By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/unusg3postsfr082909.html
UNITED NATIONS, August 29 -- This month after France ousted its Ambassador to the UN Jean Maurice Ripert, he was quickly named to a UN Under Secretary General post, as a humanitarian envoy to Pakistan. The UN's fast accommodation of Ripert led Inner City Press to ask, on August 24 and August 26, how many French USGs the UN system has, and to write twice on the answers.
Four days later, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal was quoted in ISRIA.com that "we perceive no bad intentions towards our country through the questions that were asked. These questions fall within the free exercise by journalists of their profession." Paris-based ISRA went on to chide Inner City Press for describing "French diplomat Jean-Marie Guehenno... as a 'do-nothing USG' despite Mr. Guehenno's major achievements in peacekeeping operations from 2000 to 2008."
Yes, Inner City Press used the phrase "do-nothing USG" for Guehenno, quite literally. After heading DPKO, Guehenno was quietly named USG for Regional Cooperation, a new post, like Ripert's. The UN never announced it, but confirmed it when Inner City Press discovered it.
Later, in the Spring of 2009, Inner City Press interviewed Mr. Guehenno across the street from the UN, and asked what tasks he had done for the UN since his appointment. None, he answered candidly. The UN had not assigned him a single job. That is why we called him literally a do-nothing USG, and mused, as we had in print back in the spring, if such no show jobs might not constitute immigration fraud.
Since the publication of Inner City Press' August 24 and August 26 articles, the Spokesperson for Ban Ki-moon Michele Montas has written Inner City Press that "One update on yesterday’s question : Mr. Guehenno's appointment had expired effective close of business 31 July 2009. He is no longer a staff member."
So sometimes the UN does the right thing, even if only belatedly.
For the record, during Guehenno's time at DPKO, Inner City Press often cover him favorably, and respected his requests, as in the case of Congolese warlord Peter Karim. But afterwards, still unexplained is the UN's rationale for giving Guehenno a USG post, with attendant immigration, tax and travel privileges, without expecting him to do any work?
Footnote: the ouster of Ripert is viewed by insiders as a long expected move by Sarkozy adviser Jean David Levitte against his rival Bernard Kouchner, of whom Ripert is a follower. So in essence, due to French infighting, the losing flotsam washed up on the UN's shores and a USG post was created. This happened, though less embarrassingly, with Guehenno as well. Is this done for other countries? Do other countries even ask for it?
