By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 17 -- "This is like the Arab Spring," a UN correspondent said Monday night out on Third Avenue. "It's the second anniversary of Tunisia, but here it's the UNCA spring."
The UN has long partnered with the UN Correspondents Association, but there is something wrong with it. Even the simplest of questions, it will not answer. And when challenged, it clams up and even tears down, for example posters questioning its rule. See tweeted photo here.
Because they torn it down, here is the poster itself, click here.
On December 16, Inner City Press asked UNCA president Giampaolo Pioli and some executive committee members to please state the agenda of the December 21 meeting they've announced, what they propose to vote on.
There was no answer, nor throughout the work day at the UN on Monday. But at 5 pm, as Inner City Press stood at the Security Council stakeout posing questions on Syriaand Eastern Congo to top UN humanitarian Valerie Amos, the UNCA president walked briskly past.
Not to ask any questions -- and not answering them either, all day. So Inner City Press has reiterated the question in writing.
But even hours later, spotting Il Duce again, there was no answer. Meanwhile a supporter of the Free UN Coalition for Access issued an alert from the UN: FUNCA's posters were being torn down.
Where UNCA had its posters, with one exception, FUNCA had put one up. (The exception was on the door of the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, to not make them make a decision. Yet.)
But it has been verified: at the entrances to the press area, on floors 1 and on 1B, the posters were torn down. So they do not answer questions, and they try to stamp out opposition.
Back in June 2012, Voice of America, whose UN bureau chief Margaret Besheer wrote that she had the support of her colleagues from Reuters (Louis Charbonneau) and Agence France Presse (Tim Witcher) asked the UN to "review' the accreditation of the investigative Press.
Confronted with the documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, none of the three or the other UNCA executive committee members have provided any explanation.
There are other questions, because the UNConstitutional attempt to push elections beyond 2012 and hold over in power. Recently to the entire UNCA membership a message was sent detailing that the UNCA President had neglected for months to pay the UN for microphone and audio services, and threatening not to provide sound for Ban Ki-moon on December 12.
While questions have not been answered, sound was provided, and presumably will be at the December 19 award ceremony for Arnold Schwarzenegger. But toward what end?
At an event in the UN's Delegates Entrance Monday night, another Permanent Five member of the Security Council's Permanent Representative was informed of FUNCA, and laughed and wished it well. Another senior UN official was informed and expressed trepidation. It's the UNCA Spring, it must be said. One party rule is no good. Watch this site.
