Next UN
PGA Is Thomson
of Fiji, For
Oceans,
Against
Censorship?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, June 13
--
When
candidates
from Fiji,
Peter Thomson,
and Cyprus,
Andreas
Mavroyiannis,
faced off on
June 13 to be
the next
President of
the General
Assembly,
Inner City
Press had long
heard an
argument that
a Cypriot win
would mean
“three
Europeans in a
row.” There
was and is
also the
question of
staff of
former PGA
John Ashe
remaining with
the office,
and the need
for reforms,
not only in
the Office of
the PGA but
also Ban's
Secretariat.
On the morning
of the voting,
diplomats told
Inner City
Press that the
“no European
trifecta”
argument had
gained
traction. The
voters poured
into the GA
hall,
including
current
Security
Council
president
Francois
Delattre of
France. After
a secret
ballot and a
fifteen minute
wait which
became 30, the
winner was
announced: as
Inner City
Press
predicted,
Peter Thomson
of Fiji, 94 to
90.
After
being thrown
out of the UN
on two hours
notice by
Under
Secretary
General for DPI
Cristina
Gallach on
February 19,
on March 10 back in
on a "non
resident
correspondent"
"Green P"
pass, Inner
City Press was
ordered out of
the UN at 8
pm, here,
as it worked
on a story in
the UN Lobby.
UNder
this kind of
harassment,
intimidation
and attempted
censorship,
there is only
one approach:
publish,
publish,
publish. Even
as the UN
refuses to
respond to
Inner City
Press' formal
request two
weeks ago for
the return of
its office and
Resident
Correspondent
status.
The new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
-- whose sign
USG
Cristina
Gallach
directed to be
torn down
after she
evicted Inner
City Press
from its
long-time
office (and
misspoke to
Timor Leste's
Jose Ramos
Horta,
here) --
seeks to open
the UN and
these
processes -
watch this
site.
, 
