By Matthew Russell Lee, Partial exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, July 23 -- As the UN on Monday sent the Press its Syria Humanitarian Bulletin, there was some information not mentioned in it.
Some non-governmental organizations have urged Inner City Press to ask the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs about what they say is the Assad government's "total" blockage of international staffers, of which they say they also suffer.
They told Inner City Press that the government told OCHA aid can only be delivered by and through Syrian nationals.
But Inner City Press has since exclusively learned it is the UN's (silent) position that Assad has let in at least 62 international humanitarians, while they say blocking staffers from five countries: the US, France, UK, Canada and Australia.
These blockages are not total, they say, other staffers from those same five countries are in.
While there is an argument for sweeping the whole thing under the carpet, this is inconsistent with the shrill and often ill-informed communications strategy including on Syria of other parts of the UN system.
Meanwhile Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his head of Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous are said to be "sitting on" the UNSMIS reported on the killing as Houla, several Security Council members have complained to Inner City Press.
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