On
Yemen, Ban
Speaks on
Taiz, Was
Silent After
Saudi Bombed
Rally in
Sana'a
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, June
4 -- The UN
Secretariat's
bungling of
Yemen
mediation has
become ever
more clear,
according to
multiple
sources and
documents
exclusively
seen by Inner
City Press,
see below.
After the UN
of Ban Ki-moon
and his envoy
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
said nothing
about the
Saudi bombing
of a rally in
Sanaa on May
24, now on
June 4 Ban
Ki-moon has
issued this:
"The
Secretary-General
condemns the
attacks with
heavy weapons,
including
rockets,
mortars and
artillery in
Taiz. Rocket
fire
reportedly hit
a busy market
in the city.
Attacks
directed
against
civilians and
populated
areas,
including
markets, are
strictly
prohibited. He
underscores to
all parties
that targeting
civilian areas
is a violation
of
international
humanitarian
law and urges
them to fully
respect their
obligations in
this regard.
The Secretary
General calls
for an
independent
investigation
to ensure that
perpetrators
are hold
accountable.
The
Secretary-General
continues to
urge all
parties to the
conflict to
cease all
military
activities in
accordance
with the
nationwide
cessation of
hostilities.
He further
calls on them
to refrain
from any
actions that
could result
in further
civilian
casualties. It
is
particularly
regrettable
that Taiz
continues to
pay a heavy
toll in
civilian
losses despite
the cessation
of
hostilities.
The
Secretary-General
calls on those
participating
in the peace
talks in
Kuwait to
negotiate in
good faith and
urgently work
with his
Special Envoy,
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed,
to bring a
peaceful end
to this
devastating
conflict. In
this same
spirit, he
also urges the
importance of
the immediate
release of
prisoners and
detainees.
The
Secretary-General
expresses his
sincere
condolences
and sympathies
to the
families of
the victims
and wishes a
speedy
recovery to
those
injured."
On May
9, Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
Saudi-led
Coalition air
strikes on
Amran, and if
the UN would
admit that the
Houthis have
controlled the
base there
since 2014.
"Not for us to
say, "was the
answer from
Dujarric, who
as it happens
blocks Inner
City Press on
Twitter just
as the UN
Envoy blocks
journalists in
Yemen. Video
here. From the
UN
Transcript:
Inner City
Press:
does the UN
believe that
this base was
already
controlled by
the
Houthis…
[inaudible]
Spokesman:
That’s not for
us to say.
But see
below.
On May 24,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq, UN
transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask,
on Yemen, it's
reported that
the side of
President [Abd
Rabbuh Mansur]
Hadi has told
the envoy,
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed,
that not only
[Ali Abdullah]
Saleh but also
Houthi leader
Abdul-Malik
al-Houthi
should be
excluded from
any settlement
so the… I
wanted to
know, what is
the UN's head
mediator, its
position,
particularly
on the Houthi
role?
And also it's
said that some
of the envoys
or the UN's
teams in the
country is
supposed to be
observing the
ceasefire or
finding their
work have
informed the
envoy that
their work has
become
impossible due
to attacks in
Marib and
elsewhere.
Deputy
Spokesman:
Well, first of
all, regarding
the situation
on the ground,
as the Special
Envoy, Mr.
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
has made clear
the cessation
of hostilities
has… is not
fully holding,
but it has
largely been
holding in
most
areas.
And we are
working with
the parties
and with the
committees
that have been
set up to make
sure that the
cessation of
hostilities
will continue
to hold and,
indeed, will
be more
pervasively
observed even
than it is
right
now.
Regarding
negotiations,
I can't give
details of the
negotiations
as they
continue.
What I can say
is, regardless
of what each
side wants,
what the
Special Envoy
and the UN are
trying to do
is find a
workable plan
that will
bring the
parties
together.
We are trying
to be as
inclusive as
possible, and
as I just
mentioned, he
did meet over
the past day
with both the
Government
delegation and
the delegation
representing
Ansar Allah
and the
General
People's
Congress, and
he will
continue with
his talks with
all the
various
participants.
Earlier,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric to
explain Ismail
Ould Cheikh
Ahmed's
repeated trips
to Dubai,
without
answer. Now
we've heard:
IOCA has been
importing
luxury cars
from there
into his
native
Mauritania.
Kicking
the tires,
indeed. He has
STILL not
released the
public
financial
disclosure
that Ban
claims he
urges from his
senior
officials.
Then again,
Ban and his
officials like
USG Cristina
Gallach are
embroiled in
the UN bribery
scandal, and
respond by
evicting the
files of the
critical
Press, video
and petition,
and trying to
hinder
reporting.
We'll have
more on this.
On
April 27,
Inner City
Press asked UN
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
complaints to
his envoy
about
violations of
the cessation
of hostilities
by Saudi
Arabia, and if
a "plenary"
had been
canceled.
Video here, UN transcript
here.
A
month before
the one year
anniversary of
the Saudi-led
Coalition's
campaign of
airstrikes on
Yemen, Inner
City Press
exclusively
published, not
for the first
time, an email
leaked to it
between UN
envoy Ismail
Ould Cheikh
Ahmed and UN
Department of
Political
Affairs chief
Jeff Feltman.
As Inner City
Press
subsequently
reported,
Feltman
conducted
questioning --
some called it
a witch hunt
-- of DPA
staff to try
to find out
who had leaked
it to Inner
City Press.
And then the
UN moved to
evict Inner
City Press
from the UN, video here and here.
But
still, the UN
is supposed to
send out its
Yemen news or
statement
beyond its own
"UN News
Center." On
April 20,
Inner City
Press asked, UN transcript
here.
Over the April
23-24 weekend,
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
and the / his
UN News Center
did it again,
here:
"Ismail
Ould Cheikh
Ahmed, UN
Special Envoy
for Yemen,
said in a
press release
that
'significant
differences in
the
delegations'
points of view
remain but
nonetheless
there is
consensus on
the need to
make peace and
to work
intensively
towards an
agreement.'"
The
UN's media
practices have
moved from
evicting
independent
critical media
to controlling
like state
media their
own UN
"scoops."
On
April 21,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, video here, UN
transcript
here.
On
April 19,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, Vine here, UN
transcript
here.
On April 15,
the eve of
eviction,
Inner City
Press asked
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
to respond to
Ali Abdullah
Saleh, to a
large rally on
March 26,
saying he
would not work
with the UN on
anything.
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
replied he
does not
comment on
public
statements,
just the
presence of
Saleh party
members in the
negotiations.
On
March 28,
after
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq had
refused to let
Inner City
Press ask
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed a
single
question at
his length
press
conference at
the UN, Ban's
top lawyer
issued a
threat of
imminent
eviction
threat to
Inner City
Press.
Not
surprisingly,
particularly
given
Feltman's
witch hunt,
some viewed
the UN's
escalation
against Inner
City Press as
a response to
its
publication of
UN leaks.
On
March 29,
Feltman wrote
to Inner City
Press and we
publish it in
full:
"Dear
Matthew,
On
Yemen:
Your job is to
publish what
you consider
to be
news. My
job includes
the protection
of what is UN
sensitive
information.
So we are
naturally
going to be at
odds over
things such as
leaked
e-mails;
that's just
part of the
respective
roles we
play. I
don't blame
you for
publishing
what you had
-- were I a
journalist, I
would likely
do the same --
but you are
surely
sophisticated
enough not to
be surprised
that I would
try to stop
leaks.
As for your
status at the
UN, you are of
course welcome
to continue to
send e-mails
to me, but, as
I expect you
know, others,
not DPA, have
the
appropriate
responsibilities
in this
case.
DPA is not
involved.
Jeffrey
Feltman
Under-Secretary-General
for Political
Affairs
United
Nations, New
York"
Feltman
cc-ed his
spokesman, who
ironically
used to work
at Amnesty
International.
Feltman's
statement that
the
retaliation
against Inner
City Press is
only
attributable
to Cristina
Gallach's DPI
does not wash.
While not
absolving
Gallach, it
goes to the
top. We'll
have more on
this.
, 
