By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, January 18 -- With Baby Doc Duvalier apprehended in Haiti, the UN in New York insisted Tuesday at noon that it had nothing to do with the arrest.
But the UN has acknowledged to Inner City Press that it is still paying Michele Montas, through June 2011 -- and Ms. Montas' public statement on CNN about filing a criminal complaint is reportedly related to the arrest.
“Michele Montas, a Haitian journalist and a former spokeswoman for the United Nations secretary-general, said Monday night that she plans to file a criminal complaint against Duvalier. 'We have enough proof. There are enough people who can testify. And what I will do is go to a public prosecutor and there is a public prosecutor that could actually accommodate our complaints,' she told CNN's 'Parker Spitzer.'”
Ms. Montas' successor as Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky disclaimed any UN involvement in Duvalier's detention. He did however call him a “dictator” who was chased out of his country by his own people.
Minutes later, asked about Tunisia's Ban Ali, Nesirky would not use the same words or call for accountability.
Earlier, UN envoy to Cote d'Ivoire Choi Young-jin spoke of denying Laurent Gbagbo funds to pay “his” 140,000 civil servants. Is Gbagbo less legitimate than Myanmar Than Shwe or North Korea's Kim Jong-Il? Is the UN trying to deny their civil servants their pay?
Meanwhile, the French press is reporting that Bernard Kouchner's “courtesy” visit with Ban Ki-moon was about replacing Edmond Mulet as top UN envoy to Haiti. Nesirky on January 17 said he refused to comment on rumors.
Inner City Press asked top UN peacekeeper Alain Le Roy, what about Kouchner to Haiti? It is up to the Secretary General, he said, and no decision is needed until March. But what would then happen with Peacekeeping's Number Two, Atul Khare, if Mulet returns to this post? Especially with major troop contributor India now on the Security Council?
For weeks, Inner City Press has asked the UN how much former UN Spokesperson Michele Montas has been paid. At first, Martin Nesirky said he “would not comment.” Then he suggested to “ask MINUSTAH.” Finally this arrived:
Subject: Re: Your question regarding Special Advisor in Haiti
From: UN
Date: Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 2:52 PM
To: Inner City Press
In response to your querry with the Spokesperson of the Secretary General regarding Ms Montas's appointment to MINUSTAH, please find the answer below.
"Following the devastating earthquake of January 2010, which had a severe impact on the substantive sections of MINUSTAH, Ms Montas was engaged by the mission's senior leadership as the D-1 Special Advisor to the Head of Mission. Her contract will terminate on 30 June 2011, when the post itself will be eliminated, as part of the mission's post-surge readjustment."
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