By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, February 8 -- The day before the US House of Representatives is slated to consider a proposal to get back from the UN funds left over from closed peacekeeping missions and some $179 million from the UN's US Tax Equalization Fund, the UN belatedly told Inner City Press that “we intend to return $180,745,000 of the cash balances of closed peacekeeping missions that had been owed to Member States as of 30 June 2010.”
On the Tax Equalization Fund, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky at the noon briefing on Tuesday, following the UN declining to answer Inner City Press' written questions:
After asking Friday and today at the noon briefing (and in emails in between) for a basic accounting or even estimate of the Tax Equalization Fund and money left over from closed peacekeeping missions and yet receiving no information or estimate by close of business today, I have the following additional questions, prior to Tuesday's noon briefing and action in the House:
Esther Brimmer, assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs, told CQ that “the $179 million in overpayments are in the form of credits, not cash, and thus cannot be refunded per se. Moreover, Brimmer said, much of that sum – up to $100 million – already has been repurposed to help enhance security at the U.N. complex in New York City.”
How was the referenced money “repurposed”? Did the US Mission or State Department indicate how it could be repurposed? How? What other countries have allowed extra budgetary money to be similarly repurposed and how much?
Do the UN Secretariat agree with the State Dept that it is not possible to refund monies to the US from the Tax Equalization Fund?
How was the $100 million referenced in Esther Brimmer's quotes spent?
Is it possible for funds to be reimbursed to the US from the UN from the closed peacekeeping accounts?
When asked in person on Tuesday, Nesirky insisted that Inner City Press should “ask the State Department.” Inner City Press, fine it would ask -- and has asked -- the US how it conveyed its okay to the UN -- but how was the “nearly $100 million” spent?
Nesirky did not answer, but said that further information should be available later today. Watch this site.
On Tuesday morning, Inner City Press asked the spokespeople for the US Mission to the UN about Esther Brimmer's quote that “up to $100 million... already has been repurposed to help enhance security at the U.N. complex,” and about the US position on suspending International Criminal Court prosecution against Sudan's Omar al Bashir, and about an American national arrested in the Congo on gold smuggling charges, asking that the financial question be answered before noon.
By press time the answers had been received, but they will be reported here when they are. For now, here is the UN's response to Inner City Press on the peacekeeping “left over” funds, sent along with another answer just before the day's noon briefing:
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply
Date: Tue, Feb 8, 2011 at 11:50 AM
Subject: Your question on peacekeeping funds
To: Inner City Press
The United Nations is returning the money owed to Member States from closed peacekeeping missions. To that end, we intend to return $180,745,000 of the cash balances of closed peacekeeping missions that had been owed to Member States as of 30 June 2010. That action is subject to a decision of the General Assembly (in the context of its consideration of the Secretary-General's report A/65/556).
