By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 26 --
Inquiring
further into
the proposed
budget for
the Syria
mission of
Kofi Annan,
now dubbed the
Seven Million
Dollar
Man, Inner
City Press has
gotten answers
from the UN's
budget
committees but
not yet from
Annan's
office.
Budget
committee
sources
confirm and
complain about
a lack of
transparency
in where
the
"extra-budgetary
resources"
alluded to in
the budget
proposal are
coming from.
The
budget
document
states,
"Extrabudgetary
resources have
been allocated
for three
Political
Affairs
Officers (P-5,
P-4, P-3) for
six months to
provide
backstopping
within the
Department of
Political
Affairs, and
for a
general
temporary
assistance
position for a
Senior Adviser
for three
months, based
in Geneva."
As
one budget
committee
source told
Inner City
Press, "member
states or even
NGOs like
those of Bill
and Melinda
Gates or Ted
Turner" can
stealthy fund
UN operations.
"Identity is
not formally
disclosed
to Member
States, as
there is
practically NO
General
Assembly
oversight of
extra-budgetary
posts. WEOG's
appetite for
transparency
seems to run
out whenever
the issue
comes up."
WEOG is the
Western
European &
Other Group at
the UN,
including the
United
States, the EU
and for
example
Norway, whose
General Robert
Mood now
appears slated
to be accepted
as the force
commander.
Many are
surprised that
Syria would
accept a NATO
general;
others says,
"they
know him."
Syria
blocked an
observer from
Sweden, which
was publicly
reported as
based on
Sweden's
participation
in the
so-called
Group of
Friends on
Syria.
Inner
City Press
is told it was
based on
particular
statements by
the observer,
who
worked at
UNTSO in
Damascus. But
either way,
wouldn't Syria
want to
know who is
paying for
members of
envoy Kofi
Annan's team?
Wouldn't
anyone, even
as a matter of
safety?
As
the budget
committee
source
continued,
"aren't the
observors at
greater
risk if the
Syrian
government
feels they're
somehow being
directly
bankrolled by
the usual
suspects? The
Fifth
Committee will
consider
the Annan
budget now in
May. If the
ACABQ report
is not
finished,
they'll do it
as soon as
they come back
from vacation,
while we're
still in
session, but
we'll
definitely
consider the
Annan mission
budget during
the second
resumed
session."
We
will be
covering this,
including
these
extra-budgetary
resources.
Inner City
Press has
asked Annan's
spokesman
Ahmad Fawzi
about the
extra-budgetary
resources,
along with
"quick
questions
about the
budget
presentation
-- '11
substantive
international
staff (1 USG,
2 ASG, 2 D-2,
2 P-5, 2 P-4,
2 P-3) --
which of the
positions have
already been
filled or
designated,
and by
whom?
Likewise, what
(and how high)
are the
"extra-budgetary
resources" for
three
Political
Affairs
Officers for
six months,
and a Senior
Advisor for
three months?
Has the Senior
Advisor been
chosen? Who?
And, the
"refurbishment
of office
space
($30,000)"
-- which
office is
this?
"Today
at the noon
briefing I
asked how the
UN / Mission
will respond
for example to
Finland's
office of ten
observer that
they are
already
themselves
training. Does
the JSE's
office and
team have
anything to do
or say about
this?"
Today
in the above
was now yesterday,
April 25.
Watch this
site.
