UNITED NATIONS, April 7 -- In the hall of mirrors that is the UN, it wasn't clear under whose authority the Press was pushed back from the Security Council's new basement home on April 5. After a day of reporting and fight back, April's Council President Yukio Takasu of Japan on April 6 told Inner City Press that media access should not be reduced, and would be negotiated. Video here.
Later on April 6, five reporters including this one accompanied the media liaison of the UN Department of Safety and Security and three Department of Public Information officials in front of and above the Security Council suite of rooms. The DPI representatives assented to access at street level, from the Delegates' Entrance to the stairs.
Then to an enlarged pen in the basement, shifting the non-Council member states to south of the stairs. But the UN Security representative, who previously told Inner City Press that "your table's gonna move," said that it was all subject to re-negotiation.
One of the DPI officials told Inner City Press after close of business on April 6 that the following day -- today -- they would meet with the Security Council members to "seal the deal." Which Council members, Inner City Press asked -- all 15 or only the Permanent Five?
A representative of the UN's Security Council Affairs branch on April 5 said that there was no reason to meet with the Council's president from Japan, since he and his country are transient members. But now, Japan is requiring that all 15 be met with, the DPI source told Inner City Press. Which members will stand for press access, and which against?
France, whose Ambassador Gerard Araud began the complaining about the press in the Council's consultations on April 5, now said it agrees the Press must have access to the staircase and both lobbies. The hang-up, it emerges again, is the United States, according to well placed sources. The US Mission has denied they first raised the issue. But who is keeping it going, under the guise of safety? Watch this site.
Footnotes: unaddressed by President Takasu is the question of who moved to bar from consultations UN Peacekeeping and Political Affairs staff, and the Office of the Spokesperson, and why? When Inner City Press asked Takasu this on camera at the stakeout, he turned the question back to press access, on which he promised action. Video here, penultimate question.
But who on the Council is so concerned with leaks that they are willing to leave DPKO and DPA, which do the actual work, in the dark about the Council's views? The suspicion is the Council most upset about the North Korea leaks, later accused of leaking, perhaps only through Nairobi, the Somali Sanctions report. We will have more on this.
We end with this telling vignette. As the reporters and staff of DPI and DSS milled in the Delegates' Entrance, Sudan's Permanent Representative, his mandate just renewed, asked how he could help. Inner City Press asked him, "Do you support press freedom?"
His answer, "Not always," drew laugher from the UN officials. But this is what emboldens them.
