By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/ossg2nesmirky020510.html
UNITED NATIONS, February 5 -- "I don't think that's question that I need to answer," UN Spokesman Martin Nesirky told the Press on February 5. Inner City Press had asked about a UN Administrative Tribunal decision in favor of former Secretary General Kofi Annan, reversing the UN Pension Fund and awarded Annan two pensions, as a staff member and as Secretary General. (Click here for Inner City Press' February 4 exclusive report and link.)
"That sounds like something for the Pension Fund to answer, not me," Nesirky said, in what is becoming a trend two months into Nesirky's tenure. Inner City Press explained that the Pension Fund claims its building on Second Avenue is not open to the UN press corps.
"You've just answered your own question," Nesirky said. "It's not part of the UN system." Video here, from Minute 14:42.
Since it decidedly is -- it has the UN's immunity and Nesirky's boss Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for example names a representative, currently Warren Sach -- Inner City Press asked Nesirky to repeat and explain, "the UN Pension Fund is not a part of the UN system?"
Then Nesirky claimed that is not "a question I need to answer."
So what or whose questions does UN spokesman Nesirky acknowledge that he "needs to answer"? Also on February 5, Inner City Press asked straight forward questions about Darfur, for the UN's response to widely reported fighting between rebel groups displacing 10,000 people in an area in which the UN is charged with protecting civilians. Nesirky said only, "Let me find out." Video here, from Minute 14:17.
When Inner City Press asked about UN training of ex-rebels in Nigeria's restive Niger Delta, Nesirky demanded to know how the article in the Guardian newspaper of Nigeria was sourced, what UN official was named. Video here, from Minute 27:23. Inner City Press provided the information, in response to which Nesirky again said, let's find out. Yeah, let's.
This was the approach of Nesirky's predecessor Michele Montas, to answer less than half of the questions posed. But even she rarely said, only one more question, or, no more questions for you, as Nesirky increasingly does. At first, Nesirky said he would answer all questions, putting them on a list until they were answered. (Click here for Inner City Press' first month review of "NeSmirky"). But repeated questions at the noon briefing about Somalia have yet to be answered.
Questions put to him in writing about nepotism reaching to the highest levels of the UN have been entirely ignored. In response to a nepotism question about Ivory Coast, he outsourced answering to the UN Mission there, which provided an intentionally misleading answer. Nesirky, even when shown the answer and then a contradicting acknowledgement, had nothing to say.
Apparently that too is "not a question I need to answer," according to Mr. Nesirky. Watch this site.And see, www.innercitypress.com/ossg2nesmirky020510.html
