Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/banki1moot012209.html
UNITED NATIONS, January 22 -- Returning voiceless from the Gaza Strip and Israel, the UN's Ban Ki-moon sat Wednesday afternoon in the Security Council chamber, listening as his American chief of Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe read out his call for an investigation of Israel's bombings of UN facilities, in the first instance by Israel itself, and for humanitarian aid and reconstruction. While the shift to self-investigation became the focus of the press corps waiting impatiently at the stakeout, inside the consultations room the negotiation of a Council press statement took a surprising turn.
Libya proposed, and most members agreed to, a paragraph mirroring Ban's muted investigation call. But the United States, represented for now by civil servant Alejandro Wolff, was having none of it. Inner City Press is told by sources in the meeting that the US would not agree to any reference to investigations. These sources marveled that, even with Obama now in power, this would be the US position. They contrasted it to the Council's reaction to an Israeli bombing in Lebanon during the 2006 war, or to an immediate denunciation of a Sudanese attack on a convoy, which after denying, Sudan apologized for.
Is this the change you could believe in, the source asked. It remains to be seen. Council leadership predicted that new US Ambassador Susan Rice will arrive in New York on Monday. But even absent his Rice, isn't Obama already in charge?
The Secretariat's press availability, like the Council briefing, was handled by Lynn Pascoe. Inner City Press started it off, asking who exactly it is that Ban wants to do the investigation. Pascoe reiterated the new line, "in the first instance... a report from Israel." Video here, from Minute 1:58.
But reporter after reporter zeroed in on the change. The Washington Post followed up on Inner City Press' question, noting that both John Ging and John Holmes had called for an independent investigation.
Pascoe grew testy, reminding the Press that Ban went to get a ceasefire and got one, we're not saying he got it alone -- Ban's spokesperson used this very same formulation -- but it was gotten. Give Ban the man a break, was the implication. And one wanted to, at least for a day. But he runs the risk of morphing from Ban Ki-Mute to Ban Ki-moot.
On the Obama front, Inner City Press asked Pascoe is he anticipates any change in his status, will it remain the same? Pascoe dodged that part of the question, saying that of course the UN wants to work with the US. As he walked away from the microphone he was asked, "Did you vote for Obama?" Amid laughter, he did not answer. Video here, from Minute 16:05.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/banki1moot012209.html
