By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 22 -- For weeks the Office of the President of the General Assembly has refused to answer questions from Inner City Press concerning who paid for the travels of the PGA and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
As the last question permitted on December 22 to PGA Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Inner City Press asked this question, and asked for a response to Libyan diplomat Shalgam's critique of "interference" in Libya by Qatar, for which Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser served as Permanent Representative until earlier this year.
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser declined to respond to Shalgam, suggesting that Inner City Press ask his successor at the Qatari mission, but acknowledged that Qatar has paid for some of his recent travel with Ban Ki-moon. He cited a Qatar provided flight from Nairobi to Doha.
Whether Qatar providing such assistance may present a conflict of interest, or at least should be fully disclosed by the PGA, is a topic for another day. More immediately, Inner City Press moments later asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky to disclose material support Ban receives from particular member states.
Nesirky described a number of legs of travel not paid for by Qatar -- his office has previously told Inner City Press Ban traveled to Libya on a "charter" flight -- and acknowledged the Nairobi to Doha flight by Qatar.
Inner City Press asked if the UN Secretariat will disclose, at least going forward in 2012, material support to Ban Ki-moon and his travel from particular member states. Nesirky said he would look into it. Watch this site.
