By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 25 --
For the Syria
mission of
envoy Kofi
Annan, over
$7 million are
being
requested from
UN member
states for the
last ten
months of
2012. This
does not
include
additional
"extra-budgetary
resources" for
three
Political
Affairs
Officers for
six months,
and a Senior
Advisor for
three months.
The
budget
document's
goal (b),
against which
performance
will be
judged, is a
political
process "aimed
at effectively
addressing the
legitimate
aspirations
and concerns
of the Syrian
people,
without
prejudging the
outcome."
It's
important to
emphasize: by
this UN
document,
Bashar al
Assad could
remain
in power but
the UN judge
and promote
Annan's
efforts as a
success.
Some
now call Kofi
Annan the
Seven Million
Dollar Man.
Among
18 staff
positions are
"11
substantive
international
staff (1 USG,
2 ASG,
2 D-2, 2 P-5,
2 P-4, 2
P-3)." Since
Annan has two
ostensibly
equally
deputies,
Jean-Marie
Guehenno and
Nasser
El-Kidwa, one
assumes that
they are the
two ASGs or
Assistant
Secretaries
Generals.
That
would make
former
Secretary
General Annan
now an UNDER
Secretary
General, with
the pay that
comes with
that position.
How does that
square with a
previous
statement that
Annan, who
already
receives two
separate UN
system
pensions, was
not getting
more pay?
The
budget request
states:
The
estimated
requirements
for the Office
of the Joint
Special Envoy
of
the United
Nations and
the League of
Arab States
for the Syrian
Crisis for the
10-month
period ending
31 December
2012 amount to
$7,488,000 net
($7,932,200
gross) and
will provide
for salaries
and
common staff
costs for 18
positions
($3,022,300),
as well as
operational
costs
($4,465,700),
comprising
consultancies
($165,700),
official
travel
($1,590,500),
and facilities
and
infrastructure
($578,400);
ground
transportation
($100,200);
air
transportation
($750,000);
communications
($94,800) and
information
technology
($135,700);
and other
supplies,
services and
equipment
($1,050,400).
Of the
non-post
items,
$111,800
relates to
one-time
expenditures
for
the
refurbishment
of office
space
($30,000) and
provision of
information
technology and
other
equipment
($81,800).
Who
are the
additional
consultants,
for $165,000?
Where is the
office space
being
refurbished
with $30,000?
Will any of
this be
subject to UN
procurement
rules?
And if the
mission fails
or otherwise
ends before
the end of the
year, what
happens with
the money?
Some on
Annan's
team have
already been
given six
month UN
contracts,
among the
issues
on which both
Annan's
office
somtimes
and the UN
nearly always
have declined
to answer.
But
questions will
continue to be
asked. Watch
this site.
