By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un1elections100109.html
UNITED NATIONS, October 1 -- Charged with covering up electoral fraud to benefit Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan, the UN in New York on Thursday, in a background briefing to the Press, argued that it is not the UN's role to uncover or publicize fraud. Rather, the speaker who insisted on being identified only as a senior UN official said, the UN makes recommendation for procedures to be put in place so that fraud can be detected.
But if the UN's recommendations are dismissed, or if implemented are then revoked, does the UN say anything? No, the senior official said, why should we? The Independent Electoral Commission isn't breaking any laws.
Inner City Press asked the official if Afghan law provides for any penalty for those found guilty of fraud. I don't know, the UN official said, adding that the Elections Complaints Commission, three of whose five members are appointed by the UN, has no power to impose criminal penalties.
The official provided by the UN, answered again and again that he was baffled by the critiques made by the UN's just fired deputy envoy to Afghanistan, Peter Galbraith. Inner City Press asked if Galbraith's letter to Ban Ki-moon is true in saying that Eide ordered UN staff not to talk about the election and fraud. I can't imagine Kai doing that, the official said. He allowed that the UN has rules about how staff can talk, and Kai might have reminded UNAMA staff of the rules.
Critique the UN's management, Galbraith said that only weak organizations punish those who disagreed in internal debates. The official said that went beyond his remit, as did Ban Ki-moon's decision to suspend any UN assistance to the November elections in Honduras. That was Ban's decision, a Ban spokesperson has said. But, as with the firing of Galbraith, who will explain it on the record?
Footnotes: The Times of London has reported that, to replace Galbraith, the U.S. is pushing the UN to try Donald "Larry" Sampler. He worked with a USAID contractor, and is in fact a Facebook friend of Gary K. Helseth, accused of accused of corruption in Afghanistan with the UN Office of Project Services. Some Sample(r).
