Ban Ki-moon Claims Raised “Many Issues” to Trump, Spokesman Admits “In Just A Few Minutes”

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 15 -- Hours after Hillary Clinton conceded to Donald Trump past 2 am on November 9, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon about his inaction on UN Peacekeeping's failures and rapes in the Central African Republic, and his dismissive response to Senate Foreign Relations Committee inquiries, including on UN censorship of the Press.

   Ban Ki-moon did not answer.

  On November 11, the UN said Ban spoke with Trump and "expressed confidence that the United States and the United Nations would maintain their traditional strong ties of cooperation." In censorship?

It gets worse. On November 14, Ban's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq admitted that “regarding the conversation with the President-elect, it was just a short, basically, introductory telephone conversation of just a few minutes or so.” Nov 14 UN transcript here.

   But on November 14 Ban Ki-moon in Marrakesh said “as you may know, last week I spoke to President-elect Mr. Trump and I brought up many issues, peace and security issues, including the issue of Climate Change.” Nov 15 UN transcript here.

   So how many peace and security issues could or did Ban really bring up in “just a few minutes”? And to what effect, when in his answer on Morocco he didn't even mention Western Sahara much less Suelma Beiruk, whom Ban's spokespeople claim Ban wants to stop being Banned from COP 22 by Morocco, but on which Ban is doing or at least saying nothing? We'll have more on this.

  On election night itself, Inner City Press reported what it heard regard former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton, his spokesman Richard Grenell, and SFRC chairman Bob Corker. Some in UN-World are circling the wagons; Ban is doling out interviews, just as he did for hisnow waning hopes to be South Korea's next president.

 How did the current US Mission taken not action on censorship by Ban and his Under Secretary General Cristina Gallach, even when asked to do so by the Government Accountability Project?  Why has the current US Ambassador wasted resources with no fewer than three bodyguards even when inside the UN?  We'll have more on this - watch this site.

when Inner City Press got to the United Nations later in the morning, it asked Yemen's Ambassador Khaled Hussein Mohamed Alyemany if he thinks under Trump the US will continue to fuel up Saudi warplanes for their bombing runs. Video here.

He said it's not for him to judge other countries and what happens in them.

   Inner City Press asked Iraq's Ambassador to the UN M A Alhakim about the idea outgoing President Obama will try to speed up action on Mosul and Raqqa before Trump takes over. He said a sped-up process would be good. Vine video here.

   Outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon came to read a statement; his outgoing spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Ban would not take questions. But one was yelled out on climate change; Inner City Press then asked about the criticism of Ban by Senator Bob Corker, a possible Secretary of State, over Ban's weak response to UN peacekeepers' engaged in sexual abuse. Video here; Vine here.

   When Inner City Press had asked Dujarric for Ban's reaction, Dujarric said dismissively that was just the opinion of one person. Impunity is impunity. Dujarric himself helped get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN Press briefing room, its UN office and the UN as a whole, see Paragraphs 9 and 10 of this UN memo to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We'll have more on this.

In New York City early on the evening of November 8, from the UN on First Avenue to Trump Tower and the Peninsula Hotel on Fifth Avenue (Inner City Press' Periscope video here), the assumption was that Hilary Clinton would win. Then Ohio then Florida then finally Pennsylvania went Trump.

And at 3 am on November 9, after a concession call but not speech by Hilary Clinton, Trump declared victory (and compared Reince to the bronze statue of the horse Secretariat at Belmont race track). Now what?

   Some predict John Bolton as Secretary of State. On TV, they talk of Newt. More nitty gritty some wonder if someone like Brett Schaefer might be UN Ambasssador. (The current UN Ambassador prepared for a victory party - there are still no post- or mid-results photos to mirror those from the Javitz Center).

   In Seoul, South Korea issued statements; from Ban Ki-moon, wannabe South Korean president, there was nothing yet. Earlier a Permanent Representative told Inner City Press, gesturing at the UN campus, If Trump wins, this is all over. We shall cover it, in detail. Watch this site.