Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/unscsri6lanka040809.html
UNITED NATIONS, April 8 -- The day after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon declined to call for a ceasefire or even suspension of fighting in Sri Lanka, his top humanitarian official John Holmes published an opinion piece in the UK Guardian calling for just such a pause. At the UN's noon briefing in New York, Inner City Press asked if Holmes' piece is now the UN's position. Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas said, "You will have something more precise on this tomorrow... or the next day." Video here, from Minute 11:33.
Close observers tell Inner City Press that the UN wants to have it both ways. Given the resistance of Sri Lanka's government to any criticism, Ban does not want to call even for a humanitarian pause. But if the "bloodbath on the beach" now predicted by Holmes takes place, the UN doesn't want to be blamed. By publishing his article, by adopting a Janus face, the UN covers its bet.
Meanwhile, the UN-affiliated International Monetary Fund is slated to deliberate on April 25 on Sri Lanka's request for a $2 billion loan to make up for money spent in the military action, and for the detention camps in the north. Some say that with the commitments made to the IMF during the recent G-20 meeting in London, $2 billion is "peanuts.... who cares about human rights?"
From the transcript of the April 8 noon briefing:
Inner City Press: Michele, on this, the piece by John Holmes in The Guardian, I mean, that’s the UN’s call or is it John Holmes’ personal call? I’m just trying to judge whether it was…
Spokesperson Montas: John Holmes speaks not just in his capacity as the humanitarian coordinator, he speaks for the UN.
Inner City Press: I mean, we were both there when the Secretary-General yesterday… he seemed to be calling just for the Government to comply with international humanitarian law as it conducts its… whereas John Holmes is saying there should be a cease… you know, a suspension of hostilities. Which is the UN calling for?
Spokesperson: I can tell you that we will have something more precise on this tomorrow.
Inner City Press: Okay.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/unscsri6lanka040809.html
