As Bangladesh Bans Rohingya, UN Silent Like On Sri Lanka, Joining OIC as PR Like #AskJPM?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 14 -- The Rohingya, Kachin and other groups stand to be lost in the Burmese shuffle amid much praise of Myanmar. Yesterday Inner City Press asked the UN about the Rohingya, specifically Bangladesh saying it will close its borders to those trying to flee. The UN has yet to answer:

Inner City Press: Bangladesh has said, formally, that they will close their borders to Rohingya fleeing from Myanmar, what they view as persecution in Myanmar, and in the past the Secretariat has commented on Bangladesh's treatment of Rohingya. Do you have any comment? Is there anything that the UN system, DPA [Department of Political Affairs] or anyone, is trying to do with regard to this closing of the border?

Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: Let me check with my colleagues who deal with that matter; the Refugee Agency, with Political Affairs and others, certainly.

  Eighteen hours later, no comment on this, nor on crackdowns in Sri Lanka against the media and about survivors of the 2009 "bloodbath on the beach" who are trying to testify, despite UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's (still only internal) "Rights Up Front" plan triggered by the UN's inaction in 2009.

  The Organization for Islamic Cooperation's outgoing Secretary General Ihsanoglu is in Myanmar, with Turkey's foreign minister and others. 

  Inner City Press twice asked Ihsanoglu about the plight of Muslims in Sri Lanka; he expressed concern but each time noted that Sri Lankan foreign minster GL Peiris has said the country would like to join the OIC in some way. September 26, 2013 video here from Minute 13:05, and October 28 video here, from Minute 20.

  Would Sri Lanka joining with the OIC just be public relations, like this from Sri Lanka, or the JP Morgan Chase's abortive #AskJPM question and answer set for today then canceled? At the UN, we're still waiting for the UN's answers, on Myanmar, Bangladesh and the Rohingya, and on Sri Lanka. Watch this site.

   

Big Talk in Doha Omits Bahrain, Turkey, Qatar Role in Golan Kidnaps, Insults of Royal Family; Karzai Raises Questions at US - Islamic World Forum

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 9 -- As Qatar provides arms into Syria, it pays to play peacemaker and intellectual locus, now with the US - Islamic World Forum. 

  Brookings - Doha is there, many Western journalists are there. Husain Haqqani, Martin Indyk and US Under Secretary of State Tara Sonenshine are there; John Kerry will soon be there.

  What's NOT there, at least in the two four person groups on Sunday is any discussion of crackdowns in Bahrain and now Turkey. 

  The question of involvement from Qatar in the kidnapping of UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights? Seemingly not the menu. Tellingly, very little mention of the UN. The UN is becoming, or has become, irrelevant.

  Even in the morning session about Afghanistan, there was almost no talk of the UN. They are there, with the UNAMA mission led by possible Ban Ki-moon successor Jan Kubis. But what is being accomplished?

  Raising big questions while some journalists joke-tweeted about the lack or delay of salad was Hamid Karzai. We spoke about the increase in number of universities in Afghanistan -- good thing -- but called the war on terror less successful. It has led to radicalism, he said, citing yesterday's death count in Benghazi.

  At least he was up to the moment. The other speeches, it's as if they didn't even watch CNN. No mention of tear gas and water cannons in Istanbul or #OccupyGezi. Outgoing OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu didn't mention it. Is Ibrahim Gambari still vying to replace him?

  When the morning session broke for lunch, an MC gushed about the free Wi-Fi. Great: but don't insult the Royal family. A poet was initially sentenced to 15 years for such a poem. You won't hear that, either, at #USislam13. Watch this site

With Gambari Set to Leave Darfur, Tries for OIC or Qatar, Syria Contradictions

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, August 6 -- The UN and its officials always know which side their bread is buttered on.

  Take outgoing Darfur envoy Ibrahim Gambari. 

   While UN staff complained to Inner City Press that Gambari was flying around looking for his next job, less and less present in El Fasher, despite building a $600,000 house there, Inner City Press held off writing about his job search. Click here for UN confirmation of Inner City Press' exclusive on Casa Gambari, and a (Gulf) television pick up - video here, from Minute 14:25.

  During Gambari's last appearance at the UN Security Council, Inner City Press asked him a pointed question about this job search. I am exploring all my options, Gambari said. He declined an on-camera stakeout, saying he speak one-on-one later.

  Now comes exclusive news to and from Inner City Press that Gambari might like to replace Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of Turkey as Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Not only is OIC headquartered in Jeddah -- here is the lead of a recent Saudi Gazette article:

"No Muslim leader can unite the Muslim nation like King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), during an Okaz Forum held recently and attended by members from the Shoura Council, Syrian National Council."

  The irony in light of OIC's support, like Saudi Arabia, for anti-Assad rebels in Syria is that Gambari repeatedly had run-ins with Western powers on the Security Council for his closeness first with the Myanmar military government then with Sudan's International Criminal Court indicted president Omar al Bashir.

  But to head OIC, and please its main Saudi backers and host, Gambari would have to be on the same side as the West on Syria.

  On the other hand, his historic closeness with Myanmar's government might get him access, at least, to the country on the issue of the Rohingya. And it could bring a new focus on Boko Haram in Gambari's native Nigeria.

  Gambari's fall-back position, sources say, would be as some sort of adviser on Africa to the rulers of Qatar, based in Doha to which he traveled so often in his Darfur post. But given Qatar's position in Libya, and that country's new leaders' aversion to sub Saharan Africa, how would a Gambari role play out.

We maintain, only partially tongue in cheek, the suggestion we made directly to Gambari: that if a UN envoy to Mali and Northern Mali / Azawad is named, Gambari go for this post. Real race at the OIC? We'll see.