UN's Ban Distances Himself from Sudan's Bashir, After Off the Record Lunch with Journalists

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
www.innercitypress.com/ban5press080108.html

UNITED NATIONS, August 1 -- With Sudan's President Omar Al Bashir threatened with an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court, it has been reported that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been advised by his lawyers to "distance himself politically" from Al Bashir. The London-based newspaper Al Hayat, with a long-time correspondent at UN Headquarters, sourced this to "Ban aides."

At the August 1 UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas if the report is true. "I don't have a response," Ms. Montas said. But was Ban advised to distance himself from Al Bashir? "I'm sure that issue was discussed with the Secretary-General," Montas said, adding that is Ban's decision what to do with such advice. Video here, from Minute 23:16.

Further inquiry by Inner City Press leads to the inference that the sourcing of the story was Ban Ki-moon himself. It is an open secret that Ban has been holding a series of off-the-record lunches with select reporters, including on July 30 the Al Hayat correspondent. Whether a shifting of the sourcing from Ban to his aides -- or perhaps in fairness a subsequent confirmation by aides -- complies with Ban's understanding remains to be seen.

The question arises, as the trigger for this piece, why would Ban be distancing himself from the advice or decision that he be distant from Bashir? What is gained by telling select journalists, on the condition that they not report it, that he is taking seriously the ICC Prosecutor's charges of war crimes including rape, and of genocide, by Al Bashir? Perhaps it was understood that they would report it?

Some say that the decision to step back from Al Bashir is as much personal as legal. Just before ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo formally announced that he is seeking an arrest warrant against Al Bashir, Ban telephoned Bashir. Afterwards, Sudanese state media characterized the call as one in which Ban was critical of the prosecutor. Ban's office ultimately responded to the characterization, and criticized statements by Sudan's Ambassador to the UN. When Inner City Press asked, on the record, which statement were being criticized, there was no answer. But was there an off the record answer?

The series of lunches continued on August 1, when Ms. Montas was seen escorting a half dozen journalists to the elevator. Would the lunches become on the record? Would they cease? Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ban5press080108.html