By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 21 -- When UN official Ivan Simonovic emerged from briefing the Security Council about this trip to Ukraine, Inner City Press asked him about the LifeNews journalists detained and abused by authorities there on which UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric had no comment when asked by Inner City Press.
Simonovic said he was aware of the detention, was in contact with the owner of LifeNews and had spoken with Ukraine's deputy minister of Foreign Affairs.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, whom Inner City Press asked about LifeNews' footage of “UN” marked helicopters used by Kyiv, said in the Council's closed door session his Western colleagues did not come to the defense of these journalists as they have for others.
Churkin said his French colleague -- that would be Gerard Araud, who on April 15 told a correspondent from Lebanon “you are not a journalist, you are an agent” -- had refused to support the Council urging a de-esclation in Ukraine.
On the LifeNews footage of the “UN” marked helicopter, on which Inner City Press has four times asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric without substantive answer, Churkin said the UN Secretariat has NOT provided any response about the “UN Peacekeeping” helicopter use.
Voice of America -- which by Gerard Araud's logic would also be an agent, to the point of trying to get other media thrown out of the UN -- asked if Churkin questions the elections slated for May 25 in some but not all of Ukraine why doesn't he question the June 3 election set for Syria.
Churkin responded that Western countries praised elections in Afghanstan -- and also confirmed that Russia will veto the Franco-American draft resolution to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, calling it grand-standing.
While Uruguay was listed in a European press release as sponsoring the resolution, they have clarified that they are NOT a sponsor. Could it be the carve-outs? Watch this site.
