By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
29 -- Back on
May 27, the
first UN work
day after the
voting in
Ukraine, Inner
City Press
went to the UN's
noon briefing
and asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson
Stephane
Dujarric:
Inner
City Press: I
wanted to know
if the UN has
any position
on the jets
bombing and
strafing
around Donetsk
in Ukraine and
the ultimatum
to surrender
or be killed
that’s been
issued by
Government, as
well as the
death of an
Italian and
Russian
journalist
over the
weekend.
Spokesman
Dujarric:
The
Secretary-General
is alarmed by
the continuing
violence that
we’ve seen in
the east over
the weekend
where clashes
in Donetsk, as
you said, left
dozens dead.
The
Secretary-General
urged that the
restoration of
State control
over
Government
facilities be
achieved
through
exclusively
peaceful
means,
including an
inclusive
political
dialogue. And
obviously, we
very much
regret the
deaths of the
journalists
who were
killed
covering the
story.
Inner
City Press:
Does that mean
that
“surrender or
die”... by the
Government or
the Government
waiting for
the new
President,
that this is
something that
the UN doesn’t
support?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I think what
I’ve just said
is that the
Secretary-General
urged that
restoration of
State control
over
Government
facilities be
achieved
through
exclusively
peaceful
means,
including an
inclusive
political
dialogue.
During
the May 27
briefing,
Dujarric made
no comment on
the election
in Ukraine,
and no comment
or “off the
cuff”
statement from
Ban Ki-moon
went up on the
UN's website.
But
the UN
News Center
reported:
27 May
2014 – While
welcoming the
“generally
peaceful”
nature of
Ukraine’s
weekend
presidential
elections,
United Nations
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
today
expressed
concern that
eligible
voters in some
parts of the
county’s
crisis torn
eastern region
were not
allowed to
participate in
the national
poll.
“The
Secretary-General
welcomes the
fact that
polling in
most of
Ukraine took
place in a
generally
peaceful and
orderly manner
and largely in
line with
international
standards and
fundamental
freedoms,
according to a
number of
national and
international
monitors,”
according to a
statement read
out be a UN
spokesperson.
At the
same time
however, Mr.
Ban is
concerned that
eligible
voters were
denied the
right to vote
in parts of
eastern
Ukraine, said
the statement,
echoing media
reports
suggesting
polling
irregularities
and
disruptions in
the east,
which has seen
a wave of
anti-Government
sentiment over
the past two
months.
“The SG
is alarmed by
continuing
violence in
the east,
where clashes
in Donetsk
left dozens
dead
yesterday,”
the statement
went on to
say, adding
that the UN
chief urged
that
restoration of
State control
over
Government
facilities be
achieved
through
exclusively
peaceful
means,
including an
inclusive
political
dialogue.
This
line,
“generally
peaceful,” was
picked
up by the
Saudi Press
Agency;
the UN
News Center
(English)
article was
quickly put up
on the website
of the UN in
Ukraine.
But
where was the
line said, or
“read out b[y]
a UN
spokesperson”?
Inner City
Press looked
on the UN
Spokesperson's
website: not
there. So at
the May 29
noon briefing,
as spokesman
Dujarric tried
to end the
briefing after
only two
questions,
Inner City
Press asked.
Dujarric
replied
that the
statement was
read out to
“some of your
colleagues” in
the hallway.
Moments later
he e-mailed
this to Inner
City Press, as
“shared
language” --
The
Secretary-General
welcomes the
fact that
polling in
Ukraine took
place in a
generally
peaceful and
orderly manner
and largely in
line with
international
standards and
fundamental
freedoms,
according a
number of
national and
international
monitors.
The
Secretary-General
is concerned,
however, that
eligible
voters were
denied the
right to vote
in parts of
eastern
Ukraine.
The
Secretary-General
is alarmed by
continuing
violence in
the east,
where clashes
in Donetsk
left dozens
dead
yesterday. He
urged that
restoration of
state control
over
government
facilities be
achieved
through
exclusively
peaceful
means,
including an
inclusive
political
dialogue.
Inner
City Press
asked, If this
was a prepared
statement, why
was it not
read out in
the briefing
room and put
on the SG's or
Spokeperson's
web site?
Dujarric
replied,
“It was an if
asked.”
But
why would the
UN make its
statement on
the Ukraine
election an
If-Asked?
It
appears that
when no one
asked in the
briefing room,
somehow
Dujarric got
asked by... UN
News Center?
So, a cynic
might
conclude, the
UN can arrange
to be asked by
its own media.
Note
that the UN
News Center
Russia page
reversed the
If-Asked
“shared
language” to
start with the
last part,
more palatable
to Russia:
27/05/2014
-
UN
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon is
alarmed by
reports of
continued
violence in
the east of
Ukraine,
particularly
in Donetsk,
where dozens
of people were
killed. This
was announced
by his press
secretary
Stephen
Dyuzharrik.
"Secretary-General
strongly
resembles that
restoration of
state control
agencies
should be only
through
peaceful
means,
including an
inclusive
political
dialogue" - a
spokesman said
at a press
briefing on
Tuesday.
Secretary
General
welcomed the
fact that "the
vote in many
parts of
Ukraine took
place in a
peaceful
manner, in
accordance
with
international
standards and
ensuring
fundamental
freedoms, as
reported by a
number of
national and
international
observers."
Meanwhile, the
head of the UN
is concerned
that in some
parts of
eastern
Ukraine.
legitimate
voters were
denied their
right to vote.
Dyuzharrik
Stephen noted
that the
United Nations
deeply regrets
the deaths of
journalists
covering the
events in
Ukraine. He
expressed hope
that the issue
of protection
of journalists
will be
reflected in
the next
report of the
UN mission to
monitor the
situation of
human rights
in the
country.
According to
media reports,
in eastern
Ukraine were
killed Italian
journalist
Andrea
Rokkelli and
his Russian
translator
Andrei
Mironov.
This
is a scam,
that the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
is opposing.
Watch this
site.
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