By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/ban1ethiocuba032210.html
UNITED NATIONS, March 22 -- Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi was named co-chairman, with Gordon Brown, of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's advisory group on financing and climate change. Now Meles Zenawi is blocking radio stations in Ethiopia, accusing them of destabilizing and of being similar to Radio Milles Collines in Rwanda, in the run up to the May elections in Ethiopia.
On March 22, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky to comment on Meles Zenawi's blocking of radio stations, especially since Ban had only recently named Meles Zenawi to a top UN advisory post. "I'm struggling to see the connection between climate change and banning radio," Nesirky said. Video here, from Minute 9:18.
Inner City Press explained again, it's that Ban awarded Meles Zenawi his UN honor, only to see free press cracked down on. "I will have to look into the facts," Nesirky said. "You've called it a controversy but you've not spelled it out."
He is jamming a radio station. Inner City Press might have added, staff at the UN facilities in Addis Ababa say that the Ethiopian government monitors all of their communications -- but the UN says nothing.
Nesirky then praised radio in the abstract, especially in "parts whether other forms... are less readily available." Next Nesirky was asked by a radio reporter about the death by hunger strike of Orlando Zapata Tamayo in jail in Cuba. Video here, from Minute 14:40.
The reporter had asked the same question before, and Nesirky said Mr. Ban was aware of Zapata's death, but had no comment. Later, after even Raul Castro had said he lamented -- or regretted, in the UN's translation into English -- Zapata's death, Nesirky told another radio station, Radio Marti, that the UN belated "joined" others in regret.
Inner City Press asked for written confirmation, and last week got this:
ICP: On the question of the UN's or S-G's view of the death of Cuban hunger striker Orlando Zapata, which was not answered when asked in a noon briefing but I understand was subsequently answered to Radio Marti, please email me the UN's answer / comment.
UN's Haq: The Secretary-General joins others in expressing deep regret over the death of Orlando Zapata in Cuba.
On March 22, Nesirky was asked, in light of other hunger strikers in Cuba -- read, Guillermo Farinas -- if Mr. Ban viewed Zapata's death as a violation of human rights. "I've told you already, clearly, the Secretary General joins others" in regret. "And that's all I have to say on the matter."
So, silence on radio blocking by a just-named UN advisor, and reluctant comment on a hunger striker's death, without reference to the next one: Guillermo Farinas.
One cynics opined, this is why the Non Aligned Movement thought they might be traction with a letter telling Ban he has no jurisdiction over human rights. We'll see.
