UNITED
NATIONS,
October 3 --
As the French-led
UN Security
Council trip
to the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo
begins today,
the M23
militia have
complained of
white-painted
helicopters
flying
surveillance
flights over
territory
assigned to
them under a
deal reached
in Kampala.
M23
has announced
that since the
UN Mission
MONUSCO says
these flights
are not
theirs, M23
will in the
future shoot
at such
helicopters or
"engines of
death."
France
was allowed to
hand-pick the
media
accompanying
the trip on
the UN plane.
Inner City
Press went on
such Council
trips in 2010
and 2008, but
this time
France
rejected Inner
City Press'
request --
made through
the Office of
the
Spokesperson
of Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon since
it is, after
all, a UN and
not French
plane.
Hand-picked
by
France to
cover the
trip, dubbed
the Genocide
Joyride given
France's
history of
supporting the
1994
genocidaires
and their
escape into
Eastern Congo,
are Reuters
and Voice of
America, and a
procedural
Council
reporter.
So how
will VOA and
Reuters report
what M23 says?
Voice of
America, just
before the
trip, ran an
interview by
DRC
spokesperson
Mende. VOA's
type up of the
interview
called the
FDLR a "Hutu
militia
group," when
Mende said
"Rwandese."
Back
in July, VOA's
Scott Stearns
asked the US
State
Department
-- whose John
Kerry is on
VOA's
Broadcasting
Board of
Governors -- a planted
question about
Rwanda
supporting
M23.
This
came at the
same time as
the Obama
administration
was bragging
about support
it is giving
to rebels in
Syria -- but
VOA did not
make this
connection.
Reuters'
coverage of
DRC and the UN
is even more
one-sided; Reuters
has seen fit
even to spy
for the UN,
and not
explain it.
Click here for
that.
Now
that the trip
is been made
public not
only by
MONUSCO but
the UN in New
York, here is
the itinerary
(and
rejection)
they sent out:
Dear
Colleagues,
Below
is the
information
regarding the
upcoming
Security
Council trip
to the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo,
Rwanda, Uganda
and Ethiopia
at the
beginning of
October.
If you
are interested
in
participating,
please RSVP
directly to
the
Spokesperson's
Office of the
Secretary-General,
Jerome Bernard
by NOON, New
York time,
this Friday,
September
20th...
The
Security
Council plans
to visit the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo,
Rwanda, Uganda
and Ethiopia
at the
beginning of
October.
To
help with
planning for
any such
visit, the
Spokesperson's
Office asks UN
correspondents
to advise the
Office whether
they are
interested in
travelling on
such a trip...
As
usual, the
Spokesperson's
Office
reserves the
right to
request
pooling or to
limit the
number of
places.
NOTE:
The
Spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
subsequently
on camera
admitted that
the decision
on who would
go was made by
the lead
mission for
the trip:
France. This
was sent to
Inner City
Press:
From:
Jerome
Bernard [at]
un.org
Date: Fri, Sep
20, 2013 at
6:46 PM
Subject: Re:
Security
Council trip
to Africa
To: Matthew
Russell Lee
[at]
InnerCityPress
[dot] com
Cc: Free UN
Coalition for
Access
@FUNCA_info
Hi
Matthew,
I
am sorry but
because of the
very limited
number of
seats in the
UN plane it
won't be
possible for
you to travel
with the
Security
Council for
this trip to
the Great
Lakes Region
of Africa.
I
am sure there
will be other
opportunities
for travel in
the future.
Best
regards,
Jerome
Bernard
Office of the
Spokesperson
for the
Secretary-General
Jerome
Bernard, who
will be
accompanying
the trip
apparently
hand-picked by
France (we
note that he
previously
worked at
Agence France
Presse, on one
of the
management
boards of
which Ladsous
served) will
supposed tell
reporters who
France did not
want on the
trip what is
happening.
Right.
When Inner
City Press
began to ask
Nesirky about
the
incongruity of
the UN
allowing
colonial
powerhouse
France to not
only run UN
Peacekeeping
for more than
a dozen years
but also to
hand-pick
which
journalists
can cover its
work, on a UN
plane, Nesirky
said others
were not
interested in
Inner City
Press' "travel
arrangements
or lack"
thereof.
Video
here
We
will however
be reporting
on this
Genocide
Joyride. The
first leg,
according to
multiple
non-UN
sources, is
Brussels
(echoes of
Leopold's
Ghost?) on
October 3 and
4, then to
Kinshasa and
Goma. But how
will it be
reported on?
Watch this
site.
, 
