By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, March 14 – When Rwanda takes over the UN Security Council president on April 1, it will be back in the second story chamber where during the April 1994 genocide, France managed the retreat of the genocidaires to safety in Eastern Congo.
The move-back of the Security Council, UN sources told Inner City Press on March 13, will be begin on March 28 and continue over the three-day weekend that follows.
The UN press corps, however, will not as originally promised move back to offices on the third and fourth floor. Why not? In essence, a small number of big media, using their UN Correspondents Association, have taken precedence over other reporters.
They seek to convert UNCA into what one member called a “piggy bank” for big media, to “transfer money for fibers.” The back and forth has twice pushed back the rest of the press corps' moving date, without any vote ever being taken.
On Rwanda, the UN press corps in 1994 cover the Rwanda genocide far too little. A correspondent present at that time tells Inner City Press, “we believed Herve Ladsous” – at that time France's Deputy Permanent Representative, now the head of UN Peacekeeping, the fourth Frenchman in a row to control DPKO – “but now? He's gotten so much worse.”
But still there are UNCA “leaders” like Tim Witcher of Agence France Presse, as well as Reuters' correspondent, who serve as pass-throughs for Ladsous.
On 126 rapes in Minova by the Congolese Army, which DPKO supports, Ladsous' DPKO on March 7 served up to these more friendly journalists half answers to questions Inner City Press put to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on March 5.
When Witcher hissed the words “lies and distortions” to Inner City Press on March 8, Inner City Press replied “lapdog.” The exchange, including with Reuters' correspondents Michelle Nichols, was entirely verbal.
But on March 11, UN Security came to tell Inner City Press that Witcher and Nichols had filed a purported security complaint. Inner City Press has requested a copy, as well of the UN's ruled for due process and on frivolous and false complaints.
UN official Stephane Dujarric has refused, since the NY Civil Liberties Union asked his Department of Public Information on July 5, 2012, to disclose any due process rules.
But, Capital Master Plan sources tell Inner City Press, he and Ban Ki-moon's spokesman did recently “sign off” on a physical barrier or railing by the renovated Security Council. On behalf of whom? Watch this site.
