UNITED NATIONS, March 18 -- Asked questions about the promotion and then disappearance on “Special Leave” of the son in law of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky has for days told Inner City Press to “ask the UN Office of Project Services.”
Ban's son in law Siddharth Chatterjee was in mid 2009 made the Middle East chief of UNOPS. This month, Inner City Press was told by UNOPS sources that Chatterjee quietly left once he was asked for his educational credentials, and after being described by co-workers as “the furniture” for lack of effectiveness.
On March 17, after Nesirky during the UN noon media briefing refused to answer a question from Inner City Press by saying it should be dealt with outside of the briefing, Nesirky approached Inner City Press in the UN hallway between the briefing room and the Security Council meeting about Libya.
Nesirky said to Inner City Press, “you should have a little sense of proportion, the bulk of the briefing was you asking questions.”
Inner City Press had asked Nesirky five questions, ranging from Sudan and Myanmar to hiring practices, a statement by Ban about UN rubble removal in Haiti which Nesirky's office “amended” with out explanation, and about the impending pay decrease or firing on March 28 of elevator operators at the UN.
Nesirky in the hall said, “You asked a question about elevators when the rest of the world is wondering about nuclear meltdown and wondering what's happening in Cote d'Ivoire to tens of thousands of people.”
Just this month, Inner City Press has asked questions about UN labor changes under Ban which are opposed by the UN Staff Union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and now the elevator operators, all without any answers from Nesirky.
Inner City Press said to Nesirky, referring to the questions about Ban's son in law, “The UNOPS one, you know they didn't write me back.”
Nesirky said, “They won't.”
“Then why do you publicly refer me to UNOPS, when you know they won't answer?”
“People don't want to deal with you,” Nesirky said.
While the current UN leadership seems unwilling to answer investigative questions, just over the past week for example, the Permanent Representative of India to the UN called Inner City Press to answer a question, and earlier on March 18, the IMF answered Inner City Press questions about Zimbabwe.
“I'm going to head back to the Security Council,” Inner City Press said turning away, “where people do seem want to deal with me.” During the Libya meeting, Inner City Press got answers from French foreign minister Alain Juppe and diplomats from Lebanon and Libya, among others.
Nesirky called after Inner City Press, “if you were concerned about elevator people, I feel for people too.” Saying "I'm choosing my words very carefully here," he continued that he didn't want to criticize the Office of the Spokesperson staff traveling with Ban until he learned why the statement on Haiti had been amended.
Inner City Press said while that argument had some merit, given how rare or even unprecedented it is to label a revised transcript “amended” instead of “as delivered,” Nesirky might have checked it that morning, before being asked.
“Shut up,” Nesirky said.
After a pause, Inner City Press said “When you have the answer about why your office 'amended' the Haiti answer, just e-mail me.”
In fact, Nesirky and his Office have allowed dozens of questions ranging from Sri Lanka to budget and contracting irregularities to Sudan to the UN offering free flights to an indicted war criminal to build up without offering answers or even acknowledging the e-mailed questions.
Back in the summer of 2010, he publicly swore at Inner City Press. In January 2011, he told Inner City Press he wouldn't answer any more of its questions.
Inner City Press said, then and now, that it does not believe Nesirky is doing his job.
“This is unacceptable,” Nesirky said, concluding “I'm going to have to bring this up with UNCA,” the UN Correspondents Association. Watch this site.
