other questions, with no hearing or appeal." No answers... We'll have more on this - and on Cameroon: after Paul Biya who has ruled Cameroon for 36 years on January 28 had his opponent Maurice Kamto arrested, Inner City Press again asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his spokesmen for their comment and action, if any. This came after Guterres had Inner City Press roughed up on 3 July 2018 after it interviewed Biya's Ambassador about the two men's Budget Committee deals and banned from the UN since - Guterres even tried to get Inner City Press banned from the Park East Synagogue, here, which was denied / dodged by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric. We'll have more on this.

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