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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon

UN GATE, Jan 8 – On Iraq, yet another country in which the UN system of Antonio Guterres is corrupt (see below UNESCO exclusive from Inner City Press which Guterres bans from the UN now for the 549th day), Guterres on November 28 had a canned statement through equally corrupt Stephane Dujarric: "The Secretary-General urges all actors  to refrain from violence and to engage in peaceful and meaningful dialogue for the benefit of Iraq and the Iraqi people."

 On January 9, US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus provided this read out, something rarely seen anymore from Guterres' corrupt UN: "Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab yesterday to discuss Iran’s destabilizing role in the Middle East.  Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Secretary Raab agreed the dangerous and reckless attack against Ain Al Asad Airbase and Erbil underscores the longstanding concerns both nations have about Iran’s offensive ballistic missile program.  They also discussed further strengthening the U.S.-UK special relationship in a post-Brexit era, including robust plans for a free trade agreement after Brexit, as well as the importance of secure 5G networks." That would be Huawei - even as UNSG Guterres sells the UN to China and bans the Press that asks about the bribes of CEFC China Energy and Guterres' links to them. Disgusting.

  On Jan 7, after protests and incursions at and inside the US Embassy in Baghdad and then the drone strike(s), while the UN not only issued no read out, but refused each and every one of Inner City Press' nine written questions, entirely corrupt, from Iran's Mission to the UN, forwarded by a number of recipients, an invitation to sign their condolence book for Soleimani, and this to corrupt Guterres: "In the name of God, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful    8 January 2020     Excellency,  Upon instructions from my Government and pursuant to my letters dated 3 and 7 January 2020 regarding the terrorist attack perpetrated by the armed forces of the United States of America against Martyr Major General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq, I would like to inform you that on 8 January 2020, in the early morning hours of Tehran time, in exercising our inherent right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran took and concluded a measured and proportionate military response targeting an American air base in Iraq from which the cowardly armed attack against Martyr Soleimani was launched. The operation was precise and targeted military objectives thus leaving no collateral damage to civilians and civilian assets in the area.  As a responsible member of the United Nations, the Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, recalls its dedication to the maintenance of international peace and security and stresses that it does not seek escalation or war.  Seriously warning about any further military adventurism against it, Iran declares that it is determined to continue to, vigorously and in accordance with applicable international law, defend its people, sovereignty and territorial integrity against any aggression.  I should also avail myself of this opportunity to reiterate the full respect of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Republic of Iraq.  I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the Security Council.  Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.   Majid Takht Ravanchi  Permanent Representative  H.E Mr. Antonio Guterres  Secretary-General."

And: "The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations presents its compliments to the Permanent Missions and Permanent Observer Missions to the United Nations and, with reference to the terrorist attack by the armed forces of the United States against Major General Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, on 3 January 2020 at the Baghdad International Airport which led to his martyrdom, has the honor to inform that a book of condolences will be open to honor the demise of this great champion of the fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups in the region.  The book will be open for signature on Wednesday, 8 January 2020, and Thursday, 9 January 2020, from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 622 3rd Avenue, 34th floor, New York, NY 10017.  The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Permanent Missions and Permanent Observer Missions to the United Nations the assurances of its highest consideration."

Inner City Press, though banned by Guterres from any entry of the UN due to its reporting on his corruption, will have more on this. First question that banned Inner City Press is asking UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming: Is Guterres going to sign? Inner City Press asked, along with nine other questions, in the morning. No answer at all from the corrupt UN, Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming.

Following the exclusive report by Inner City Press of May 26, the wind of panic in the Cabinet of Azoulay is blowing across UNESCO.  In February 2018, only few months after the election of the French Director General Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO launched the “Revive the Spirit of Mosul” initiative ostensibly to participate in the reconstruction of this city, after years of war and destruction.  This seemingly noble initiative was in fact a cover up operation of reinforcing French influence in Iraq in order to secure markets and work for French companies. Inner City Press, before being roughed up and banned by Antonio Guterres, can trace this all the way back to France's abstention for BNP Paribas on Iraq Oil for Food.

  UNESCO was used and abused since then in the realization of that pragmatic end. All donations received from Governments around the world are accurately planned to be channeled in due course to corporations close to the French administration.  How did that happen? This is how. Immediately after the launch of the initiative, a special team was established within UNESCO led by the Director of the Cabinet of Azoulay, Nicolas Kassianides, well know by now for his illegal housing grants exposed by Inner City Press.

  Members of this restricted team are only fully loyal people to Azoulay such as the Assistant Director General for Culture Erneso Otone Ramirez, one of his senior Directors, Lazare Eloundou Assomo and the member of the Cabinet of Azoulay, exposed by Inner City Press as the forgetting her passport while traveling on official missions, Sunna Altnoder. 

As a next step, the Director of the UNESCO office in Baghdad, Louise Haxthausen, was removed straight away, since she was considered by Kassianides too close to the government of Iraq after her several years of experience in the country, and too independent in her dealing with issues that progressively became sensitive for French national interests. She was replaced by a Director well know for his submissive behavior in any circumstance, the Italian Paolo Fontani. 

At some point earlier this year, the Iraqi government expressed dissatisfaction that UNESCO is focusing on the reconstruction of one city only. The response from Azoulay was rib-tickling; in a meeting with the highest authorities of Iraq, she simply countered their line of reasoning by pointing out that UNESCO must first do the “re-looking of Mosul”.  The people present in the room are still telling the story over lunches and dinners when time for jokes arrives together with coffee and cognac.  Why focusing on Mosul is having a plain and simple rationalization. Most of the millions received by UNESCO are for projects to be implemented in that particular city. Actually, there are no prospects for business elsewhere at this stage. Thus, in corrupted UNESCO, the dirt keeps on oozing this time in the context of Iraq.  Furthermore, the French DG Audrey Azoulay supported and supervised personally the organization of a concert with her French partners and friends in Chateau de Chambord.

 Unfortunately for her, it did not attract any media attention outside Paris.  According to a member of the Cabinet of Azoulay, the transactions of UNESCO in Mosul are among the most well-kept secrets in the House. The Cabinet member even considers that a number of parallel dealings are most probably piloted by some specialized French services.

  For instance, why would the Director of Cabinet Nicolas Kassianides go on mission to Iraq next week? Since when is a UNESCO Director of Cabinet allowed to deal with tasks which fall normally under the responsibilities of the Director General, or of her Assistant Director generals for culture or for external relations.  Nicolas Kassianides proves to be an expert in shady deals and this is why he is the one designated by Azoulay to meet next week in Baghdad the Iraqi Ministers of Culture, of Education and for Foreign Affairs, as well as the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff who has nothing to do with UNESCO matters. All those meetings are clearly DG or Assistant DGs level. Obviously, if the Director of Cabinet was from another country but France, it would have been unconceivable to go on such high-level official mission. This French oriented management style is changing the nature of the organization, but strangely enough, UNESCO member states remain silent on that blatant usurpation of power by one country. 

  “Kassianides is clearly taking instructions elsewhere”, said our source in the Cabinet. “As a former staff of Quai d’Orsay, and being fully aware that his days in UNESCO are counted, he must keep good relations with his former administration in order to get a good position there after successfully defending the French national interest under the cover of multilateral UN work”.  The state of affairs in the Cabinet has been left to deteriorate progressively and as long as member states remain silent, the reputation of UNESCO will remain severely affected. The governing bodies of UNESCO must remember that it involves at present a number of different scandals with regard to Azoulay’s administration and a whole series of kickbacks and schemes that really make problems for the overall credibility of the organization. Still banned Inner City Press will have more on that.

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