By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 18 -- The
day after the
UN in New York
demanded the
removal from
an Inner City
Press story of
information
about a
delegation
visiting
Damascus,
Friday in
Geneva Ahmad
Fawzi the
spokesman for
envoy Kofi
Annan said,
"we can expect
a visit
soon. We have
said before
that the Joint
Special Envoy
is
considering an
invitation to
visit Syria,
but no dates
have been set
yet. His
Deputy also
plans to visit
Syria."
Annan
has two
deputies:
former UN
Peacekeeping
chief
Jean-Marie
Guehenno, and
Nasser
El-Kidwa who
was nominated
by the Arab
League and who
as Inner
City Press has
reported has
been blocked
from visiting
Syria by the
Assad
government.
At
Friday's noon
press briefing
at the UN in
New York,
Inner City
Press asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
to specify
which of
Annan's two
deputies was
being referred
to. Nesirky
refused
to answer,
saying that
Fawzi had
chosen his
words
carefully.
Inner
City Press has
checked again
on Friday and
understands
that El Kidwa
is still
blocked
by the Syria
government,
which only
accepts Annan
as a UN not
Arab
League envoy.
Inner City
Press has
learned more
about the
planned trip
but has yet to
publish it, in
response to
the UN's
concern and/or
censorship.
But
if the UN is
comfortable
saying
publicly that
EITHER of
Annan's two
deputies will
go to
Damascus, why
did it demand
the censorship
of just such
information on
May 17?
As
Inner City
Press reported
on May 16--
and modified
at the UN's
demand as
shown
in this
version -- on
May 16 a
Security
Council
Permanent
Representative
told the press
that
"in
the
coming days
Jean-Marie
'Guehenno and
DPKO,' the UN
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations,
will go to
Damascus, on
the political
track,
with it was
hoped Kofi
Annan to
follow. Later
on May 16,
Inner City
Press was
informed that
the request
was made [deleted
at UN's
request]
on the issue
of the
observers, not
the political
track."
More
than 12 hours
later DPKO's
spokesman,
copying Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Nesirky,
wrote:
Date:
Thu,
May 17, 2012
at 7:46 AM
I
have become
aware of
you[r] web
article and
tweets naming
[individual's
name included
in DPKO's
email, but
deleted here]
as
planning to
travel to
syria along
with dpko
colleaugues.
Your
decision to
publish this
information in
advance of a
trip has
created
a potentially
serious
security
situation for
un personnel.
I ask that
you remove all
such
references
from the inner
city press
website
without delay
For
the UN to
request
post-publication
removal from
the Internet
of
information,
stated on the
record by a
Security
Council's
Permanent
Representative,
seemed to
implicate
freedom of the
press issues
which
have not been
the UN's
priority under
Ban Ki-moon.
But within
minutes of
receiving the
above, Inner
City Press
modified the
story,
removing the
name and an
included
critique of
the individual
specified in
DPKO's removal
request.
Later
on May 17
at that day's
noon briefing
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Nesirky:
Inner
City
Press: on
Syria,
yesterday, a
Security
Council
Permanent
Representative
said that DPKO
[Department
for
Peacekeeping
Operations]
and an
individual who
he named would
be traveling
to
Damascus. And
he said this
was on the
political
track of the
Kofi
Annan plan.
Other
diplomats have
said that this
visit is
limited to
the issue of
the observers.
So given the
Secretary-General’s
role
in his Joint
Envoy’s work,
which is this,
the visit that
was
described by a
Permanent
Representative
on the
Security
Council? Is
it about the
political
track or is it
about the
observers?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well, Matthew,
you and I both
know the
background to
your
question here,
and quite
clearly the
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
does not
release travel
plans of its
officials in
such
instances and
this is a
matter of
security, and
I think you
understand
that.
Inner
City
Press: But I
guess my
question is,
as reporters
here, if
Permanent
Representatives
describe a
trip to us,
are we not
supposed
to report that
or do you tell
diplomats, for
example, even
the Syrian
Government is
informed about
this trip,
including the
individuals
who
are going. So
I just wanted
to understand
what the
protocol is,
since I was
requested to
remove the
individual’s
name from the
story I wrote;
what is the
protocol on
reporting what
is said on the
record at the
UN? I
understand the
security
thing, but if
you are
giving the
names to
Syria-
Spokesperson:
Well, Matthew,
Matthew, not
for the first
time, you are
mixing up
lots of points
here and
twisting your…
the words, and
it is,
frankly,
unacceptable.
In this
particular
instance, this
is plainly
a matter of
security. I
just mentioned
earlier in the
briefing about
two incidents
that have
taken place
this week
alone — narrow
misses
for the
military
observers who
are in the
country to
help the
Syrian
civilian
population. It
is obvious
that the
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
does not
release
information
about travel
plans of its
officials in
such
instances. And
I am not
saying any
more on the
matter, okay?
Inner
City Press: The question is --
Spokesperson:
Matthew, I
have said what
I have to say
on the matter.
Inner
City Press: So we
shouldn’t
report on
this, this UN
mission in
Syria?
Spokesperson:
Matthew, you
know very well
that this is
the way that
you are trying
to distort
this to make
into a matter
of freedom of
information…
Inner
City Press:I received an
e-mail to
change a
story, and I
disagree with
it
entirely,
absolutely,
100 per cent.
Spokesperson:
Well, you know
very well
precisely why
it is
important that
the
security, the
lives of…
Inner
City
Press: I --
Spokesperson:
Do you wish me
to continue my
answer or not?
Inner
City
Press: Yes, I
do, please.
Spokesperson:
This is a
matter of
security. It
involves the
lives of
individuals,
and I think
that it is
something that
everyone needs
to reflect on.
Thanks very
much. Have a
good
afternoon,
thank you very
much.
Then
the very next
day Annan's
spokesman said
that his
Deputy will
travel to
Damascus.
Watch this
site.
