For
Yemen UN Post,
Saudis'
Fisherman No
Disclosure, UN
Vows to Check,
A Female?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS, April
17 --
How weak and
untransparent
is today's UN?
On
April 15 Inner
City Press
reported that
despite UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
claims to
stand behind
the UN's envoy
to Yemen Jamal
Benomar, who
refused to
call Saudi
airstrikes
positive, Ban
was planning
to replace
him.
After
that Inner
City Press
report, the UN
Spokesman sent
out this a
canned
statement that
Benomar
"expressed an
interest in
moving on" and
would be
replaced in
due course.
But by whom?
On April 15,
Inner City
Press named
the name which
was floated by
Saudi and UN
sources,
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed,
and linked
to its
February 15,
2015 exclusive
report on
this
individual's
previously
"incompetence"
in Yemen, and
side fishing
business.
There is yet
more on both
of these
below.
On
April 17,
Inner City
Press Ban's
Office of the
Spokesperson
WHY there is
no public
financial
disclosure for
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed,
and to confirm
or deny he has
links with
businesses --
fishing - with
Gulf funders.
The response
was, We will
check and get
back to you. Video here and embedded below.
We are
waiting.
Inner City
Press also
asked if Ban
was
considering
any female
candidates and
if Ban thought
Saudi Arabia
would or
should have to
accept one, if
selected.
We'll
see. For
now, also on
Yemen, here is
Iran's letter
to the UN:
In
the
name of God,
the
Compassionate,
the Merciful
17
April
2015
H.E.
Mr.
Ban Ki-moon,
Secretary-General,
United
Nations, New
York
Excellency,
I
would like to
draw your
attention to
the extremely
alarming
situation in
Yemen,
exacerbated by
the recent
provocative
foreign
military air
campaign. It
goes on in
flagrant
defiance of
the most basic
principles of
international
law, flouting
the purposes
and principles
of the Charter
of the United
Nations, in
particular the
obligation to
refrain from
the threat or
use of force
in
international
relations.
Foreign
military
forces have
mostly
targeted
purely
civilian
infrastructures
of Yemen,
destroying,
inter alia,
hospitals,
schools, road,
food factories
and power
plants, and
thus depriving
civilians of
basic
necessities.
They have also
indiscriminately
targeted
residential
areas,
including
refugee camps,
killing and
injuring
innocent
civilians, in
particular
women and
children.
This
critical
situation is
escalating and
the
humanitarian
crisis in
Yemen is
approaching
catastrophic
dimensions. It
may result in
further
exacerbation
of the already
tense
circumstances
in a region
that has been
plagued by one
of the most
barbaric types
of extremism
and
multi-pronged
vicious
campaign of
foreign-backed
terrorists.
These
terrorist
groups have
been the main
beneficiaries,
gaining
strategic
foothold in
Yemen aided by
the foreign
aerial
campaign.
Under
these
circumstances,
it is
imperative for
the
international
community to
get more
effectively
involved in
ending the
senseless
aerial attacks
and
establishing a
ceasefire,
ensuring
delivery of
humanitarian
and medical
assistance to
the people of
Yemen and
restoring
peace and
stability to
this country
through
dialogue and
national
reconciliation
without
pre-conditions.
The
Islamic
Republic of
Iran
reiterates
that there is
no military
solution to
this conflict.
The only way
to restore
peace and
stability is
to allow all
Yemeni parties
to establish,
without any
foreign
interference,
their own
inclusive
national unity
government. To
this end, the
Islamic
Republic of
Iran believes
that all
efforts,
particularly
those by the
United
Nations,
should be
guided, in
conformity
with the
Charter of the
United Nations
and
fundamental
principles of
international
humanitarian
law, by the
following
objectives:
1.
Ceasefire and
an immediate
end to all
foreign
military
attacks;
2.
Unimpeded
urgent
humanitarian
and medical
assistance to
the people of
Yemen;
3.
Resumption of
Yemeni-lead
and
Yemeni-owned
national
dialogue, with
the
participation
of the
representatives
of all
political
parties and
social groups;
4.
Establishment
of an
inclusive
national unity
government.
I
hope that Your
Excellency
will urgently
use your good
offices and
conduct
consultations
with the
concerned
parties to
facilitate and
encourage an
immediate end
to these
senseless
bombardments
and initiation
of a genuine
dialogue to
find a
political
solution to
this tragic
crisis. The
Government of
the Islamic
Republic of
Iran stands
ready to
assist you in
advancing this
objective.
Please
accept,
Excellency,
the assurances
of my highest
consideration.
M.
Javad Zarif,
Minister of
Foreign
Affairs of the
Islamic
Republic of
Iran
On April 16,
Inner City
Press
exclusively
reported
another
candidate:
Martin Kobler
of Germany,
currently the
head of
MONUSCO in the
DR Congo.
Kobler ran for
head of the
Office of
Humanitarian
Affairs, but
that post
"belongs" on
the UK, in the
person of
Stephen
O'Brien. Inner
City Press'
exclusive were
credited
in the
Telegraph
and Channel
4. (At
least Andrew
Lansley was
avoided, as
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
should be
here.)
Kobler
speaks Arabic;
as Inner City
Press has
exclusively
reported, some
six years ago
he was in line
to become UN
Special
Coordinator on
the Middle
East until a
Permanent Five
member blocked
him (more on
that soon),
given the job
to Robert
Serry. Now
Kobler is
ready. But is
Saudi Arabia?
Another
name floated
by UN sources
(also reported
exclusively by
Inner City
Press) is Lisa
Buttenheim,
currently at
the UN mission
in Cyprus.
Like Kobler,
she has more
diplomatic
experience
than Ismail
Ould Cheikh
Ahmed.
She is a
woman. For the
UN, that
should be a
plus, given
what Ban
Ki-moon has
said. But as a
well placed
sources put it
to Inner City
Press, if Ban
gave in to
Saudi Arabia
and got
Benomar out,
will he stand
up to an edict
NOT to name a
woman? Watch
this site.
"UNSMIL's
former deputy
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
of Mauritania
has been moved
to head
UNMEER, the
UN's Ebola
mission.
Sources in
Yemen say Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
was the UN's
“designated
security
official” when
a UNICEF
staffer was
taken hostage
while
traveling to
the Sana'a
airport
without the
required (and
needed)
security
detail. Some
say Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
was
distracted, in
Yemen and
later in
Libya, by side
business
interests.
Now
on April 17 we
can report: in
Yemen UN
personnel
where to have
escort to the
airport, and
armored
vehicles. But
designated
official
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
allowed the
guards he
hired to do
nothing, and
left the
armored
vehicles in
customs. The
staffer was
kidnapped by a
criminal group
affiliated
with Al Qaeda
and was
traumatized.
"But
a check of Ban
Ki-moon's
Public
Disclosure
website, where
his officials
are supposed
to make
rudimentary
disclosure of
the finances
and outside
business
interests,
does not even
list Ismail
Ould Cheikh
Ahmed (while
numerous other
Deputy SRSGs
are listed).
His is not in
the most
recent
database, for
2013 - and may
escape any
disclosure by
become an
Under
Secretary
General with a
mere nine
month stint at
UNMEER. Then
what? We'll
stay on this."
So,
no matter how
much of a
sycophant for
the Saudi-led
coalition he
is, how can he
get this post?
How can the
"P4" support
this?
For now, Inner
City Press
asked this
additional
question:
in
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed's
business(es),
are there any
Gulf
investors?
Inner
City Press: On
Yemen, I’m, I
would assume
you have seen
this report
that the Saudi
airstrikes
killed 31
people in a
dairy factory
in Hudaydah.
They make it
pretty clear
it may have
been an errant
missile, but
it killed 31
civilians.
And I’m
wondering,
what’s the, is
there any
comment from
the
Secretariat on
that?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
Obviously, as
we said here,
that it is
incumbent for
all the
parties in
this conflict
to fully
respect
international
law which
clearly
includes the
non-targeting
of civilian
infrastructure
or civilian
infrastructure,
schools,
facilities,
civilian
infrastructure
in
general.
We have no way
of knowing
what exactly
was the
intended
target.
What we do
know is that
in many
instances,
since the
fighting has
started,
civilians are
the ones who
are suffering,
and I think
that’s why the
Secretary-General
wants to see a
halt to the
violence,
restart of the
political
process, and
most urgently,
the free flow
of
humanitarian
aid going
in. I
think we’re
seeing the
food situation
getting dire
and dire every
day. As
our colleagues
at the World
Food Programme
said, you
know, when
you’re a
country that
imports 90 per
cent of its
food is
already
vulnerable at
any time and a
time of
conflict, that
just increases
that
vulnerability
very much so.
Inner
City
Press:
And also on
Yemen, I’m
sure you’ve
seen the
reports — I
don’t know if
the UN is the
source of them
— floating Mr.
Ismail Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
as a possible
replacement.
What I want to
ask, I know
you’re not
going to say
yes or no, but
given he was
so recently
appointed to
UNMEER, can
you say that
whoever’s
working on
Ebola will
probably stay
in that
job? Or—
Spokesman:
I think, you
know, whenever
there’s a
senior vacancy
at the United
Nations, a lot
of things
float, a lot
of names float
around.
When we’re
ready to
announce, we
will
announce.
Obviously, the
Ebola file is
one of, it’s
very important
to the
Secretary-General
and to the
United
Nations, but
when we’re
ready to
announce
somebody, we
will
, 
