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On Yemen, ICP Asks UN Of Saudi Killing 29 in Saada, Asks Italy Why Not on UNSC Agenda

By Matthew Russell Lee, Photos

UNITED NATIONS, November 1 – When the UN Security Council held its last Yemen meeting on October 10, Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft if the Saudi-led Coalition now being on the UN's Children and Armed Conflict "blacklist" would change UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Video here. It seems not. And Yemen is not listed on the Council's agenda for November, although Inner City Press on November 1 asked new Council president Italy about it, here. At noon on November 1, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I want to ask you about Yemen.  There are these reports of a Saudi-led airstrike killing over 20 — some people say 29 or 26 — in Sahar in Sa’ada.  And I wanted to know, one, if the UN is aware of it and, two, if there's any comments from the Secretary-General, this being the day after his report was presented, which said that the… Saudi Arabia's taking all steps or some steps to prevent… many of the people in this hotel that was hit were children.  So, what's his comment? Spokesman:  We've seen… we've seen the reports that an airstrike by the Saudi-led Coalition took place in Sa’ada, as you mentioned, including the report of 26 deaths and many more injured.  As a general comment, we remain deeply concerned that civilians, including children, continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.  We underscore that all parties to the conflict must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law — including the fundamental rule of proportionality, distinction, and precaution — to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure against attack.  The Secretary-General, I think, was very clear as was… was Ms. Gamba in her preparation… in her statement yesterday.  And I think the report that the Secretary-General issued also makes his position clear.  What we're continuing to see in Yemen, very unfortunately, is the continuing suffering of the civilian population, of men, women, and children, whether it's from attacks or whether it's from a denial of access to humanitarian aid.  And this only redoubles our… our efforts to finding a political solution. Inner City Press: it's said that most of these people that were killed were in a either hotel or motel or kind of internally displaced people, and it's right next to a public market.  So, it becomes… in terms of the steps being taken, it's hard to imagine a legitimate military target that's next to a public market and a hotel…Spokesman:  We're not arguing.  I'm not here to defend… whether it's… I'm not here to speak on behalf of the Coalition, the Houthis or anyone else.  What we're witnessing here is a continued killing of civilians." On October 13, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: on the Yemen, there have been quotes from I guess it's called the Yemeni Government.  The Yemeni Government in exile has said that they don't have any information about the initiative that Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that he has.  Meanwhile, the rebels said that he's biased.  So I guess I'm just wondering, since it's a recent article, what has he done since he came? He came and said, I'm presenting to both sides, and now, both sides… one side that he's presumably in contact with says they have nothing from him, and the other side won't talk to him.  So… Spokesman:  I think… he is in touch with the parties, and I don't think it will be… those contacts will not be done through the media." Where? On October 10, when the UN's largely failing envoy on Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed came to the stakeout and claimed that he is about to meet the Houthis soon, UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq handpicked in advance who could ask questions. Inner City Press waited to the end, out of respect, then asked quite audibly on what basis the envoy claimed the Houthis would meet with them. He did not answer. Video here. Nor did French Ambassador Francois Delattre, president of the Security Council for October - he said he wouldn't comment on what IOCA said, even after a long closed door consultation. This is the UN. When a Yemen meeting during the UN General Assembly week was held at 8 am on September 22, new UN Relief Chief Mark Lowcock introduced as speakers the foreign ministers of Sweden and the Netherlands, representatives of Japan and the UAE, and the UN's envoy Ismael Ould Cheikh Ahmed. While billed as a humanitarian meeting, the UAE spoke without irony about outside interference. (Yemen's representative spoke in Arabic; Inner City Press streamed Periscope video). On September 28, Inner City Press asked Lowcock whether he thought the meeting had a sufficiently humanitarian character. He pointed to his concluding statements, which Inner City Press had not heard (see below), saying that the focus should be on humanitarian access, and later lamenting the continuing failure to deploy cranes. The reason Inner City Press was unable to get these views, and others, on September 22 is, in a phrase, UN censorship. To get to the meeting, held in UN Conference Room 5, Inner City Press unlike other no-show reporters like Egypt's Akhbar al Yom was required to get a UN escort or minder, who told Inner City Press it could not ask questions or speak with anyone. This despite UN OCHA staff telling Inner City Press it could wait outside and speak to people as they left. So the UN's retaliatory eviction of Inner City Press 19 months ago for covering the now conflicted UN corruption by Macau based businessman Ng Lap Seng through then PGA John Ashe now results in it, unlike the Saudi and pro-Saudi media in the meeting, being unable to speak to the participants. This has been raised, so far without any response, to Lowcock's fellow Brit, the head of DPI Alison Smale, here. This is today's UN. We hope to report more on Lowcock's views, including hoping that OCHA releases transcripts of what Lowcock says. While Canada joins The Netherlands at the UN in Geneva in calling for an investigation of possible war crimes in Yemen including the Saudi-led coalition's killing of civilians, Canada has continued a $15 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia. When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a press conference at the UN on September 21, Inner City Press went early, intending to ask him to explain this incongruity or seeming hypocrisy. Trudeau's spokesman announced that the questioners had been “pre-determined,” but did not explain how. So in a lull after what the spokesman called the last question - would Trudeau be a mediator on Venezuela - Inner City Press asked about Canadian arms sales to Saudi while calling for a probe. At first Trudeau said he was happy to answer the question. Then he said no, he would not reward “bad behavior,” and instead reached out for question in French about day care. (Inner City Press notes that pre-determining questioners is bad behavior. Apparently the CBC journalist who was given the first question agreed to it; the organization only the day before sent an Egyptian state media correspondent as the lone “pooler” in Secretary General Antonio Guterres' meeting with General Sisi.) Eearlier on September 21 when UK minister Alistair Burt came in front of the UN Security Council to speak about accountability for Daesh in Iraq, Inner City Press deferred to a timely question about the referendum in Kurdistan. Then during  lull - identical to that in which it put its question to Trudeau - Inner City Press asked Burt about his quote, about accountability for the bombing of civilians in Yemen by the Saudi-led Coalition with UK bombs, that "Our view is that it is for the Coalition itself, in the first instance, to conduct such investigations. They have the best insight into their own military procedures and will be able to conduct the most thorough and conclusive investigations.” Inner City Press asked how he can say this, given that the Saudis have investigated less than five percent of the killings. Video here. Burt's answer focused on the peace process - what peace process? At least Burt answered, and did not like Trudeau try to call merely asking the question in a lull "bad behavior" - we'll have more on this.

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