By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 12 --
The UN's acts
and omissions
during the
killing
of thousands of civilians in
Sri Lanka in
2009 has given
rise to
criticism,
to which
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
responded in
September 2011
by
saying UN
official
Thoraya Obaid
would
investigate
and issue a
report
in four months
time.
Nine
months later,
no report was
issued and
Inner City
Press asked
why
not. Ban's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
said for the
first time
that
Obaid had not
been able to
do the report,
but that Charles
Petrie was
not on the
case and would
issue a report
shortly.
That
hasn't
happened
either, and
Inner City
Press has
since learned
that
Petrie has
another job,
with the
Norway
government
funded Myanmar
Peace Support
Initiative
(MPSI), which
is also
controversial.
But
it's made
Inner City
Press wonder:
how can Petrie
do two jobs at
once? How he
work for the
UN and,
essentially,
for the
Norwegian
government at
the same time,
in seeming
violation of
Article 100 of
the UN
Charter? And
where is
the report on
the UN in Sri
Lanka?
On
October
11, Inner
City Press asked
Nesirky:
Inner
City Press: I
had asked
about this
report that
was supposed
to be now
done by
Charles Petrie
into the UN’s
performance in
Sri Lanka in
2009. And I
went back and
looked at it.
It seemed like
it was
supposed to be
finished in
August and you
had said that
when it is
finished it
will be up to
the
Secretary-General
whether to
make it
public or not.
One, so I want
to know the
status now
that we are in
October. But
also, I didn’t
know this, but
Mr. Petrie has
another
job, which is
to be the head
of the Myanmar
peace support
initiative,
Norwegian. Did
he do this at
the same time?
Was this a
full-time
position? Has
he finished
the report and
what is going
to happen
with the
report?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
The work with
that Norwegian
organization
has absolutely
nothing to do
with the
United
Nations. It is
the work that
is being
carried out on
the report and
continues to
be carried out
is
obviously
entirely
separate and
is not a
full-time
role. So I
think
that covers
that. The
first part of
your question,
yes, it is
still
in the works,
and when it is
ready, it will
be ready, but
it is still
in the works.
Inner
City Press:
Okay. So it
hasn’t been
finished and
given to the
Secretary-General?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Not yet. It
has not been
given to the
Secretary-General
at
this point,
yeah.
If
the long
delayed report
has not been
given to
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, then
mustn't it
still be with
Charles
Petrie? But
where IS
Charles
Petrie? He is
being quoted
at the
director of
the Myanmar
Peace Support
Initiative
(MPSI).
On
October 12,
Inner City
Press asked
Nesirky again:
what is the
UN's
view of the
Myanmar Peace
Support
Initiative,
and how can
Petrie work
there and for
the UN at the
same time?
Nesirky
said
he has
answered the
question
yesterday --
see transcript
above
-- so Inner
City Press
followed up
and asked what
is Petrie's
status
with the UN,
and about
Article 100 of
the UN
Charter,
essentially
requiring
serving only
one master.
Nesirky
insisted he
had answer the
question, and
that if he has
anything more
he will
provide it.
We'll
see. Watch
this site.
