UNITED NATIONS, July 28 -- Japan's Yukio Takasu held a farewell to New York and the UN on Tuesday night at his country's East Side townhouse.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was there -- expressing surprise at reports that South Africa was promised a senior post at the Office of Internal Oversight Services in change for not blocking the top spot going to a Canadian - as well as his Under Secretaries General Lynn Pascoe, Kiyotaka Akasaka and Angela Kane.
After Mr. Ban and his well liked bride left, much talk turned to the controversy stirred by the damning End of Assignment Report of outgoing OIOS chief Inga Britt Ahlenius. While usually at the UN, the press asks Ambassadors for information and opinion, this time is was the reverse.
Several Ambassadors asked Inner City Press, What do you think this means for Ban getting or not getting a second term? Major Permanent Representatives had read the critical Press coverage. “This is not good,” they said. “But will Obama have the decisiveness to act?”
Susan Rice was asked and told the media as if by rote that the US supports Ban. Others in the Obama Administration are not saying the same thing.
Ban's USGs worked the crowd. Angela Kane of Ban's Department of Management bowed, Japanese style, with an outgoing members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions from, where else, Japan.
Due to ACABQ's penchant for anonymity, we will not name her but wish her well. As the UN's envoy to Darfur said earlier at the stakeout, ACABQ recently visited El Fasher. She noted of Inner City Press, your coverage of ACABQ is always fair. Hey, it's the only accountability mechanism in the UN, along with the press.
Kiyo Akasaka of Ban's Department of Public Information was in his element, offering food recommendations and this new media news, that the UN is agreeing to a refer in their forthcoming guidelines to a willingness to accredit bloggers -- and not only “journalists who write blogs” -- although, strangely, confined to a footnote. We'll see.
The recurring focus, if often strayed from, was on Takasu-san. Inner City Press' last on camera question to him concerned his changes to Security Council procedures and “working methods” -- he answered that transparency to non Council members is the goal, and noted that the informal meetings on Sri Lanka, for example, were an innovation.
Sri Lanka's Ambassador was there, glad handing U.S. Susan Rice, holding forth on his gig for Palestinian rights. Neither Sudan's gastronome Permanent Representative, nor his underfed charge d'affaires, were present, despite round after round of sushi and salmon sandwiches, glasses of wine as well as green tea.
Bolivia's diligent and collarless Ambassador told Inner City Press about the upcoming vote on the human right to water, which he said the U.S. has been opposing.
“Takasu has good food,” reviewed Susan Rice, who appeared along with her Deputy Rosemary DiCarlo. Belgium, Palau, Austria, Jamaica, Luxembourg and more sent Permanent Representatives. India's always well informed Perm Rep had clearly read his WikiLeaks, particularly about the Polish premonition of the attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul.
For the past two days, Inner City Press as asked the UN about parts of the WikiLeak -- Pakistani “retired” General Hamid Gul's involvement in a plot to kidnap UN staff, UNAMA's Jalalabad meeting with American armed forces -- without getting any substantive response.
As the night wound down, Takasu approached Inner City Press. You did not come through the receiving line, he chided. Inner City Press shook his hand now, and asked for one last time why Japan had reversed itself at the last minute on giving helicopters to South Sudan.
Takasu said the Sudan requires the breaking down of equipment, and it can get damaged. The radar is not sufficient. Takasu if nothing else was always detailed in his answers to the press. Clearly, he will be missed.
