World
Bank
Can't Deal With Libya Rebels, Says Danger Drives
It Out of Yemen
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
WASHINGTON
DC,
April 14 -- Minutes after Robert Zoellick touted the World
Bank's
engagement with civil society in the Arab world, Inner City Press
asked him if the Bank has had any contacts with the Libyan
Transitional National Council based in Benghazi.
No,
Zoellick
answered, since its founding in 1944 the World Bank can deal “only
with established governments.” He went on to describe World Bank
assistance to those fleeing Libya, referring to a program with
Bangladesh to get its nationals out and provide then assistance once
back in Bangladesh.
But
Bangladesh's
Permanent Representative to the UN has told Inner City Press that
most of his nationals remained trapped in Libya, unlike for example
Belgium which immediately flew its 78 citizens out.
Zoellick
implied
that some part of the $500 million program just announced with
Tunisia will help those fleeing Libya to that country. We'll see.
Inner
City Press
also asked Zoellick about Yemen, whether World Bank programs continue
there and what it would take to change that -- that is, if there is a
limit to the repression that the World Bank would accept.
Zoellick
replied
that nearly all of the World Bank's international staff have been
removed from the country for safety reasons, although a “resident”
remains to work on “the bank [or Bank?] brief” there. He mused
that the World Bank likes to watch things, to be ready. But ready for
what? Watch this site.
* * *
In
DC,
Session on Corruption Hunting Is World Bank Ad, ICC Tales, Gaddafi
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
WASHINGTON
DC,
April 13 -- A World Bank session on “Corruption Hunting”
Wednesday at the International
Monetary Fund's & World Bank's Spring Meetings devolved
into little more than an advertisement for the Bank's work, from
Indonesia to tigers, and for its lack of planning and coordination.
Robert
Zoellick
spoke at the beginning and the end of the session, starting by
bragging of forcing restitution payments to Indonesia and ending with
the World Bank's work to preserve tigers, along with ASEAN.
At the
beginning he invited those in attendance, including the press, to
later ask questions. But after each of the six other speakers went
over-time, the public and press were excluded.
International
Criminal
Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo brushed off the
moderator, Bill Connor, saying “don't ruin my last story.” Connor
backed off, as he'd do later for Giovanni Kessler of Olaf and Boon
Hui Khoo of Interpol.
Ocampo's
story
began with the “Ukraine mafia” doing business in Ituri in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and ended with “Ronald Desmet,”
whose aircraft “9QCMC” flew the DRC's Bemba as well as Viktor
Bout, and who according to Ocampo had Gaddafi's private number.
Libya
was
mentioned, as not being included in the World Bank report, but
Mubarak of Egypt and Ben Ali of Tunisia did not come up at all.
Zoellick & Ocampo nearly fall asleep on April
13, interaction not shown (c) MRLee
Rather,
Giovanni Kessler of Olaf bemoaned not being able to better
share information, and Singaporean Boon Hui Khoo of Interpol
complained of lack of resources.
Khoo
predicted
that the UN Security Council will never deem corruption a threat to
international peace and security, and therefore the ICC won't have
jurisdiction.
Not
mentioned, or
able to be questioned about, was Ocampo's Wikileaked briefing to
Susan Rice and Alejandro Wolff at the US Mission to the UN, urging
them to speaking publicly about Bashir of Sudan having $9 billion
dollars, and naming Lloyds Bank. There has been no follow through on
this. Watch this site.
, 
