At UN, North Korea Brags, Kouchner Baffled by Burma, Zelaya by BlackBerry

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un64ga3m092809.html

UNITED NATIONS, September 28 -- The UN's General Debate grew even more surreal on Monday. North Korea said its people are happy and have nothing to envy. The ousted president of Honduras Mel Zelaya spoke to the General Assembly through his foreign minister's BlackBerry, pushed up against the microphone.

Meanwhile, the representative of the coup leader of Guinea spoke unmolested, even as more than 70 protesters of the coup were shot dead in Conakry. Few commented on this, even as a throng of Guinean shouted outside the UN that the dictatorship should not be allowed to speak. When all you have is bauxite, oppression draws little notice.

Myanmar, on the other hand, now has natural gas. This explains the sudden ease of pressure, Hillary Clinton's announcement that the U.S. will "engage" with the junta. Inner City Press is told that at the beginning of last week's meeting of the Group of Friends on Myanmar, France's Bernard Kouchner said, we don't know what to do. Apparently the view of the oil company Total now rule.

About North Korea, the head of the UN's Department of Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe, pursued into the hallway after his briefing by reporters for Japanese media as well as Inner City Press, acknowledged that while Japan had raised to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon the issue of the abductees in North Korea, Ban never raised it to North Korea when he met them.

Meanwhile Angola spoke of its basketball team's wins, Timor-Leste spoke pro-Cuba. Namibia spoke pro Western Sahara, as Hugo Chavez has, while Guinea's junta favored Morocco. And Malaysia denounced those who in the run up to the Copenhagen climate change meeting are seeking to "Steal the Deal." On September 29, seemingly the ending day of the Debate, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon with speak and, one assumes, take questions for half an hour. Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un64ga3m092809.html

At UN, Miliband and Kouchner in Sri Lankan Meeting Friday, Japan Says It's Resolved

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/untrip8may6srilanka092309.html

UNITED NATIONS, September 23 -- On the opening day of the UN General Assembly, UK foreign minister David Miliband told the Press that he and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner will have a "joint meeting" with the Sri Lankan foreign minister on Friday. As Miliband spoke with mostly British reporters about the statement he had just read out on camera about Iran, Inner City Press asked what if anything the UK was doing about Sri Lanka during this UN General Assembly week.

Miliband said, "I am certainly having a meeting with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister... Bernard Kouchner and I are jointing meeting him." Inner City Press asked what would be raised or asked for at the meeting. Miliband turned to one of the British journalists and said, this would be good clip for you.

Then he answered, that "Mr Kouchner and I, when we went to Sri Lanka, got very clear commitments from the president of Sri Lanka, about IDPs and a host of related issues and we're following up those commitments." If follow-up is what it's about, one will expect a read out from the UK Mission, or even the French.

The Japanese, meanwhile, dodged Sri Lanka questions for the second time this week. Inner City Press asked Kazuo Kodama, Press Secretary for the Prime Minister of Japan, for his country's position on the IDP camps and, one assumes, the same "host" of related issues Miliband referred to.

Kazuo Kodama said that yes, Minister Akashi was long engaged in the Sri Lankan peace process, but "we all know that last May... now peace is restored in Sri Lanka." Video here, from Minute 24:15. This at a minimum shows the weakness of a foreign policy, even an international organization, overly focuses on military conflicts and their end by any means necessary and not the underlying causes.

We also note that according to Kazuo Kodama, when Gordon Brown met with Japan's new prime minister, Myanmar was raised, but not Sri Lanka...

And see, www.innercitypress.com/untrip8may6srilanka092309.html

At UN, Kouchner Speaks On Sri Lanka to Select Reporters, IMF and Tariff Views Not Known

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un2may4srilanka051109.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 11, updated -- In the face of the weekend's bloodbath on the beach in Sri Lanka, the UN Security Council had its more throw-away meeting yet on the topic, not even an informal Council session, without members such as China and Russia, the Council's president this month. In April, the Council met in the UN basement in informal interactive sessions, with all 15 members present and a common statement at the end. Monday, only some members went up to a meeting room booked at the last minute on the UN”s 33rd floor.

The basement “wasn't available,” a Permanent Five member's spokesperson told Inner City Press. No list of the NGOs participating was available. Inner City Press asked U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice about Sri Lanka. She said she would be attending the meeting. Inner City Press asked if she would speak publicly on the topic after the meeting. Maybe, was the answer. As of 3 p.m., it had not happened.

After the meeting, the foreign ministers of France, the UK and Austria came down to the microphone in front of the Council. Inner City Press directed a question at France's Bernard Kouchner, whether he would use the expiration of the European Union's favorable tariff treatment for Sri Lankan textiles, the so-called GSP Plus, as a way to try to protect civilians from government bombing as took place over the weekend.

The answer came from the UK's Miliband, that “Sri Lanka does not want to isolate itself from the international community... Sri Lanka depends to some extent on trade with the European Union [so] the human rights aspects of the discussion are taken seriously, by the European Commission at this stage.” Only then did Kouchner answer, that “Benita Ferrero-Waldner has been involved.”

After the stakeout was over, Kouchner was spirited to one side of the stakeout, and security officers let some reporters through and not others.

Inner City Press was blocked, physically, by French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert. “You just had him,” Ripert said. “He can talk to the French press, can't he?” Inner City Press nodded. Behind Ripert were numerous non-French reporters and publications, from New York, London, Tokyo and elsewhere. Some Ripert had reached into the crowd and pulled in. “I don't want you to use that,” Ripert insisted, pointing at the recorder Inner City Press was holding. “We work well, right?”

Kouchner was heard to say, Devant nous, des milliers -- “right in front of us, thousands,” presumably meaning civilians, killed on or near the beaches of north east Sri Lanka. At this same location, Ripert had told the Press that while the American want to play with the IMF loan, France wants to stop the violence. That hasn't worked. Now the UK is on record tying the IMF loan to the conflict, and speaking about the EU tariffs. And France? Watch this space: when we are informed of France's views, they will be published on this site. The French mission suggests http://www.franceonu.org/spip.php?article3903

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un2may4srilanka051109.html

At UN, Bland Draft and Blood on Beach, Ministers Squired by Staff to Speak

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/unsc1ministerial051109.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 11, updated -- Amidst carnage in Sri Lanka, foreign ministers meet Monday at the UN in New York on a bland Presidential Statement on the Middle East. As the text was negotiated last week, references to settlements and terrorism were dropped from the draft, the “blue” version of which Inner City Press is putting online here. The 15 member states will speak, and then Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold a press conference at 12:30.

Lavrov emerged at 9:40 from the Security Council accompanied by the highest Russian UN official in New York, Dmitri Titov. They entered an elevator to go meet with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Inner City Press' reporting in recent weeks finds that Lavrov has twice urged Ban to hire more Russian, particularly in top envoy posts like the Niger mission of Robert Fowler, which ended in kidnapping and prisoner swap.

To some, the open involvement of UN official like Titov in the visit to the UN of a dignitary of “his” country is questionable. It would be like Sir John Holmes, the UN's top humanitarian, openly squiring UK minister David Miliband around, or top peacekeeper Alain Le Roy accompanying Bernard Kouchner. A Security Council staffer told Inner City Press that with Le Roy and Susana Malcorra out of town, Titov was by coincidence the peacekeeping Officer in Charge. Did he go up to speak of Georgia?

The foreign ministers attending, in the order they will speak, include Austria's Michael Spindelegger, Burkina Faso's Bedouma Alain Yoda, Turkey's Ahmet Davutoglu, France's Bernard Kouchner, Mexico's Patricia Espinosa Cantellana, the UK's David Miliband, Costa Rica's Bruno Stagno and Russia's Sergey Lavrov.

Kouchner swept up the escalator with Jean-Maurice Ripert; Miliband with John Sawers. Both are slated to speak at 1 p.m. about the situation in Sri Lanka, where hundreds were killed over the weekend. Watch this space.

Update of 10:26 a.m. -- walking into the Security Council at 10:25 was Titov's boss, Alain Le Roy. Inner City Press asked him, staff said you were away, and Titov standing in for you. No, Le Roy said, Titov was not in the meeting with Ban. So he squired Lavrov to and into the elevator?

Update of 11:41 a.m. -- click here for Sri Lanka story, Inner City Press' questions to UK's Miliband. On the Middle East, a prominent OIC Ambassador told Inner City Press that Russia's PRST is very weak, it would have been better to pass nothing, it is intended to publicize a Moscow event "that will never happen."

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unsc1ministerial051109.html

On Sri Lanka, France Pitches Hospital Not IMF or Genocide, Ban Vs. Adada

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/sc5srilanka042809.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 28, updated -- As French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner was en route to Sri Lanka, his ambassador at the UN Jean-Maurice Ripert explained to Inner City Press Kouchner's reasoning for going, and for not cancelling his trip after Sri Lanka denied Sweden's foreign minister a visa, saying that France and the UK were only allowed in as two of the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council.

"They have already left," Ripert said, referring to Kouchner and UK foreign minister David Miliband. "We have deployed a very important hospital structure, more than 1 [m]illion Euro for humanitarian help... the British have given 2 million something, so they want to go there and put some pressure."

Of Kouchner, Ripert said "he wants to install the hospital as close as possible to the conflict zone and he thinks he has to be there to be sure it goes there." Of the barring of Sweden's minister, Ripert said "it has been condemned by the presidency of the EU... We don't go there as Europeans, we go there are French and British. We have been the ones, I was the one last week starting the whole process. They will meet with the president and his brother the minister of defense."

Inner City Press asked about the EU's leverage over Sri Lanka on tariff issues, and the pending request for a $1.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. "The Americans want to play with the question of the IMF loan," Ripert said, "what is important is to get the commitment to stop."

Supplemental analysis: the Ripert quote "The Americans want to play with the question of the IMF loan" is verbatim. However a desires has been expressed to add that the question of the IMF loan is being discussed, is in the air, by the American and others, but that France believes the priority should be on getting a commitment to stop, presumably the bombing and offensive military action in the "No Fire" zone.

Ripert was asked if what is happening in Sri Lanka might be genocide. He answered, "When you start a discussion of words, then one doesn't talk about the subject, you talk about the words."

Inner City Press asked if Vijay Nambiar told the Council that Sri Lanka had agreed to a UN humanitarian assessment mission to the conflict zone. "I'm not sure," Ripert answered.

At the UN's noon briefing on Tuesday, Inner City Press asked

Inner City Press: First, I wanted to know if the UN has any response to the Government’s barring and denial of a visa to the Swedish Foreign Minister. There was a three-country team there. Does the UN think that was a useful move?

Spokesperson: We don’t have any reaction at this point on this.

Inner City Press: And Mr. Holmes had announced a $10 million CERF grant to Sri Lanka. Given the issues that have arisen about the camps and detention and lack of freedom of movement, [are] there any kind of conditions on that money? And was there any development on the 13 UN staff members still held in the camps?

Spokesperson: We have no new development on the 13 staff members. They are still there. I can also add that Mr. Holmes stressed yesterday -- when he spoke publicly -– he stressed with Government officials the need for a humanitarian pause to conduct an assessment of the conflict and to bring in emergency supplies, including food and medical supplies. And he also asked for access to the screening points and the need for the release of those 13 UN staff members, and approximately 207 members of non-governmental organizations who are also trapped in the area. But you can ask further questions. In terms of the Fund itself, you can ask Mr. Holmes tomorrow, since you’ll get a chance to talk to him tomorrow afternoon.

Inner City Press: Maybe I didn’t understand correctly, but when Mr. [Vijay] Nambiar [the Secretary-General’s envoy to Sri Lanka] returned, it seemed like the Secretary-General put out a statement that there had been a commitment by the Government to allow a humanitarian team into the conflict zone. Since it hasn’t happened yet -– and there’s some confusion about what was actually committed to -– I just want to ask again if it’s at all possible to have some opportunity with Mr. Nambiar that he speak to the press and say what took place over there. Since he was the envoy.

Spokesperson: I think what Mr. Nambiar has said was reflected in the statements we put out. He had received the agreement of the Government. So I don’t have any further comments on that. In terms of what had actually happened since Mr. Holmes met with the President, you can ask your question to Mr. Holmes.

Inner City Press: But Mr. Nambiar -– since Mr. [Ibrahim] Gambari [and other] various envoys that the Secretary-General sends, they almost always brief the press. And you always say, “We’ll make the request”, and then they’re possible. Is there some reason -– can Mr. Nambiar brief or can he give some statement of why he’s not doing it?

Spokesperson Montas: He doesn’t have to do it, you know.

And coming out of the Secretary General's monthly lunch with the Security Council, Nambiar did not say anything.

Footnote: The politics of Darfur, or how the issue is concerned at the UN and in the West, were on display Tuesday at the Security Council's monthly lunch with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. While this event is decidedly closed to the press, well placed sources at the lunch immediately afterwards told Inner City Press that Mr. Ban assured "the Western powers" -- the US, France and UK -- that he had already spoken to his envoy to Darfur, Rodolphe Adada, about their concerns Adada has gone soft on Khartoum and President al-Bashir. This showed, the sources said, Ban's approach to Western powers, and these powers lack of seriousness, then, on the question of Sri Lanka.

Footnote: We continue to wait for the UK's formal answer to the first of the two questions which Inner City Press asked the UK Mission to the UN two questions on Sri Lanka early on April 15:

Does the UK believe that international law and the rights of UN humanitarian staff are being violated by the now-acknowledged detention of UN staff in the Sri Lankan government's “IDP” camps?

It has been reported this morning that Sri Lanka's “minister also told the British Foreign Secretary that there was concern that the LTTE would continue to consolidate its fortification of the No-Fire Zone.” Please confirm the accuracy of that, and of this and if so, does the UK interpret it as saying that an offensive on the No-Fire Zone and the civilians in it will begin? What did the UK Foreign Secretary say?

As of this press time 13 days later, the formal answer has been referral to Minister Miliband's April 12 statement, and this. On April 21, Inner City Press put the question to U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice, whose spokesman the following day cleared this response: "UN personnel should have freedom of movement and be treated with respect." But they are still detained as of this writing. As more answers arrive or are released we will report them on this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/sc5srilanka042809.html

Amid UN's Ministerial Hype, US Praises Departing AMISOM, Sikhs Complain of France

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1minhype121408.html

UNITED NATIONS, December 14 -- A police bus was set up in front of the UN on Sunday night. Inside the building was nearly empty, but metal detectors had been erected in the basement by Conference Room 8. It was the calm before the storm. But what storm?

Monday and Tuesday will see diplomatic action on Zimbabwe and the Middle East, Somalia and Congo. Slated to come are Condi Rice and Sergey Lavrov, and the UK's Milliband. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, like Tony Blair, will appear only by video, despite the scheduling Monday of a Sikhs versus France press conference about the Gauls' ban on religious symbols.

Condi is said to be pitching a resolution for UN peacekeepers in Somalia. Since the UK blocked even a bridge force for the Eastern Congo, in which the UN has already spent billions, anything for Somalia seems a long shot. Especially with the U.S. in denial. The quote of the week came from a spokeswoman from the U.S. mission to the United Nations, Nicole Deaner, that "AMISOM is an effective peacekeeping force." Oh really? Then why have the Islamist al-Shabab claimed more and more land, leading to AMISOM's departure?

An article containing Ms. Deaner's quote also cited, without explaining, a professor from North Carolina named Kenneth Menkhaus. He is an advisor of the so-called Enough Project, a subsidiary of the Center for American Progress. Despite the high-sounding name, CAP has refused to reveal its list of donors, even as its director John Podesta bonds with the incoming Obama administration. Was this the change we believed in?

Lavrov's Russia, making nice with the U.S. on the Middle East, should be expected to follow through on its stated anger at Ban Ki-moon's secret agreement with NATO, and his pro-U.S. statements on South Ossetia. Neither is on the agenda these two days. It's a feel-good holiday time at the UN. Only for the Congo and Somalia, there appear to be no gifts.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1minhype121408.html

Serbia Questions France's Talk of Turbulence, Disappearance of Funds from Kovovo

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/icj3serbia092408.html

UNITED NATIONS, September 24 -- Serbia's foreign minister Vuk Jeremic told the Press on Wednesday that his country is confident of winning any General Assembly vote on its resolution to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice about the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence. Inner City Press asked him to respond to the comments by French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert on September 17 that the European Union, which France heads for this six months and which Serbia is trying to join, thinks that the Serbian resolution "creates some turmoil and some turbulences that are not very good for that." Video here, from Minute 11:58.

Jeremic said that in the Balkan, "we know what real turbulence is," and that goes beyond seeking an advisory opinion from a court. Serbia is discussing with new General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann getting a vote on its resolution soon after the General Debate ends. Jeremic said that European countries should be hard-pressed to vote against the international legal review process. This is what Finland's representative told Inner City Press on September 23, that they will never vote against Serbia's proposal because they support international justice.

French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, preening at the stakeout on Wednesday, came back to the microphone to say that he had met with International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo because France is a friend of international justice. But he did not stay to take the question of Kosovo, how this professed love of justice could be consistent with not supporting Serbia's right to seek a legal ruling.Moreno-Ocampo, beyond meeting with France, also met with select journalists, telling them that he would not dignify the mounting criticism rising against him. He has not consented, however, to hold a public press conference where the questions could be asked. Accountability for other, apparently, but not for the prosecutor.

Inner City Press also asked Vuk Jeremic about the irregularities in the UN Mission in Kosovo's running of the Kosovo Trust Agency, which had the money for state-own enterprises privatized in Kosovo. Since some of that money clearly belongs to Serbia, Inner City Press asked Jeremic, where is the money? That's what was are askin the General Secretariat, he said. What about the reports of KTA documents being destroyed? We're asking about that too, Jeremic said. Mnay questions, few answers.

and see, www.innercitypress.com/icj3serbia092408.html