Pakistan's
Haroon,
Faster on Floods Than His Own Gov't, to Leave UN Posting in NY
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 19 -- As Pakistan raises money in the UN General
Assembly, including a $60 million pledge from US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, the recent bragging by its Ambassador Abdullah
Hussain Haroon that he was faster than his own government took on new
meaning.
On
August 11,
Inner City Press asked Ambassador Haroon about the response to the
floods by the UN and its envoy, Jean Maurice Ripert. While being
dismissive of Ripert, Haroon also said that while his government
hadn't responded until Monday, “we here in New York,” meaning he
himself, had been working with the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs since the previous Thursday. Video here.
Now
Pakistani
sources tell Inner City Press that Haroon had known that he must
leave the New York posting as early as the end of this month. With
his bow tie, white hat and cane and impeccable British accent, the
removal or rotation out appears to have led to resentment.
At UN, Haroon with bow tie and Holmes, return not shown
How else
to explain a country's UN Ambassador bragging on camera he was faster
than his own government and employer? Watch this site.
Meanwhile
Pakistan's
foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, asked if his
government would accept India's offer of $5 million in aid, said that
the decision has not been made yet. Some wonder how a country can be
asking money from others while leaving on the table $5 million, no
matter how possibly cynically the aid may have been offered. Then
again, then NYC Mayor Guiliani turned down Middle Eastern offers
after 9/11/01.
* * *
In
Pakistan,
UN Is Denied Access to Areas But Stays Silent, Won't Urge Acceptance of
Aid from
India
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 19 -- Amid the fundraising for flooded Pakistan on
August 19, world Humanitarian Day, the politicization of the UN's
operations also became clear.
The UN's Martin Mogwanja provided a
telephone briefing, in which Inner City Press asked about top UN
humanitarian John
Holmes' recent statement about parts of the country
to which the UN had no access. Video here,
from Minute 33:41.
Since
Mogwanja
insisted that the government has full control of all areas of the
country, how did this square with Holmes statement, and for example
the U.S. drone stikes in North Waziristan?
Mogwanja
replied that
these were not contradictory, that the government has “full
control” of all areas, but blocks the UN's access due to its
security operations.
Leaving
aside
whether the government can be said to control sealed off areas into
which another country fires drone missiles, one wonders why the UN
has not complained publicly about the denial of humanitarian access,
as it complains elsewhere.
Inner
City Press
asked Mogwanja, as the UN humanitarian coordinator, for his view on
Pakistan's refusal until now of a $5 million offer of aid from India.
Given Mogwanja's and Holmes' statements about humanitarian needs
trumping politics, one expected an answer along the lines of, “aid
should generally be taken, when people are facing death.”
Instead,
Mogwanja
replied that “each government is free to decided what to
contribute, equally each government is free to decide what it will
accept.” He called it a decision for sovereign governments, nor for
a UN humanitarian coordinator.
But
wasn't the
role of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to
publicly prioritize civilians needs over the dilatory politics of
governments?
UN's Ban in Pakistan, denial of humanitarian access not shown
Inner
City Press
asked about Ban Ki-moon's envoy to Pakistan Jean Maurice Ripert.
Mogwanja insisted that Ripert had returned from his overseas travels
“as soon as the flood took place.”
Not
so. From July
29 -- the date Mogwanja used -- to August 4, Ripert was AWOL. On
August 2, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman where Ripert was.
It's not about an individual, spokesman Martin Nesirky answered. On
August 4, Ban called for Ripert to return to Pakistan. That is one
week, hardly “as soon as.”
Mogwanja
said that
in the coming weeks and months the government of Pakistan will hold
events closely coordinated by Ripert. We'll see - watch this site.
* * *
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