Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1zimsports062708.html
UNITED NATIONS, June 27 -- With Robert Mugabe running his version of an election today in Zimbabwe, and in light of the UK's Gordon Brown vowing to work to block the Zimbabwean cricket team from traveling to play in the UK, Inner City Press asked the UN's new Special Advisor on Sports and Development and Peace, Willi Lemke, for his view on Brown's athletic travel ban plans. "I disagree with the position of the UK government," Lemke replied. "If they train hard, then politicians say" they cannot travel, "it is very hard to understand for the people that trained." Video here, from Minute 14:20.
Inner City Press asked the UK's Ambassador to the UN John Sawers about Lemke's comments. "He doesn't understand the relation between the Zimbabwean government and the Zimbabwe Cricket Union," Ambassador Sawers said.
Lemke was pressed to answer if he is asking to visit Tibet. He replied that yes he would like to visit, to look into sports issues, such as if there are physical education classes in the schools. That there may be more pressing issues in Tibet did not come up. "I don't want to get into trouble," Lemke had answered Inner City Press. When a reporter tried to ask what the "Peace" in his title means, the question was cut off. Afterwards, Lemke confirmed to Inner City Pres that he remains on the advisor board of the Werder Bremen football club. Might this raise a conflict of interest?
Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson if Mr. Ban agrees with the position of his Special Adviser. The Spokesperson said it is not possible to comment on every statement by his Special Advisors. When Inner City Press noted that Zimbabwe was a topic in the news -- in fact, the spokesperson had actively solicited someone to ask Ban "the Zimbabwe question" at the previous day's stakeout interview -- the response was that Ban has full confidence in his advisor. The inference seems inescapable that Ban, then, also "disagrees with the position of the UK government."
News analysis: so China was mad at Ban for saying publicly he will not go the Olympics, Russia remains mad at his position on Kosovo, and now his Special Advisor disses the UK for its stance on Zimbabwe, at least as to cricket. Just another week at the UN...
Footnote: as the Security Council met to consider a draft statement on Zimbabwe, South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo scoffed, about the country introducing the draft, they're using Croatia to do it. Some of these guys couldn't even find Zimbabwe on the map. Just as Costa Rica shot back at Sudan's Ambassador calling it a banana republic, a geographical retort from Croatia would seem to be in the cards.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1zimsports062708.html
