At RNC
In Cleveland,
Rudy Has Lone
UN Shout-Out,
Slovenia Turk
Near Miss
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
18 -- At the
Republic
National
Convention
began in
Cleveland on
July 18, the
only reference
to the United
Nations was by
Rudy Giuliani,
saying the
UN's
principles
militate
against a
nuclear Iran.
But there were
other
near-misses:
the soldiers
from Benghazi,
Senators Tom
Cotton and
Jeff Sessions,
and Melania
Trump's
narrative
about
Slovenia,
whose former
president
Danilo Turk is
running to
replace Ban
Ki-moon as UN
Secretary
General.
Back on
January 28
among the
Hillary
Clinton emails
released late
by the US
State
Department was
a single
one
mentioning
Burundi, which
mentioned the
FDLR (Hutu)
militia being
present in the
country.
Inner
City Press,
which has
covered each
of the State
Department's
FOIA releases
and covers
Burundi,
tweeted a link
to the
email.
The adviser to
Burundi's
Pierre
Nkurunziza replied
that it was
misleading --
not rare when
confined to
140 characters
-- and Inner
City Press replied
with a
question.
But
it's worth
noting that
while the US
couldn't even
spell FDLR
right, the
current head
of UN
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous
wrote in 1994
as French
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
to the UN what
he was trying
to convince
other Council
members to
embraces the
escape of Hutu
(genocidaires)
into Eastern
Congo, memo
here.
There
they became
the FDLR,
which Ladsous
then in his
current job
refused to
fight. This is
the same
Ladsous who
wrote his DPKO
couldn't or
wouldn't stop
a genocide in
Burundi, and
refuses to
answer Press
questions
about the
rapes taking
place under
his watch.
Like Burundi,
Sri Lanka
represents one
of the lowest
points of the
last decade at
the UN, from
inaction in
2008 and 2009
to cover-ups
since.
And while the
US is now full
of praise, a
just released
Hillary
Clinton email,
showing US
knowledge that
those who
spoke to its
Ambassador
Rapp in 2012
were abused,
raises new
questions.
The email,
which Inner
City Press found
among the
supplemental
disclosure
just put out
by the US
State
Department,
forwards from
Cheryl Mills
to the
Secretary of
State Clinton
on February
10, 2012, a
memo entitled,
"Military
Intelligence
arrest &
threatens
people who
spoke to Amb.
Rapp."
"The people
are from the
Selvapuram
village in
Mullaitivu.
Ambassador
Rapp visited
that village
yesterday. The
villagers
informed Amb.
Rapp that
during the
final phase of
the war (in
2009) they
handed over
their loved
ones to the
Military. But
since then
they had not
heard anything
about their
relatives
whereabouts.
Now the
military is
forcing them
to register
their loved
ones as dead.
When the
information
about the
meeting became
public; the
Sri Lankan
military
intelligence
rounded up
that area and
is conducting
investigations
as to who gave
evidence to
Ambassador
Rapp.
At least 5
people were
taken to the
military
intelligence
camp for more
in depth
investigations.
They were also
issued with
death threats.
The priest of
the St. Jude's
Church where
the
Ambassadors
meeting took
place was also
detained at
the military
camp."
And what
did the US do?
What has the
UN done? Other
than evict
Inner City
Press for
asking
questions?
We'll have
more on this.
On January 4,
2016, Inner
City Press
which covered
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
visit to Sri
Lanka in May
2009, asked
Ban's
spokesman
basic
questions
about Sri
Lanka, which
the UN has
declined to
answer for
three days.
From the transcript,
video here:
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
you something
on Sri Lanka,
which is that,
in the last
couple of
days, the
President
[Maithripala]
Sirisena has
said that
there's no
requirement of
a special
court for
events in
later stages
of the
conflict and
also has
announced some
parcels of
land to people
in the north,
but there
seems to be a
demand by the
Tamil National
Alliance that
the military
disoccupy
land, that…
private land
that it
continues to
be in.
What's the
UN's response
to that?
What's the
UN's, I guess,
involvement,
including
through the
peacebuilding
commissioner
and any other
way…
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
I'll have to
check… [cross
talk] I don't
have an
update.
I'll check.
Three
day later,
nothing. On
January 7,
Inner City
Press asked
about reports
of torture in
Sri Lanka in
the last year,
under
President
Sirisena. Video here,transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: there
were two
reports issued
yesterday
about torture
in Sri Lanka,
not in the
past but in
the last year
as well while
Mr.
[Maithripala]
Sirisena has
been in the
Government, a
UK-based
group and
a South
Africa-based
group,
very detailed
reports
including,
like,
locations that
they
found.
What is… I
mean… I guess…
Spokesman:
I will… I will
check.
While
not answering
any of those
questions, on
the evening of
January 7 Ban
Ki-moon issued
a statement of
pure praise of
Sirisena, here. Has
Ban's UN
turned the
corner on Sri
Lanka or not?
UNCA
head Giampaolo
Pioli, who
tried to get
the
investigative
Press thrown
out of the UN
for accurately
reporting that
Pioli had
accepted rent
money from
Palitha
Kohona, Sri
Lanka's
ambassador,
then gave a
"UN screening"
on a war
crimes denial
film in the
Dag
Hammarskjold
Auditorium,
has issued
this, only to
those who pay
UNCA money,
leaked by a
disgusted UNCA
member:
"Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
would like to
meet with UNCA
members and
all UN
correspondents
for the New
Year's visit
this
Wednesday, Jan
6th, 2016 from
10:35 to 10:50
am in the UNCA
room. It will
be an
opportunity
for him to say
a few words to
all of our
colleagues and
to exchange
his best
wishes. There
will not be a
Q&A
session but as
in every year
it is a great
occasion to be
together.
Please
attend."
Well,
no. Providing
a rah-rah
session with
no Q&A is
pathetic. And,
"all
correspondents"
will not enter
the UN
Corruption
Association,
which charges
money for
access to Ban.
But there are
questions,
including on
Sri Lanka. For
now, the
January 6
"event" was
canceled, so
Ban could
speak to / at
the press from
the UN
Security
Council
stakeout,
without taking
questions.
Ban's envoy to
Libya Bernardino
Leon was
exposed by
leaks as
having taken
instructions
and then a job
from the
United Arab
Emirates.
And Ban's head
of UN
Peacekeeping,
Herve
Ladsous,
is listed in
UN Dispute
Tribunal
documents as
having tried
to cover up
child rapes in
Central
African
Republic by
peacekeepers
from his
native France.
Inner
City Press,
which Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric did
not call on
despite
calling two
separate times
on the same UN
Correspondents
Association
scribe, asked
audibly, “Do
you have any
update on the
John Ashe
indictment?
Bernardino
Leon? These
were major
developments
this year.” Vine here.
But Ban
refused to
answer the
question. He
walked out of
the briefing
room, shaking
hands scribes.
The press
conference
began with
Dujarric
setting aside
the first
question for
the head of
UNCA, who
thanked Ban
for attending
an event on
Wall Street for
which UNCA
charged $6,000
to sit with
Ban. This
is the UN
Corruption
Association.
A
question on or
to cover up
the sexual
abuse scandal
was arranged,
with Agence
France Presse
congratulating
Ban for this
response to
the sexual
abuse scandal.
(Senegalese
Babacar Gaye
was urged to
resign,
Ladsous who on
camera linked
the rapes to
“R&R," video here, remains in
place.)
Ban read out a
wan answer on
Burundi;
his deputy
spokeperson
refused an
Inner City
Press question
on Burundi at
the previous
day's noon
briefing.
We'll have
more on this.. Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
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