As
WFP
Staff Complain
Safety Chief
Banned from
Security After
Iraq, Ban
Is Asked
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 25 --
After the
deadly bombing
of the UN
compound in
the Canal
Hotel in
Baghdad in
2003, then
Secretary
General Kofi
Annan's
spokesman said
that Ramiro
Lopes da Silva
would be
required
to resign but
could "return
to his 'D-2'
(Director)
post in
World Food
Programme,"
emphasizing
that "his
future
assignments
will not
include any
responsibilities
for security
matters."
Click here
for UN
transcript.
Two
weeks ago, WFP
staff
contacted
Inner City
Press to
complain that
despite this
history,
Ramiro Lopes
da Silva had
been put in
charge of WFP
security
by chief
Josette
Sheeran.
On October 17
Inner City
Press sought
an
explanation
from four WFP
official,
including
spokesman
Gregory Barrow
and Ms.
Sheeran
herself:
"please
respond
to criticism
of having put
Ramiro Lopes
da Silva in
charge of
security for
WFP, given his
role
in Iraq in
connection
with the Canal
Hotel
bombing."
Only
after a week
had passed,
and Inner City
Press had
published a
first story,
did WFP
respond,
through its
spokesman Greg
Barrow:
In
response
to your
questions: DED
Ramiro Lopes
da Silva is
one of WFP's
most
experienced
senior
managers, and
we have the
utmost
confidence
in him.
This
did not in
anyway respond
to Ramiro
Lopes da
Silva's role
in Iraq in
connection
with the Canal
Hotel bombing,
much less Kofi
Annan's
spokesman Fred
Eckhard's
statement that
"Ramiro Lopes
da Silva was
allowed to go
back to his
previous
position with
WFP in Rome,
at his old
level, with
the directive
that he will
no longer have
security
responsibilities
in the UN
again."
Ban
Ki-moon &
Sheeran,
answers on
safety &
Lopes da Silva
not shown (c)
UN Photo
Inner
City Press
wrote back to
Barrow, and
wrote directly
to Ramiro
Lopes da Silva
"I
have
asked WFP
without much
substantive
response the
question
below,
now having
found your
contact
information in
fairness and
hoping for
a response I
ask you:
please respond
to criticism
of having put
Ramiro Lopes
da Silva in
charge of
security for
WFP, given his
role
in Iraq in
connection
with the Canal
Hotel bombing.
Please respond
-
on deadline."
Ramiro
Lopes
da Silva not
having
responded,
Inner City
Press asked
the
spokesman of
Ban Ki-moon,
who has
inissted that
UN system
staff
security is
important to
him, whether
he gave Ramiro
Lopes da Silva
a
waiver from
the action of
Kofi Annan
after the
Canal Hotel
bombing,
or if there
was simply no
UN system
follow
through.
Spokesman
Martin
Nesirky has
said that he
will answer.
Watch this
site.
, 
