UNITED NATIONS, August 27 -- The UN deals with genocide in secret, and demands an end to impunity only sporadically. On Timor Leste, just as human rights groups call for an UN international criminal tribunal to get to the bottom of ethnic violence there, the UN Security Council issued a press statement praising the government's efforts in this regard. Inner City Press asked the Council president for August, UK Deputy Permanent Representative Philip John Parham, if there was any discussion in the Council of an outside tribunal. No, he said, I have been authorized to praise the governments own efforts. Video here, from Minute 3:18.
Inner City Press also asked his about a meeting held in the UK Mission to the UN this week, of all 15 Council members with the UN's expert on genocide Francis Deng. On August 26, UK Ambassador John Sawers said that Parham had chaired on. On August 27, Parham said it was an "informal informal" and therefore a closed meeting. The UN and genocide, shouldn't it be public?
Meanwhile, long after the question was asked, the following answer has been received on the UN and Bangladesh:
Subj: Your question on Bangladesh
From: unspokesperson-donotreply [at] un.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: 8/26/2009 12:16:25 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
The UN has responded positively to a request from the Government of Bangladesh for technical assistance in its national efforts to address the issue of the 1971 war crimes. The UN has offered to provide the most suitable form of assistance - not to the trials but to help the Government make an informed decision on the issue, and is in discussion with the Bangladesh authorities on the subject.
Why not to trials? Inner City Press has been told by sources that UN Development Program chief Helen Clark, in one of her first meetings upon assuming the post, met with Pakistani representatives. It's Pakistan accused in the 1971 war crimes, and sources inside UNDP tell Inner City Press that the agency's interest in helping Bangladesh has gone down.
UNDP claimed it didn't understand the question, and since then has refused to answer it. The above is from the Secretariat, and is less than helpful. Watch this site.
