For
Ban's Fishy
Envoy Rejected
in Yemen, No
Public
Financial
Disclosure
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
29, updated --
On Yemen, UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon on April
25 named
Ismael Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
to replace
Jamal Benomar
as envoy.
Three times
Inner City
Press had
asked the
Office of the
UN
Spokesperson
why Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
is not listed
on Ban's
webpage of
public
financial
discloure and
to say, yes or
no, if he has
an interest in
a business
which received
funding from
the Gulf.
Three times
the Office of
Spokesperson
promised to
look into and
give an
answer, but
never did.
This is Ban's
UN.
Update:
Speaking at
NYU on April
29, Iranian
Foreign
Minister Zarif
said he think
Yemen talks
will be
reconvened in
Geneva by the
UN. We hope to
have more on
this.
On April 28,
Inner City
Press asked
again:
Inner
City Press: I
wanted to ask
on the new
Yemen Special
Adviser, Mr.
Ould Cheikh
Ahmed, there
was this
understanding
of why on the
page of the
Secretary-General
there's no
public
financial
disclosure.
Deputy
Spokesman
Farhan
Haq:
Regarding
that, we did
check with the
ethics office,
and he has
made available
his disclosure
in line with
the existing
rules and
procedures,
and so he is
up to date on
those.
There are
times when
for… for a
variety of
different
reasons
people's
disclosures
may not be on
the website.
Inner City
Press:
But is he one
of the
officials
that's decided
to not make
even the
summary
public?
I want…
because when
the name is
listed,
there’s a
checkbox…
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq:
I've said what
I have to say
on that, but
he has made
his
disclosures in
line with the
appropriate
rules and
regulations.
Inner City
Press:
And also
Stéphane had
said that he
would check
whether a
letter was
received by
the Office of
the
Secretary-General
from a number
of parties in
Yemen
concerning the
appointment of
this new
envoy.
Did he do
that?
Have you
received that
letter?
Deputy
Spokesman:
I don't
know.
This was when?
Inner City
Press:
It was on
Friday, I
believe, that
I asked him
and he said he
would
check.
The reports
are that the…
a variety of
the parties in
Yemen wrote a
letter about
the process of
replacing Mr.
Benomar.
And I wanted
to obviously
just to know
if you got it…
Deputy
Spokesman:
Certainly… In
the day after
you asked, we
announced the
appointment,
so that is
part of our
answer. And
with that, let
me bring our
guest.
So,
none of the
public
financial
disclosure
which Ban talked
so much about.
Why not?
On
April 24,
Inner City
Press had
asked Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
Question:
Okay.
I'm also
informed of a
letter from
political
parties in
Yemen,
including
those
representing
Houthis and
others,
directed at
the
Secretary-General
making two
requests.
One, that Mr.
Ould Cheikh
Ahmed not be
named as a
replacement to
Mr. [Jamal]
Benomar and
that someone
be appointed
or retained
who actually
they will
speak
with.
And I wanted
to know… you
may not know
of this letter
yet, but I'm
reliably
informed it is
either there
or on its way…
Spokesman:
All
right. I
will look for
the letter.
Question:
And I guess my
question would
be, do you…
has the
Secretary-General…
since we've
already… we've
heard from
some of the
ambassadors
from the
Security
Council that
he's put
forward a
name.
Did he put any
effort to
speak to the
parties on the
ground in
Yemen, the
actual
Yemenis?
Spokesman:
I think the…
when we're
ready to
announce the
person, we
will.
Obviously, for
a… an
appointment as
delicate as
this… as this
ongoing… to
represent the
Secretary-General
in this
ongoing
crisis, it is
normal to have
as broad of a
consultation
as possible,
and what is
obviously
extremely
important is
that once that
envoy is
named, that
adviser is
named, that
all the
parties give
him access and
engage with
him.
Question:
If you get the
letter, will
you squawk
it? Does
it mean that
these parties
that wrote…
Spokesman:
I think…
Question:
…once
consulted…
Spokesman:
It's an
ongoing
humanitarian
crisis.
It's an
ongoing
conflict.
And we are
trying to get
the political
process back
on
track.
So we'd like
to have a
special envoy
as soon as… a
Special
Adviser as
soon as
possible, and
again hope
that all the
parties engage
with him.
Question:
Didn't you
have one?
That's my
question.
Didn't you
actually have
a Special
Adviser?
Spokesman:
Yes, we have
Mr. Benomar…
Question:
Is it your
understanding
that he's
entirely
unwilling to
continue in
the post?
Spokesman:
Well, I think
he's… he's…
he's expressed
his desire to
move on and,
as we said, we
are… we're in
the process of
naming
somebody
shortly.
No response
about the
letter,
either. This
does not bode
well.
After
Saudi Arabia
was allowed to
oust UN
mediator Jamal
Benomar for
being
insufficiently
supportive of
its
airstrikes,
the UN is
being
promoted,
again, as an
honest
broker.
How so, when
the UN is
UNtransparently
naming as a
replacement
mediator an
individual who
previously
failed in
Yemen,
refusing to
make public
financial
disclosure?
How weak and
untransparent
is today's
UN? It
it apparently
considering
appointing as
replacement
envoy to Yemen
a partial
individual
whom one side
has indicated
it would not
speak with.
, 
