In Gaza, UN's Ban Meets Staff, Ging Sings for Supper, John Holmes Heads to the Strip

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/gaza1travels012009.html

UNITED NATIONS, January 20 -- As its Secretary General Ban Ki-moon showed up in Gaza, the UN's call for an "independent investigation" of Israel's bombings of its facilities morphed into a "demand [for] an Israeli investigation." Inner City Press asked the UN's John Holmes and John Ging what lay behind this new phrasing. Ging said he wasn't sure; Holmes pointed out that the UN has always called for Israel to look into what it did. But he agreed that an Israeli investigation would, by definition, not have the independence originally called for. Video here, from Minute 23:55.

Inner City Press sources in Gaza say that Ban was only "allowed" to travel to and from the UN Relief and Works Agency compound. They also disagree with John Ging's seemingly forced statement that UNRWA staff "unanimously" were inspired by Ban, who Ging also called "articulate." One source scoffed that Ging's January 20 briefing smacked of video footage of American pilots downed in Vietnam. Holmes congratulated Ging for finally putting on a tie in honor of the Secretary General. That's not all he put on, one wage added.

Holmes will be traveling to Gaza. Inner City Press asked if he is coordinating with the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel, who announced the day previously that he will be in Gaza on January 25 and 26. Holmes said he hadn't been aware that Michel would be in Gaza, but that the UN and EU coordinate closely. He said the EU will not have a "rival" reconstruction and humanitarian aid program. He also said that both he and Ban Ki-moon have spoken with Quartet envoy -- and JPMorgan Chase consultant -- Tony Blair several times in the past few days. We'll see.

Inner City Press asked who will remove or defuse the unexploded ordnance in the Strip. Ging said the first step is to identify locations; Holmes' trip will address who will clean it up. Elsewhere, such work is coordinated by the obscure UN Office of Project Services, all of executives are currently in the UN Headquarters basement to convince their Executive Board to allow them to give promotions to themselves, click here for that.

What was billed as a closed meet of the UN's "High Level" group on Gaza was to meet with John Holmes at 3:30 p.m. in basement Conference Room 5, usually reserved for budget committee wrangling. At 3:30 Holmes was nowhere to be seen, while the room filled with junior level staffers from the missions of primarily European Union countries. Holmes came with two staffers at 3:37, first approaching rooms meeting on Nepal and Somalia before being directed to where the youthful Europeans awaited. "High level," Inner City Press joked. "Numerous," Holmes replied, seemingly in reference to the low turn-out at the morning press conference. The doors closed.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/gaza1travels012009.html