By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, January 13 -- When the UN General Assembly held a moment of silence for deceased North Korean strongman Kim Jong Il last month, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky told Inner City Press that Ban had "no comment on what may or may not happen in the General Assembly, except to say that normal protocol is being observed, as I understand it, in this period of mourning for the DPRK."
Later another UN official came to Inner City Press to emphasize that normally when head of state or government or uncontested ruler dies in office, not only is there a minute of silence in the General Assembly, each of the Assembly's Regional Groups and the Host Country (the USA) give speeches.
So, the senior staffer argued, GA President Nassir Abdul Aziz Al-Nasser had "negotiated down" the normal tribute.
On January 13 when the UN Security Council issued a statement expressing "condolences to the government and people of Guinea-Bissau on the death of President Malam Bacai Sanha," Inner City Press went and asked when the minute of silence would be.
The President of the General Assembly's office is probably already working on it, replied South Africa's Deputy Permanent Representative Doctor Mashabane.
Inner City Press asked the spokeswoman for PGA Nassir Abdul Aziz Al-Nasser, Nihal Saad, "When will the minute of silence for the deceased Guinea Bissau president be?"
Ms. Saad replied:
Subject: Is PGA Office working on a GA minute of silence for deceased president of Guinea Bissau?
From: Nihal Saad [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 4:13 PM
To: Matthew Russell Lee [at] InnerCityPress.com
The Office of the President of the General Assembly has not received a request from Guinea Bissau for a minute of silence for the deceased President.
What does that reflect?
From the UN's transcript of December 22, 2010:
Inner City Press: the South Korean publication Arirang has a story headlined that Ban Ki-moon will not visit the memorials set up for Kim Jong Il, and it quotes a UN official who said that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has no plans to visit the Mission to offer his condolences. So it seems like they have a source. Was that decision made, and also does he have any comment or thought on this moment of silence for Kim Jong Il taking place this afternoon at 3 p.m.?
Spokesperson Nesirky: On the first, as we have already said publicly here, so you don’t need an unnamed UN official — you have a name, the Spokesperson sitting right in front of you — and what I said was that the Deputy Secretary-General had signed the Book of Condolences at the Permanent Mission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on behalf of the UN system, on behalf of the UN system. There are no other plans in that regard. No comment on what may or may not happen in the General Assembly, except to say that normal protocol is being observed, as I understand it, in this period of mourning for the DPRK.
And what about Guinea Bissau? Watch this site.
