By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/unsec2afpak110909.html
UNITED NATIONS, November 9 -- While Afghans and aid agencies criticize the UN for a lack of clarity in its partial pull out announcement after the Taliban killed five UN staff, in New York the UN insists its messages have been clear.
Inner City Press asked, for example, if the UN's figure of 200 people leaving the country included the reported 14 UNICEF staffers who are leaving. "We have answered that "we have already answered," that the 200 include "all agency and UNAMA" personnel. Video here, from Minute 14:40.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on November 6 gave a rambling answer in response to what "red lines in your head" would have to be cross for the UN to pull out completely, as it did from Iraq after the bombing of its Canal Hotel headquarters there. He said, in part, that "no UNAMA election officials will be moved out... No UNAMA field staff will be moved out."
More than seventy hours after Mr. Ban's comments, the UN had not put the transcript online on its "Off the Cuff" comments web site, nor emailed it to the Press, as usually happens one or two hours after a public statement by Ban.
Inner City Press, which questioned Ban on November 6 and published quotes that day about it, here, on November 9 asked Ban's spokeswoman Michele Montas why the transcript had not been put online. Video here, from Minute 30:27.
"Mostly technical reasons," Ms. Montas replied. But Inner City Press has seen a copy of the transcript which her Office prepared before six p.m. on November 6. Notably, as Ban was answering the "red lines" question, his chief of staff Vijay Nambiar arrived at the stakeout and gestured to end it, telling Inner City Press, we cannot tell them how to attack us. Then the transcript was not put on line, and still has not been.
But the streaming video is online, Inner City Press' questions here (from Minute 6:42) and Ban's "red lines" answer here (from Minute 12:40). The transcript which the Spokesperson's Office prepared but then did not put online has Ban saying "There will be around 200 staff in a phased way - I would like to tell you -- 120 administrative staff will be relocated in six to eight weeks, and 30 development staff in six to eight weeks and 50 administrative officers will be rotated between Kabul, Dubai and Kuwait..".
What is the difference between "administrative staff" (120) and "administrative officers" (50)? Mr. Ban went on, "UNDP level officers -- they have ended their assignment - 30 out of 125 are now remaining in Kabul." Are the 95 who left included in the UN's evacuation count? Are the 30 who, it seems, will leave included?
Mr. Ban on November 6 said, "there was unfortunately a misunderstanding of our positions." Neglecting to put online the transcript of the Secretary General's answers on Afghanistan for more than 70 hours doesn't help.
The UN claims this is all clear, but it is not. In fact, Kabul is full of rumors of UN pull out of more than 200 system staff. The price of food has shot up. As one international aid NGO was quoted, "the UN should have offered the option for its staff to relocate, rather than issue a blanket relocation. 'That's a bad signal to everyone: The perpetrators are getting what they want and are encouraged to continue, and the population feels more and more abandoned, realizing how little it takes to frighten us away, and to leave them alone to fend for themselves, in every possible field.'"
On behalf of the UN, Ms. Montas refused to comment on or reply to this on November 9, saying that it is all clear. But is it?
Footnote: even the budget is not clear. After announcing he was seeking money after the five staff were killed, now the spokesman for the chair of the UN Budget committee tells Inner City Press that no proposals have yet been submitted to the committee, they are anticipated as "an add on to the budget fascicle" of DSS at the end of November. The ACABQ is said to have a folder, but got the DSS management review on a much delayed basis. Fast to pull out, slow to follow through, some say. Watch this site.
