By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, April 1 -- Just as the UN starts up a probe of chemical weapons in Syria, a blast from the past search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq Judith Miller spoke at the UN on Monday, in an event only partial disclosed in the day's UN Journal. Photo of sign on door, here.
The Journal entry said only
Women’s International Forum: Meeting on “Arab Spring or Islamist Winter? A journalist’s perspective of the Arab Spring now” (sponsored by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General) Monday, 1 April 2013 From 13:15 to 14:30, in Conference Room 6 (NLB).
[Delegates and Secretariat staff are invited to attend. Please click here for further information.]
The printed Journal didn't say who the guest was. But online, click took one to the home pagehttp://womensinternationalforum.org/, on which was Judith Miller's portrait, and a bio beginning, “Judith Miller is an author and a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter formerly with The New York Times.”
You don't say. Wasn't it Judith Miller who used or was used by anonymous sources to report that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?
The website goes on, “Founded in 1975, the Women's International Forum began with a group of UN spouses who wanted to know more about UN and global issues. Today, the WIF is a highly-respected organisation with members from the diplomatic community, from the ranks of international civil servants and UN-affiliated non-governmental organizations, and women from the New York area.”
Judith Miller's talk was not open to the press (though, strangely, all delegates and Secretariat staff were invited.) The website says, "Lectures are only open to members and their guests."
Inside was former Qatari Ambassador then President of the General Assembly, now UN official Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, who in the former two roles railed against Syria. (Qatar is supporting the armed rebels, who also stand accused of using chemical weapons.)
Here is a photo near the end of the session, which Inner City Press exclusively staked-out.
For the record, Inner City Press has in the past attended and reported on sessions of the Womens International Forum, invited by then Ugandan Ambassador Rugunda.
That was then; this is now, at today's UN. Watch this site.
