By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, June 13 -- When candidates from Fiji, Peter Thomson, and Cyprus, Andreas Mavroyiannis, faced off on June 13 to be the next President of the General Assembly, Inner City Press had long heard an argument that a Cypriot win would mean “three Europeans in a row.” There was and is also the question of staff of former PGA John Ashe remaining with the office, and the need for reforms, not only in the Office of the PGA but also Ban's Secretariat.
On the morning of the voting, diplomats told Inner City Press that the “no European trifecta” argument had gained traction. The voters poured into the GA hall, including current Security Council president Francois Delattre of France. After a secret ballot and a fifteen minute wait which became 30, the winner was announced: as Inner City Press predicted, Peter Thomson of Fiji, 94 to 90.
After being thrown out of the UN on two hours notice by Under Secretary General for DPI Cristina Gallach on February 19, on March 10 back in on a "non resident correspondent" "Green P" pass, Inner City Press was ordered out of the UN at 8 pm, here, as it worked on a story in the UN Lobby.
UNder this kind of harassment, intimidation and attempted censorship, there is only one approach: publish, publish, publish. Even as the UN refuses to respond to Inner City Press' formal request two weeks ago for the return of its office and Resident Correspondent status.
The new Free UN Coalition for Access -- whose sign USG Cristina Gallach directed to be torn down after she evicted Inner City Press from its long-time office (and misspoke to Timor Leste's Jose Ramos Horta, here) --seeks to open the UN and these processes - watch this site.
