By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, March 6 -- The five year rule announced by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was said to encourage new blood in the UN, new thinking, a new era.
But not only are insiders from Ban's first term being shuffled around rather than leaving, for example Kim Won-soo to Change Management and Bob Orr to a created corporate position, noticeably officials from before Ban's time are coming back.
Ban's predecessor Kofi Annan, of course, has been thrust back as joint Arab League - UN envoy to Syria. Annan brought with him to New York last week Lamine Cisse, a longtime UN insider. Others speak of former, and disgraced for nepotism, UN official Allan Doss as working with Annan.
Ban is bringing back former official and President of the General Assembly Jan Eliasson as his deputy, at 71 years of age. Ban brought back Annan's former Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette to chair his Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations.
Tellingly, when Frechette took the step of barring the participation in the SAG of Sri Lankan General Shavendra Silva, whose 58th Division is depicted in Ban's own Panel of Experts report as engaged in war crimes, Ban and his spokespeople refused to support Frechette, repeating the mantra that it is "up to member states."
At Tuesday's one-on-one noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's deputy spokesman Eduardo Del Buey:
Inner City Press: in light of this five year rule enunciated by the Secretary-General, I have been told that Thomas Stelzer was on Monday given a one year extension and just that, that’s just a factual question, I would like to know if that is the case, and if so, how does it relate to the five year rule?
Deputy Spokesperson del Buey: Well, I’ll have to check into that, Matthew, I don’t have anything on Mr. Stelzer.
Inner City Press: If you get an answer you can e-mail it to me rather than insert it, it would be…
Deputy Spokesperson: Thank you, sir, have a good afternoon.
And as requested, and appreciated, the Spokesperson's office emailed this at 4 pm:
Subject: Your question at the Noon Briefing
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply @un.org
Date: Tue, Mar 6, 2012 at 4:06 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Mr. Stelzer's contract was extended until March 2013. This extension will represent his 5th year as Assistant Secretary-General.
It's appreciated. What about the other Assistant Secretaries General? Watch this site.
