By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 6, updated -- After the UN Security Council took Myanmar off the written Program of Work for December, where it was only a footnote, on Monday two separate closed door briefings were scheduled.
At 11 am Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his envoy Vijay Nambiar briefed the Group of Friends of the S-G on Myanmar.
Then at 3 am a separate but presumably similar briefing by Nambair became for the Security Council in its consultation room. No outcome was expected.
As Inner City Press reported last week, Nambiar's internal reporting to UN officials was critical of Aung San Suu Kyi, characterizing her as out of touch and somehow too hard line, UN sources say. Nambiar prefers those more amenable to authoritarian government.
The rationale for having the repetitive briefings is that the memberships of the Group of Friends and the Security Council are different.
On December 3, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky to confirm or deny that Myanmar had given Nambiar a visa for a mere two days.
On camera, Nesirky said he'd look into it, but that the Secretariat might to decide not to say one way or the other. That now appears to be the case -- from a UN Administration which says it is transparent.
Inner City Press asked if Nambiar would talk to the media. Nesirky said that Nambiar would be asked. We are waiting. Watch this site.
