UNITED NATIONS, June 11 -- In the run up to Myanmar's military tilted elections, the UN has had very little to say. Now Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's chief of staff Vijay Nambiar is traveling to Singapore and China, although what he is trying to accomplish is not clear.
Not only since taking over from Ibrahim Gambari as the UN's envoy on Myanmar, but ever since becoming chief of staff, Mr. Nambiar has yet to hold any on the record press conference.
And so at the UN's June 9 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Mr. Ban's Associate Spokesman Farhan Haq:
Inner City Press: You mentioned Mr. Nambiar as being in Singapore, on a good offices mandate of Myanmar. There is a project there that is of some concern to both the opposition and human rights groups. It’s a Daewoo pipeline, and it’s one that the Secretary-General, when he was the Foreign Minister of [the Republic of] Korea, called a win-win solution for Korea and India. Opposition figures also say that UN officials have met with Daewoo about that project in the military-ran country of Myanmar. I’m wondering, does the Secretary-General — I’m now assuming you can’t say necessarily from the podium — but can you check and see whether the Secretary-General still holds the belief that that pipeline is a win-win solution, and whether the various holders of the good offices mandate, [Ibrahim] Gambari and now Mr. Nambiar, have ever met with Daewoo about the project?
Associate Spokesperson Haq: I also need to check, I don’t have any information about Daewoo.
Inner City Press: Okay, if you can check, that would be great.
Associate Spokesperson: I certainly will.
But more than two days later, there has been no answer.
In fact, Mr. Haq tried to not take more questions on June 9. Inner City Press said that it has been even less likely to receive answers when questions are submitted in writing to the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary General. Haq said that the Office provides answer when it get them. But is it trying? Watch this site.
Footnote: Here from the end of the UN's June 9 noon briefing:
Inner City Press: And you heard the head of UNAIDS saying that he’d asked, or had hoped… well, you heard it. I won’t mischaracterize it. Did the Secretary-General raise the issue of Maxim Popov, a UN, essentially, funded AIDS activist who has been sentenced to 7 years while he was in Uzbekistan, and what response did he obtain?
Associate Spokesperson: I’ll check with the people who are part of his traveling delegation. I am not aware that that name came up, but certainly we can check. And with that, I bid you a…
Inner City Press: [inaudible] go ahead.
Associate Spokesperson: At this stage, this more a dialogue, anyway, so, we can sort this out than…
Inner City Press: [inaudible] where I never got a written answer. Even, for example, on The Three Idiots. I was never sent an answer. So, I’d rather ask the question here…
Associate Spokesperson: I believe you were sent an answer on this about a day or two ago.
Inner City Press: Yeah, but I put it in 28 May. Here is my question, about Burundi, since he was in Burundi.
Associate Spokesperson: Once we had an answer we gave it to you. As soon as we had it.
Inner City Press: Since he was in Burundi, did he have anything to say about the fact that the upcoming election will have only one presidential candidate, since the opposition has dropped out? I’ve read the speeches, but I haven’t seen… I’ve seen mostly praise. But most people say that democracy has fallen apart, there is only one candidate. Is that acceptable?
Associate Spokesperson: Well, first of all, he’s still in Burundi right now. He will talk to the press whilst there. And he is talking with President Nkurunziza, as I said at the start. So, let’s see what he has to say at the end of the day.
Yeah, on a lack of democracy in Burundi and Myanmar, let's see...
