At
UN,
Gas
Leak Moves Youth Video Event of US Mission, Sulfur & Methane in
Garage, Chat with DPRK
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December
21, updated -- A gas leak at the UN this morning caused an
evacuation and the shifting of the US Mission
to UN's Youth Video
event four blocks away into the UN's new North Lawn building.
At 10:27 am,
US Ambassador Susan Rice told the crowd a mix of sulfur and methane gas
had leaked from
the UN basement and might spread to the North Lawn through the
garage.
Along
with
students
from the Harlem Children's Zone and elsewhere in New York
City, youths traveled to the event from Austria -- they would stay
with Austrian Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting -- Germany, China and
elsewhere.
The
vetoing of
one of the US Mission's four chosen videos, featuring the Lord's
Resistance Army rebel group, first reported by Inner City Press was
confirmed during the move, with a slightly different explanation.
It's not only that the Congolese in the video “looked too poor,”
as a non-African diplomat told Inner City Press on Monday. It's that
the video portrayed the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
therefore Africa, purely in terms of refugees.
On
Tuesday morning
at the front of Conference Room 1, Permanent Representatives ranging
from Araud of France, vetoer of a video about nuclear weapons, to
Thomas Mayr-Harting of Austria, for which a video about children and
armed conflict was not among the three chosen by the US Mission,
despite the issue being on the Security Council's agenda, milled
around, waiting for the videos to start.
On
four block
walk, Inner City Press chatted with the North Korean Deputy Permanent
Representative, who mused about an evacuation of the UN General
Assembly in the late 1970s due to a private plane flying overhead,
later found to be piloted by an author mad at a publishing house for
not printing what he wrote.
UN diplomats mill around CR1 during gas leak, (c) MRLee
In
her10:27 am public address,
Ambassador Susan Rice not only told the crowd a mix of sulfur and
methane gas had leaked from
the UN basement and might spread to the North Lawn through the
garage, she also said that the youths might move to the US Mission and
“you guys are on your own.” Watch this site.
Update of 10:46 am
-- the General Assembly, slated today to vote on resolutions ranging
from executions, including (or not) lesbians and gays, to Durban III,
is being held in another North Lawn conference room, with Press not
allowed in.
Update
of
10:53
am -- as diplomats mill around, the talk turns to who's to
blame for the gas leak. In the Security Council during the move, the
Under Secretary General for Management Angela Kane was seen. Head of
the Capital Master Plan Michael Adlerstein was not in sight. Both
will have some explaining to do. As Inner City Press exclusively
reported at the time, there was a previous gas leak caused by the
Capital Master Plan.
Update
of
10:57
am -- the US Youth Video event WILL go forward, in EcoSoc
chamber, soon, Susan Rice announces. On the move.
Update
of
11:41
am -- UN says leak has not been confirmed:
From:
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson [at] un.org
Date:
Tue,
Dec
21, 2010 at 11:38 AM
Subject:
Re:
Thanks.
What is the UN's / CMP's / Skanska's explanation of the
leak of methane and sulfur? (request Adlerstein and Kane) thanks in
advance
To:
Inner
City
Press
That's
not
been
proven. We are still checking with the host country
authorities about the source of the unidentified odor.
Heading
to
UN noon
briefing - watch this site.
Update
of
12:44
pm -- in UN noon briefing, acting Deputy Spokesman Farhan
Haq said it was sewage from river that caused the odor, not a gas
leak. Inner City Press asked Haq if the Capital Master Plan will
address this issue, and about CMP's previous gas leak. This, Haq did
not answer. Nor did he answer Inner City Press' request for Ban
Ki-moon's position on UNGA votes on LGBT / gay rights (on the
execution resolution) and on Durban III. Back on North Lawn, Apakan
of Turkey is talking about the video about terrorism from Tunisia.
Susan Rice announces pizza party at US Mission.
At
UNYouth,
1st
Q is from 14 yr old Chinese girl living in USA: when
will UNSC solve the Korean conflict? Churkin suggests taking other
questions
2d
Q
is
from Somali girl living in Boston, says what can UN do to solve
problems, can't remember a gov't there
3d
Q
is
from Boston, about cyber terrorism “in our own homes.” How
about Latvia?
4th
Q
is
from NYC, about IvoryCoast CoteDivoire, what will UNSC do to
ensure safety?
SusanRice
assigns
Korea
question to rep of China - he speaks of feuds of
decades, hopes to get them negotiating. BanKiMoon?
Rice
assigns
Somalia
Q to Uganda, to brag of UPDF troops. Will she give
CoteDivoire Q to France?
SusanRice
jumps
over
CyberTerrorism Q - why not Russia? - & lets Nigeria
talk on CoteDivoire. Will Nigeria go, as ECOWAS?
SusanRice
gives
CyberTerrorism
Q to Turkey, which switches it to general terror
& youth Q. Rice will try it, in conclusion
Rice
says
kids
ask re water, resources - vetoed by UNSC members
SusanRice
says
Holbrooke
as Prez of UNSC in 1999 raised HIV, now CyberSecurity
should be on agenda? Consultations fight lost
Update
of
1:30
pm -- before event breaks up for pizza party at US Mission,
montage includes videos Austria on WomensRights, USA on 9/11, Yemen,
Israel & finally Chicago Loyola on DRC Conflict
Minerals...
* * *
, 
