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By Matthew Russell Lee, Video

UNITED NATIONS, March 27 - Amid growing doubts about any "political process" in the Yemen conflict, or at least any UN role in it, on March 27 Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Farhan Haq if new UN envoy Martin Griffiths had met or will meet with Ahmed Saleh, the son of the deposed and later killed president. Haq did not say yes or no; Inner City Press alluded to moves to get Ahmed Saleh removed from the UN sanctions list. On March 26 Inner City Press asked new UK Ambassador Karen Pierce, as transcribed by the UK: Inner City Press: On Yemen, the Envoy Martin Griffiths, what is your sense what he’s been doing given the rising tensions? Has he begun his work? Can he speak to both sides, with the Houthis? AMB PIERCE: "Martin is certainly setting up his team, setting up his work, working out what the best next steps would be. The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister have both raised the issue of Yemen with the Saudi Crown Prince and with Martin Griffiths. We as the UK stand ready to give Martin every possible support we can. I know that he wants to get into talks as soon as he credibly can, but we leave it to Martin to work out the details. We are here to support him and make a contribution that way." We'll have more on this - and on moves to re-divide the country. Less than a week after  US Senate Joint Resolution to end support to the Saudi-led Coalition's bombing of Yemen failed by a vote of 55 to 44, on March 26 the US State Department issued this: "The United States strongly condemns the dangerous Houthi missile attacks aimed at several cities in Saudi Arabia Sunday night.  Our condolences go out to the families of any who were killed or injured.  We support the right of our Saudi partners to defend their borders against these threats. We continue to call on all parties, including the Houthis, to return to political negotiations and move toward ending the war in Yemen." The UN's new (British) envoy had a Twitter account, but not much else yet. And things portended to get worse, with the Crown Prince, complete with his own propaganda magazine printed by the National Equirer, came to New York, to see among many others UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, to whom the UK referred the new envoy. Watch this site. Before the SJ Res 54 vote, Senator Mike Lee, Republic of Utah, said that fueling Saudi war planes in mid air is clearly being involved in conflict. Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, mused that the approach might be different on US fueling French planes to bomb Mali; he said he had "demarched" Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier in the day. The Prince will be coming to New York City and to the UN. We'll cover that. Inner City Press on March 15 asked Saudi Ambassador to the UN Abdallah Y. Al-Mouallimi if he is concerned at loss of support in the US for the bombing, which is killing children and spreading cholera. Video here.

Al-Mouallimi called the bill an internal matter of the US, at an early stage; he said the US fully supports what his country is doing. He blamed all death of civilians on the Houthis. Earlier Inner City Press asked Sweden's deputy ambassador Carl Skau if the day's Security Council Presidential Statement had been agreed to be the Coalition and the Houthis. He said non Council members find their way to have input. But how do the Houthis?

The UN, under Antonio Guterres, his Deputy Amina J. Mohammed and it turns out his Global Communicator Alison Smale, have made their position clear. Mohammed and Smale sent a long time the night before at a Saudi event on women's rights.

Smale, who is responsible for restrictions on Inner City Press which she refuses to explain or reconsider, was at the event; on March 15 her restrictions resulted in Inner City Press unlike no-show state media from Egypt and others being initially unable to reach the Council stakeout. The glass door was inexplicably locked despite Guterres' spokesperson's office announcing that the Saudi ambassador would speak. Once he began, a UN Security officer nevertheless at the turnstile Inner City Press' pass no longer opens demanded that it have a minder or “sponsor.” This is UNacceptable, as it the continued death in Yemen. Watch this site.

The United Kingdom's murky role in the killings in Yemen persist even in the face of a Freedom of Information Act request from Inner City Press. 

More than five months ago on 15 August 2017 Inner City Press asked the UK government for records concerning Yemen. The UK sells weapons to Saudi Arabia, and has now implanted a UK citizen as UN envoy on Yemen in the person of Martin Griffiths (Inner City Press story and questions here.) After repeatedly extending the time to response, now the UK has denied access to all responsive records, letter here, saying that "the release of information relating to the UK’s discussion on UN business could harm our relations and other member states of the United Nations (UN)." 

Here on Patreon is the full denial letter, from which Inner City Press is preparing an appeal, on Cameroon as well - it has 40 working days. 

This is shameful - the UK is also exiting transparency. 

As Inner City Press pursues these questions at the UN, it remains restricted to minders by the head of the UN Department of Public Information Alison Smale, who it is noted is British - and functionally a censor. A retaliator, too? Smale has not explained why Inner City Press' long time work space is assigned to no-show, no-question Egyptian state media Akhbar al Youm. 

On Cameroon and Yemen, UK Denies Inner City Press FOIA Request After 170 Days, Preparing to Appeal, 40 Work... by Matthew Russell Lee on Scribd

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