China Asks UN to "Desist from Harboring" North Koreas, Mbeki "Colors" Programs for Zimbabwe Refugees, UNHCR Deputy Says

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1refugees042208.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 22 -- China has asked "that we desist from harboring North Koreans," the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees L. Craig Johnstone told Inner City Press on Tuesday. "I would expect that the Chinese are ruing the day they ever went along with the Olympics. It's more of a political issue than they would have anticipated."

Asked whether politics, specifically that of South Africa's president Thabo Mbeki, has influenced UNHCR's ruling that those fleeing Zimbabwe are not refugees, Johnstone said no. He said that UNHCR's programs are "colored" by the attitude to the problem by host governments like South Africa.

Inner City Press asked about UNHCR's current involvement in refugee protection controversies in Greece and Liberia. Johnstone reiterated that Greece has many improvements to make in how it handles asylum seekers, and that he does not see merit in their arguments. On Liberia, he said that most of those resisting to the country do so to boost their chances of resettlement in the United States. But only last week, the UN's envoy to Liberia spoke of systematic rape of under-aged girls. Would fleeing from that make one a refugee?

"If the situation in any country, if the internal violence, crosses the threshold, then we assume prima facie that those fleeing are refugees," Johnstone said. He gave Iraq as an example of a country with this status. Inner City Press asked him if the U.S. is doing enough to take in refugees from Iraq. No, he said. He praised the relatively meager goal of 12,000, but said that even that may not be reached, the U.S. is lagged behind the target. Inner City Press ask if UNHCR acknoweldges those fleeing Somalia, often in dangerous and deadly boats to Yemen, are refugees. "That would be a safe assumption," Johnstone answered. He declined the list the countries with this status. "Then you affect things," he said.

Johnstone noted that the UN Department of Safety and Security is "discrete" in its changes to threat levels for a country. This may explain the discrepancy between Yemeni press reports that the UN Development Program has closed or suspended some operations in Sana'a due to threats, and UNDP's denials. Inner City Press earlier on Tuesday asked UN Spokesperson Michele Montas, "can you confirm that in Yemen some change is taking place in UN operations?"

Ms. Montas responded, "I contacted UNDP about this and they said that, contrary to press reports, the UNDP office in Sana'a has not been closed and UNDP staff continue to go about their work. A security assessment is now under way and all UNDP programs in the country continue to operate and all UNDP project offices outside of Sana'a remain open."

Inner City Press asked, "Is the UNDP compound there MOSS compliant?" This is a required safety status, including such things as sufficient set-back from streets where car bombing is possible.

Ms Montas said, "I don't have that information. We would have to get the information from DSS who, as you know, will not really give specifics on security issues."

On the insurance inquiries that started the process leading to the interview, Johnstone said it would be fair to assume that the money paid out by UNHCR came from its operating budget. He promised to provide further information about the status and reasoning of UNHCR's non-participation in the rest of the UN system's Malicious Acts Insurance Policy. Click here for the more UNHCR-specific part of Tuesday's Johnstone interview, and watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1refugees042208.html

Banning the Olympics, UN Chief Prefers Beijing in July to Heat of August 8, Questions Persist

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/ban2olympics041508.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 15 -- With attention mounting on which world leaders are not going to the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony on August 8 and why, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's excuse was made slightly more specific on Tuesday. Inner City Press asked Ban's director of political affairs Lynn Pascoe if there were any political ramifications to Ban's not going. He is "going to China at a time" he can have "serious discussions with China," Pascoe said, adding with apparent annoyance, "The Secretary-General is very straight forward on the issue." Video here, from Minute 2:13.

But Ban's spokesperson declined to confirm that he will visit Beijing and Seoul in connection with the G-8 meeting in Japan in July. And when Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe answered Inner City Press' question last week about whether Ban had been invited to, and would attend, the opening ceremony, she said only that Ban "conveyed to the Chinese Government some months ago that he may not be in a position to accept the invitation to attend this important event due to scheduling issues." She declined to say that the scheduling issues were, and the phrase became something of a joke worldwide, being rephrased as a "diary clash" in the British press.

Pascoe added, "you had a chance to ask the Secretary General" the question earlier in the day, when Ban took ten minutes of questions between a lunch and a three o'clock meeting, his first press availability at UN Headquarters in four weeks, since March 17. But time was short; Inner City Press which was going to ask the question and kept hand raised through the ten minutes was not called on. Hours later at the same spot, Inner City Press asked Pascoe as head of UN political affairs if the reaction to the Olympics no-show announcement had been somehow unforeseen by the UN. "I'm not going to restate the Secretary General's answers," Pascoe said. But there has still not been an answer directly from Ban Ki-moon.


That the issue should be addressed should not even require a question. Ban Ki-moon has said the UN should better explain what it does and why. Now then is the time. Tuesday evening, rather than at the UN, Ban's plans included the Korea Society, and meeting with his country's new president Lee Myung-bak. This meeting was not listed on Ban's public schedule. Perhaps plans for the July trip to Seoul -- and, for now at least, Beijing too -- will be discussed. Watch this space.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ban2olympics041508.html

Banning the Olympics, To Skip Beijing Games, UN's Ban Cites "Scheduling Issues"

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/ban1olympics041008.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 10 -- Ban Ki-moon is not "in a position to attend this important event," the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing, "due to scheduling issues," his Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe answered Inner City Press' question on Thursday. Video here, from Minute 8:45. She declined to answer follow-up questions on what these "scheduling issues" might be, and on when Ban received a formal invitation to attend from the Chinese government.

On April 9, Inner City Press asked Ms. Okabe at the UN's noon briefing, "has the Secretary-General been invited to attend the Beijing Olympics and, if so, what's his response?" Ms. Okabe said, "Yes, he has been invited, but I have nothing to announce today on his travel plans. " Click here for transcript, here for video, from Minute 13:38, and here for yesterday's Inner City Press story.

Inner City Press had been told that China, to counter Ban's position that he would not attend, had issued a formal invitation, with the idea that this would force Ban's hand. Later on Thursday, a South Korean source in the UN indicated that following the noon briefing question, the odds of Ban attending had gone up.

Whereas a visit by Ban to Beijing in connection with the G-8 Summit in Japan on July 7-9 was being floated as the reason not to return to the Far East for the Olympics opening ceremony on August 8, as of Thursday afternoon consideration was being given to scrapping the July side-trips to Beijing and Seoul, and to grant China's wish of Ban's presence at the sure-to-be-contentious Olympic Games.

Other South Korean sources bemoaned that Olympics politics, in this scenario, might preclude Ban's long-awaited visit to Seoul as Secretary-General. Now, with the surprising announcement that Ban will not travel to China for the Olympics, but that according to Ms. Okabe other visits to China are planned, the G-8 Summit trip to Japan may once again be combined with both China and South Korea. We'll see.

News analysis: Ms. Okabe was asked that, since some countries are discussion boycotting the Olympics opening ceremony citing such issues as Tibet, Darfur, Myanmar and China's forced return of asylum seekers from North Korea, did Mr. Ban intend his non-attendance as any type of political message? While one assumes that Ban's ultimate answer to that question will be "no" -- and even that he may reverse himself and end up attending on August 8 -- Mr. Okabe on Thursday replied that the above-quoted was all she had to say on the subject. Watch this space.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ban1olympics041008.html

Banning the Olympics, To Skip Beijing Games, UN's Ban Cites "Scheduling Issues"

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/ban1olympics041008.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 10 -- Ban Ki-moon is not "in a position to attend this important event," the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing, "due to scheduling issues," his Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe answered Inner City Press' question on Thursday. Video here, from Minute 8:45. She declined to answer follow-up questions on what these "scheduling issues" might be, and on when Ban received a formal invitation to attend from the Chinese government.

On April 9, Inner City Press asked Ms. Okabe at the UN's noon briefing, "has the Secretary-General been invited to attend the Beijing Olympics and, if so, what's his response?" Ms. Okabe said, "Yes, he has been invited, but I have nothing to announce today on his travel plans. " Click here for transcript, here for video, from Minute 13:38, and here for yesterday's Inner City Press story.

Inner City Press had been told that China, to counter Ban's position that he would not attend, had issued a formal invitation, with the idea that this would force Ban's hand. Later on Thursday, a South Korean source in the UN indicated that following the noon briefing question, the odds of Ban attending had gone up.

Whereas a visit by Ban to Beijing in connection with the G-8 Summit in Japan on July 7-9 was being floated as the reason not to return to the Far East for the Olympics opening ceremony on August 8, as of Thursday afternoon consideration was being given to scrapping the July side-trips to Beijing and Seoul, and to grant China's wish of Ban's presence at the sure-to-be-contentious Olympic Games.

Other South Korean sources bemoaned that Olympics politics, in this scenario, might preclude Ban's long-awaited visit to Seoul as Secretary-General. Now, with the surprising announcement that Ban will not travel to China for the Olympics, but that according to Ms. Okabe other visits to China are planned, the G-8 Summit trip to Japan may once again be combined with both China and South Korea. We'll see.

News analysis: Ms. Okabe was asked that, since some countries are discussion boycotting the Olympics opening ceremony citing such issues as Tibet, Darfur, Myanmar and China's forced return of asylum seekers from North Korea, did Mr. Ban intend his non-attendance as any type of political message? While one assumes that Ban's ultimate answer to that question will be "no" -- and even that he may reverse himself and end up attending on August 8 -- Mr. Okabe on Thursday replied that the above-quoted was all she had to say on the subject. Watch this space.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ban1olympics041008.html