By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 1 -- The UN's Herve Ladsous, who has refused to answer Press questions for months, bragged at Bastille Day he had signed a UN contract for drones.
Inner City Press asked at the UN's July 31 noon briefing: who won? Who is getting paid?
Later on July 31, Inner City Press asked Ladsous himself - he looked but did not answer. Video here.
Then at the August 1 noon briefing, without having e-mailed an answer to Inner City Press as the media which asked the question (as Nesirky office does with at least some other media), Nesirky came and announced the winner: the Selex ES Falco, described as the "the only tactical UAS entirely developed in Europe to have been exported and used in operations. Elbit of Israel has also ordered the Selex."
Interestingly, Qaddafi's Libya was also applying to buy a Selex, but was being reviewed by the Italian government. Now it's said Ladsous' drones could be flying over the Democratic Republic of the Congo (and its border with Rwanda) as early as September.
Ladsous was France's Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN during the Rwanda genocide, arguing in open and even more in closed door Security Council meetings for the genocidaires to escape into Eastern Congo.
When this was raised, Ladsous started to refuse to answer Press questions. See video compilation here.
(On August 1, Nesirky refused Inner City Press any follow up questions on the claims he had just made about Ladsous' drones, while allowing others including Pamela Falk, UNCA's 2013 President, two rounds of questions.)
Nesirky's office, rather than solving this, has exacerbated it. At least one former UN spokesperson has indicated this is an abdication of the UN spokesperson's role. But that determination would be up to Ban Ki-moon. Even member states who have been speaking against this (non) communications approach don't have any say. Watch this site.
