By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, August 10 -- Yemen's inability to vote on the August 3 Syria resolution in the UN General Assembly was first exposed by Inner City Press in an exclusive story published on August 7.
Now Yemen's Permanent Representative to the UN, and his foreign minister Abubaker al-Qirbi, have responded, here. They blame the non-payment on US banks closing some countries' accounts, an issue on which Inner City Press has also exclusively reported.
But well placed sources disagree that this is the reason, and provide evidence. Now for, Inner City Press publishes below the Bank of America check that bounced.
The account on which the check was written has been functioning since June 15; the check bounced due to large withdrawals.
After Yemen's Mission to the United Nations wrote a $223,675 check to the UN for its 2012 dues on June 20, its Ali Saleh-aligned Permanent Representative Jamal Abdullah al-Sallal took out a cashier's check on the Mission's Bank of America account, Arab diplomatic sources have exclusively told Inner City Press.
The impact was that during the August 3 UN General Assembly vote to condemn Syria's Bashar al Assad, the move of this Ali Saleh supporter made it so that Yemen could not vote, despite being a co-sponsor of the resolution.
While some media mocked Yemen for sponsoring and not voting, Inner City Press reported even that day that Yemen was barred from voting by the UN's pay-to-vote rules. But afterward Inner City Press learned the reason for the failure to pay.
A self-described Arab diplomat told Inner City Press of
"the cheap game played by the Permanent Representative and his Foreign Minister who still follow the overthrown dictator, he withdrew the whole account after issuing a check so the UN check will bounce so Yemen can't vote."
The Yemeni mission's Bank of America Operating Account, ACT R/T 054001204, delivered its $223,675.00 check to the UN's Contribution and Policy Coordination Service on the 28th floor of the UN-rented building at 380 Madison Avenue.
Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky about Yemen and the bounced check and inability to vote on August 8, the day after its exclusive story, and Nesirky said he would inquire, so far without response.
Here now is a copy of the check:
Even more documents have been obtained - this may become a series. Watch this site.
