By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, March 14 -- The day after Inner City Press exclusively reported that the Arab League's appointed deputy to Syria envoy Kofi Annan did not in fact travel to Damascus, the UN refused to confirm his absence, nor provide the list of those who went, which Inner City Press has now four times requested.
But well placed sources have provided Inner City Press with the list the Secretariat provided to Syria's Mission to the UN: beyond Kofi Annan, Ahmad Fawzi , Alan Doss, Nicolas Michel, Robert Dann, Ruth McCoy, Rami Shehadeh.
Inner City Press on March 14 at noon asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky for this list, and even waited until eight hours later the transcript of the UN's noon briefing was posted to see if it was included. But it was not, consistent with total stonewalling by Ban's UN.
Alan Doss was a UN official who employed nepotism in Liberia and then the Congo, and finally at UNDP in New York, telling them to break their rules and give a job to his daughter, then retiring while the damning Office of Internal Oversight Services report languished in Ban's desk without action.
Nicolas Michel was Kofi Annan's chief legal officer, who illegally accepted housing subsidy from the Swiss government while ostensibly working for the UN, in violation of UN Charter Article 100.
Ahmad Fawzi worked at the UN Department of Political Affairs under Kofi Annan. In full disclosure, he defended the UN when it was charged with asking, initially successfully, to have Inner City Press removed from Google News: that is, censorship.
Robert Dann was a former aide to Alvaro De Soto; Ruth McCoy is the "Executive Director" of the Kofi Annan Foundation; Rami Shehadeh worked for UNSCOL -- was he al-Kidwa's doppelganger?
And what is the relation between the UN's move to Syria and this Kofi Annan Foundation? Where does the Kofi Annan Foundation raises it funds? These questions proliferate, because of Ban Ki-moon's UN's stonewalling. From the UN's March 14 transcript:
Inner City Press: I wanted to ask you also about Kofi Annan’s trip. I am now told that there is a letter from the Secretariat to the Syrian Mission naming the individuals who would go and that it included Alan Doss, Nicolas Michel, Ahmad Fawzi, and I am just wondering, one, will you confirm those names, and two, can you say why the Arab League-nominated Deputy Nasser al-Kidwa didn’t go? And can you clarify what the role of Mr. Guehenno is? I have been told that Kofi Annan chose Mr. Guéhenno as his Deputy and then this was in some way overruled. Is Mr. Guéhenno a Deputy or not? Why didn’t Mr. Nasser al-Kidwa go, and with those three names, will you confirm that they went? It’s not that long a list.
Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: I’ll let you know, I’ll let you know, Matthew. Yeah?
Inner City Press: What about Kidwa, did he go or not? I mean, it’s kind of important. I’ll ask a more pointed question. It’s been said that President Assad only accepted Kofi Annan’s visit in his UN hat. That all attempts were made to not have it be a joint Arab League trip and that’s why Mr. Nasser al-Kidwa did not go. I would like you, can you respond to that?
Spokesperson: As you know, Mr. Annan is the Joint Special Envoy, he is a Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States. Yes?
Inner City Press: So, was [inaudible]?
Even eight hours later (and counting) the answers were not provided. Watch this site.
