UNITED NATIONS, September – Two days before today's reported North Korean hydrogen bomb test, incoming UN Security Council president for September Tekeda Alemu of Ethiopia held a long press conference at the UN and only mentioned North Korea once, per the UN Department of Public Information's summary, here. Will the Security Council and its president still leave New York for five days?
For now from Vienna, this: "“Our monitoring stations picked up an unusual seismic event in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) today at 03:30 (UTC). The event seems to have been larger than the one our system recorded in September last year and the location is very similar to that event. If confirmed as a nuclear test, this act would indicate that the DPRK's nuclear programm is advancing rapidly." In late August after North Korea submitted a letter to the UN Security Council about the joint US - South Korea military exercised (Inner City Press put it online here), North Korea fired a missile right over Japan's Hokkaido island. On August 29, there was an emergency UN Security Council meeting - leading to the read out and adoption in the Council chamber past 8 pm, of Presidential Statement, below, that Inner City Press published before the meeting. After Egypt read it out - Egyptian state media Akhbar al Yom, to which the UN is trying to give Inner City Press' long time office, was not even present for this - there were speeches by Nikki Haley, Japan's Bessho, China's Liu and Russia's Nebenzia. Then UN Security threw the press out of the stakeout, to continue work in the lobby since its long time office is assigned to a no-show DPI and UNCA favored retired former journalist. Inner City Press on September 1 asked Ambassador Alemu four questions, including on Burundi (on the Council's agenda) and the Oromo Protests, a major human rights issue. Video here. But when the UN Department of Public Information wrote up the press conference, it did not even MENTION Burundi, much less the Oromo protests. See UN document here.
What is wrong with UN DPI, a corrupt UN Department which spends $200 million a year in public funds, but doe not even has any rules, content neutral or otherwise, on how it accredits and/or restricts the independent press which covers the UN? Where is the new head of DPI, Alison Smale, listed as starting September 1? Where is Antonio Guterres, still silent on the reversal of the Kenyan election scam he praised, and whose spokesman Stephane Dujarric refused to answer 14 of Inner City Press' 17 questions last week?
For now, here's the UNSC's August 29 statement: PRST FOR DPRK AUGUST 28 LAUNCH OVER JAPAN The Security Council strongly condemns the August 28 2017 (local time) ballistic missile launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) that flew over Japan, as well as the multiple ballistic missile launches it conducted on 25 August 2017. The Security Council further condemns the DPRK for its outrageous actions and threats against another UN Member State, and demands that the DPRK immediately cease all such actions. The Security Council stresses that these DPRK actions are not just a threat to the region, but to all UN Member States.The Security Council expresses its grave concern that the DPRK is, by conducting such a launch over Japan as well as its recent actions and public statements, deliberately undermining regional peace and stability and have caused grave security concerns around the world.The Security Council, resolute in its commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, emphasizes the vital importance of immediate, concrete actions by the DPRK to reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond. The Security Council demands that the DPRK not proceed with any further launches using ballistic missile technology and comply with resolutions 1695 (2006), 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016), 2321 (2016), 2356 (2017), and 2371 (2017), as well as the statements of its President of 6 October 2006 (S/PRST/2006/41), 13 April 2009 (S/PRST/2009/7) and 16 April 2012 (S/PRST/2012/13), by suspending all activities related to its ballistic missile programme and in this context re-establish its pre-existing commitments to a moratorium on missile launches. The Security Council further demands that the DPRK immediately comply fully with all of its other obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions, including that it shall: abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, and immediately cease all related activities; not conduct any further nuclear tests or any further provocation; and abandon any other existing weapons of mass destruction in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner. The Security Council calls on all states to strictly, fully, and expeditiously implement all relevant Security Council resolutions including 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016), 2321 (2016), 2356 (2017), and 2371 (2017). The Security Council reiterates the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in North-East Asia at large, expresses its commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation, and welcomes efforts by Council members, as well as other States, to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue.”" Earlier, French Deputy Ambassador Gueguen read a statement but did not answer any questions, as she previously declined to answer on Togo killing protesters, when asked by Inner City Press. Japan's Ambassador Koro Bessho said the first order of business will be to make sure Council members are all on the same page; he declined to answer if Japan will ask for an oil embargo. There is talk of "elements to the press" today, something more formal later in the week, perhaps on the UN's Eid holiday on August 31. On their way in, Nikki Haley conferred with UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, who then came to the stakeout with a statement, also on Myanmar, saying the August 30 meeting agreed to will "shine a spotlight." Inner City Press asked, So an open meeting? It was not answered. Periscope here. On the morning of August 29, US Ambassador Nikki Haley stopped at the Security Council stakeout and said, as to North Korea, "Enough is enough." Alamy photos here. UK Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Allen said that he didn't want to prejudge the meeting, but that the entire world condemns North Korea's action. (This included, however belatedly, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, or at least his Associate Spokesperson. Under Guterres, the UN World Intellectual Property Organization has helped North Korea with cyanide patent(s), as Inner City Press aske Nikki Haley about, see below.) Late on August 28, Inner City Press ran to the UN Security Council stakeout and raised a Periscope video, here. Japan's Ambassador Koro Bessho said We are still gathering facts, at this time, I have nothing to say. Egypt's Ambassador, President of the UN Security Council for August, emerged and said there has been no request for an emergency meeting, yet. Inner City Press asked him a question, here (Alamy photos here); Egyptian state media Akhbar al Yom, to which the UN is trying to give Inner City Press' long time UN work space, was not even present.
