At UN, Ladsous Spins on Drone Procurement, Congo Rapes, Cholera, Shavendra Silva of Sri Lanka as Advisor

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 19 – The UN conference room was full of military uniforms Tuesday when UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous haltingly read a speech to the Committee of 34 (C-34), which is supposed to oversee his Department.

  In the course of his speech, Ladsous misspoke on drones, downplayed 126 rapes by his partners in the Congolese Army, and did not mention the participation of an alleged war criminal on his Senior Advisory Group, of any safeguards after the introduction of cholera to Haiti.

  Without taking any questions, he turned the floor to his fellow Under Secretary General Amira Haq. Where is the oversight?

  On drones, Ladsous said that the Security Council noted and approved their use in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and after that he sought Expressions of Interest from drone providers.

But as Inner City Press exposed, Ladsous' DPKO issued a procurement document on November 28, 2012 for drones in West Africa as well as Central Africa -- while the Security Council only gave its “case by case” approval two months later on January 22, 2013, and only for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa.

Ladsous had wanted drones for former French colony Cote d'Ivoire, but never get approval from the C-34. But he began a procurement for them anyway.

Elsewhere in his speech Monday Ladsous said “we have to support host countries” -- this despite at least 126 rapes in Minova by the Congolese Army, which the UN supports. After refusing to answer any Inner City Press questions since May 29, 2012, in early February after the issue was raised all over, Ladsous did take a question.

He said that the UN knows the identify of the majority of the rapists. But when Inner City Press asked a follow up, the answer was that the UN will not take any action until the Congolese investigation is over - creating what can be called a rape grace period.

Ladsous mentioned the report of his Senior Advisory Group without any mention of the participation on the SAG of Sri Lankan general Shavendra Silva, who is depicted in Ban Ki-moon's own report on Sri Lanka engaged in war crimes.

Now did Ladsous mention any safeguards to avoid spreading cholera, as happened in Haiti. So where is the oversight? Watch this video - and watch this site.

Footnote: Ladsous left it to Amira Haq to say: in 2012 there were 60 allegations of sexual abuse, a high percentage of them "eggregious." At Tuesday's UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky for a read out -- today -- of the disposition of the cases. How many repatriations, to which countries, any prosecution or convictions? He said he would check with Ladsous' DPKO. Watch this site.

UN Spokesman Cuts Off ICP's Ross Q, Says He'll Speak to Accreditation Official Dujarric

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 11 -- After UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous allowed the UN's Western Sahara report to be watered down omitted restrictions impermissibly placed on MINURSO personnel, public doubts have grown if Ban is seeking a replacement for envoy Christopher Ross, of whom Morocco has complained.

  And so on July 11, even as the UN Security Council heard a video briefing from Kofi Annan, Inner City Press left the Council stakeout to run to the UN's noon briefing to ask Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky, on camera, to respond to reports in Al Quds Al Arabi that Ban's UN is doing some quiet sounding out of possible replacements for Ross.

  Nesirky began with a number of statements, then took questions from journalists on topics ranging from Egypt (where the UN is going virtually nothing) to the death of refugees from Libya on their way to Italy. He called on one journalist two separate times, with another's question in between. Then he called on Inner City Press.

  Because of question that arose at the previous day's Syria Troop Contributing Countries' meeting, Inner City Press began with that, asking how Ladsous, even before the Security Council met on and decided it, could tell TCCs that the Syria Mission's military component will be reduced by 50%, and why Department of Field Support chief Amira Haq did not attend.

Nesirky said, as to the 50%, that one must plan in advance, and that DFS is working on other issues like the mutiny in the Congo. (Actually, as Inner City Press reported yesterday, Ms. Haq was seen by the Vienna cafe with Ban's chief of staff Susana Malcorra, until recently the chief of DFS).

Then Inner City Press tried to ask the question of if Ban stands behind Ross, and for UN response to Al Quds Al Arabi. But Nesirky said, the briefing is over. Inner City Press repeated its question, since on this an on camera answer carries most weight. 

But Nesirky was walking out of the room.

In the hall, Nesirky approached Inner City Press and said, "When I say it's over, it's over."

Inner City Press pointed out that Nesirsky called on another journalist two separate times, and that an on camera answer on Ross was the reason Inner City Press ran from the Syria stakeout.

  Nesirky called this rude, and then said, "I'm gong to have another word with Stephane Dujarric about this."

Dujarric is the official to whom Voice of America recently complained asking the UN to review Inner City Press'accreditation status -- questioned as content based by the NY Civil Liberties Union.

It is in this context, and atmosphere, that Nesirky is being quoted.

For the record, in the hall, Nesirky added, "The Secretary General has full confidence in Christopher Ross." 

  And after publication of the above, this:

From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Wed, Jul 11, 2012 at 12:43 PM
Subject: Your question on Christopher Ross
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

We simply would like to reiterate what has been said before: the Secretary-General has full confidence in Christopher Ross.

So it goes at the UN.

In Syria, UN Military To Be Cut 50%, Ladsous Tells Troop Contributors, Before UN Security Council

By Matthew Russell Lee, Partial exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, July 10 -- When top UN Peacekeeper Herve Ladsous strutted out of Conference Room 6 where he met with Syria Troop Contributing Countries on Tuesday afternoon, some attendees expressed surprise to Inner City Press.

  "He said the military component will be cut fifty percent in UNSMIS," a TCC representative exclusively told Inner City Press, referring to the UN Mission in Syria. "But how does he know what the Security Council will do?"

  Usually the UN Secretariat says that they can only propose, not decide. But here, Ladsous told TCCs what will happened -- just as on June 15 he told the Security Council that the Mission in Syria HAD already limited its mobile operations as of 6 pm that day, local time.

  As Inner City Press, which exclusively obtained and published Ladsous' DPKO notice, later was told by sources staying in the Hotel Dame Rose in Damascus, General Robert Mood on the night of June 15 didn't talk about the limitation, and his deputy and personnel went out on patrol on the morning of June 16.

  Now, at least one Permanent Five member of the Security Council tells Inner City Press that Mood does not want to continue in a "merely political mission." Perhaps with fifty percent of the military retained. Perhaps. Watch this site.

Footnotes: also exiting with Ladsous was his military adviser, and former commander in Congo, Babacar Gaye. At the same time back in the Security Council consultations room, Roger Meece was briefing the Council about (in) action in North Kivu. Shouldn't Gaye be on that too?

  After the meeting, Department of Field Support chief Amira Haq was on the North Lawn's second floor with her predecessor and now Ban chief of staff Susana Malcorra. Some wonder why it was Haq's deputy Tony Banbury and not Haq herself in the Syria TCC meeting. We are wishing Amira Haq well; this Syria debate needs more voices, including for the UN's own credibility. Watch this site.

As UN Confirms DPA to Feltman, ICP's March 28 Scoop, Dodges on Baggage

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 11 -- The UN today confirmed UN official Jeffrey Feltman will come to head the Department of Political Affairs, which Inner City Press first reported on March 28 and some others re-reported, with and without credit, on May 21.

  Even in its March 28 exclusive, Inner City Press quoted a (very) well placed diplomatic source

"'This would strip from the UN its last scrap of credibility in the Middle East,' he said, adding that 'more shoes would be thrown at Ban Ki-moon.' He said, however, that Ban might be 'so out of touch' -- or so powerless or craven -- that he would rubber stamp the nomination of a Permanent Five member of the Security Council as he had France's ill-fated and 11th hour nomination of Herve Ladsous as the UN's top peacekeeper."

  Since then, Inner City Press has continued its reporting, fielding complaints (and incredulity) about Ban's appointment of Feltman and then asking Ban's spokespeople to response. They have repeatedly said they would have nothing to say until an announcement.

  On Monday, ten minutes after Ban's lead spokesman Martin Nesirky made the announcement of Feltman, Inner City Press asked again for a response to the critique.

  This time, Nesirky said that Feltman will become an international civil servant. He noted that Inner City Press had just heard the UN's oath to that effect, at the swearing in of new Under Secretary General for Field Support Amira Haq. (Inner City Press took a photo during the swearing in, and Tweeted it here.)

But Feltman has been the FACE of US policy, and parties have strong feeling about him, in Lebanon and elsewhere, Inner City Press pointed out.

  Nesirky said Feltman is also expert in Eastern Europe. Well, there is that. We'll have more.

Footnote: On what we'll for now call Reuters' unauthorized uncredited May 21 use of Inner City Press' March 28 exclusive on Feltman, we are NOT listing the UN side of that "reporting," but noting that one of the other Reuters people listed is ironically receiving a journalism award this very night at the Water Club. But it costs $135 to get in. 

 

Still no response from Stephen J. Adler and his colleagues at Reuters, even after they've twice been notified of Reuters' role in a process given rise to threats against Inner City Press. Ah, remote corporate journalism...