As Michael Bloomberg Reclaims His Company Full-Time, Inner City Press Asks Again, Can He Still Keep Ban's UN Post?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 3 -- Michael Bloomberg, to whom UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon gave a UN post on climate change and cities earlier this year, will be returning to run Bloomberg LP full-time, it has been reported.

  Not yet addressed is whether Bloomberg could keep a UN post while heading full-time a for-profit business. Ban allowed Alexander Downer to working for a "consultancy," Bespoke Approach, while serving as his Good Offices envoy on Cyprus. Tony Blair works for JP Morgan Chase and Kazakshan, among others, while holding the UN / Quartet's jobs on Palestine.

  But a full time job, including selling stock trading terminal to high frequency traders, while holding a UN post? Inner City Press will have more on this.

  Back on February 21, just three weeks after the UN first announced a "climate change and cities" post for Michael Bloomberg, Inner City Press again asked about any safeguards against conflicts of interest, after Bloomberg held a photo op with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Ban's 38th floor conference room.

  Inner City Press asked Ban's deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq for a read-out of what Ban discussed with Bloomberg and then the two with Jen Stoltenberg; no read-outs were given by six pm. Haq said UN officials make disclosures; Inner City Press asked if Bloomberg's will be public, as Ban says he wants his officials to do. Haq said that's what Ban urges. We'll see. Video here and embedded below.

  Earlier, Inner City Press was told there would be "remarks," but that it could ask no questions. (Stop and frisk, practiced on the way up to the photo op, came to mind.)

  Ban said that Super Storm Sandy impacted the UN, and that a climate agreement by 2015 is key.  Bloomberg's remarks, after a joke about the blue UN pass he had just received, included thanking Ban for his comments on February 20 about "The Ukraine."

  As Inner City Press reported, Ban's comments were scripted and came as one of three pre-selected questions Ban took at a stakeout ostensibly about the Central African Republic. (Another question was about Syria.)

 This is the increasingly controlled way in which Ban's UN tries to communicate. On February 21, Stephane Dujarric who is slated to become Ban's new spokesperson on March 10 was up on the 38th floor already. The day before, outgoing spokesperson Martin Nesirky told Inner City Press there would be no overlap between UN Media Accreditation, which Dujarric has been overseeing, and the role of UN spokesperson. Video here.

    At the February 21 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Haq in what capacity Dujarric was there. Haq said Dujarric is still the head of the Department of Public Information's News and Media Division and he was there in that capacity. Video here and embedded below.

  Another photographer remarked to Inner City Press that Dujarric is "never" seen at these photo ops, so why now, after he's been named spokesperson? And what does it mean in terms of Nesirky's statement that the post of Spokesperson is completely divorced from the DPI post that oversees Media Accreditation? We'll have more on this.

   More generally, if the UN wants to communicate, it should answer what safeguards it will put in place to ensure that Bloomberg's business interests somehow don't create conflicts of interest with his UN role. Only three days after getting the UN post, Bloomberg was in the news on his own Bloomberg Africa TV, which covers such issues as Air France and mining on The Continent.

   So Inner City Press went to the February 3 UN noon briefing and asked for whom Bloomberg is speaking, the UN or himself?  Video herefrom Minute 14:52. UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky replied that his deputy Farhan Haq had answered on this on January 31. 

  But Haq on January 31 after citing "terms of reference" said they are not public, instead to look at a press release which, it turns out, contains no safeguards. Nesirky said this is an early stage, and that is true. But it already seems clear that safeguards will be necessary. For now:UNIFEED video of Ban Ki-moon and team dining with Bloomberg, here.

  On January 31 Inner City Press asked Haq if any thought had been given to possible conflicts of interest, or restrictions on how information or access from the post could be used, given Bloomberg's businesses.

  The UN's Haq replied, "I believe appropriate terms of reference have been worked out with former Mayor Bloombeg, that should be an acceptable arrangement devised between them." Video here and embedded below.

  Inner City Press asked if these "terms of reference" were public and could be seen. Haq said "No... What's public is a lengthy press release available in our office."

  But the press release does not address any safeguards on conflict of interest at all. 

  As Inner City Press noted before the UN's announcement, when Michael Bloomberg was Mayor of New York, in light of obvious conflicts of interest he stepped back from Bloomberg News. He was criticized on issues ranging from stop-and-frisk to defending banks against minimal City community reinvestment standards.

  Now, according to one gushing report, he is poised to move to the United Nations, as envoy on cities and climate change. What about new conflicts of interest, and the above critiques?

  To give what credit is due, on the evening of January 30 Reuters' UN bureau issued a breathless "exclusive" with nothing but praise of Bloomberg -- not a word of any criticism, nothing on the conflict of interest with Bloomberg News purporting to cover the UN and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Given the percentage of the piece praising Bloomberg, that would seem to be the (anonymous) sourcing.

  Meanwhile at the UN on January 30, Inner City Press on climate change asked Ban's acting deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq of documents leaked by Edward Snowden showing that the NSA spied on the Copenhagen talks in 2009:

Inner City Press: there’s one of the [Edward] Snowden-released documents, but there’s a reason I’m asking you is it’s published in a Danish website “Information” and it talks about the Copenhagen climate change talks of 2009. And this seems to be the document and it says that the NSA [United States National Security Agency] was involved in monitoring communications at the discussions in order to advise the United States on the position of other Governments and presumably at the UN. So, I’m wondering, this seems to get more closely into things that are of much import to the UN, to the Secretary-General. Is there any response as to this memo coming out and the propriety of such surveillance?

Acting Deputy Spokesperson: Well, we wouldn’t have any specific response to this because ultimately, again, this is a case where we’d need to know what the basic facts are and whether there was any such surveillance that’s happened. However, our basic point that we’ve articulated many times in recent months still holds: that the inviolability of diplomatic premises needs to be respected by all States.

   Watch this site.

Footnote: While giving what credit is due to Reuters' UN bureau, despite their history, it must be noted that the bureau chief has not onlyspied for the UN -- he has also misused the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act to get Google to block from its search a leaked documentshowing him trying to get the investigative Press thrown out of the UN. All of this.. is how this UN works, or doesn't.

   

Two Masters: UN Tells Inner City Press That Ray Chambers Can Serve Ban Ki-moon and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie - But Was UN Ethics Office Told? When?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 11 -- The UN Charter is clear: a person cannot serve both the UN and their own government. But does that also mean “local government”? Or, as the UN today told Inner City Press, it is fine to serve both Ban Ki-moon and Chris Christie?

At the August 11 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric:

Inner City Press: on Ray Chambers. He was recently named to a panel by Chris Christie of New Jersey and the article reporting that said that he’s a former UN official. But, the website says that he’s the current, you know, adviser to the Secretary-General on…

Spokesman Dujarric: I’m not aware of any changes to Mr. Chambers.

Inner City Press: Can he do both? Can he serve the State of New Jersey and the UN at the same time?

Spokesman Dujarric: Let me check what his exact status is.

Five hours later, Dujarric has still not answered. So Inner City Press asked (on this) in writing:

On Ray Chambers and his new New Jersey post, here is a citation[calling Chambers a "former" UN official - misleading?]

Again: can he do both, UN and NJ? Any ethics office ruling?

And any answer on the UNDP audit I sent you?

Finally: does SG's “press availability” at noon tomorrow mean no noon briefing? Is so, why? As you know, there are questions about the full range of the UN system and missions. Please explain.

Dujarric said, no UN noon briefing on August 12 -- the Free UN Coalition for Access objects -- and on Chambers, he then replied:

“On Ray Chambers, he remains the UN SG’s Special Envoy for Financing the Health Millennium Development Goals and for Malaria. His post is on a $1 a year. We see no conflict with his serving on New Jersey-focused commission.”

Is that consistent with the UN charter? And why not answer on if the UN Ethics Office was asked? Recently Dujarric's office refused to say if the UN Ethics Office was asked about Ban accepting free private jet travel to the Middle East paid for by Qatar, with its own interests in the region.

In the past, Ban's spokesperson's office dodged Inner City Press questions about then UN envoy on the Sahel Romano Prodi simultaneously running for office in Italy (more recently he called Egypt's Sisi about Libya and was identified, still, as a UN official).

But can Chambers serve Ban Ki-moon and Chris Christie at the same time?

Ban's previous “good offices” envoy on Cyprus Alexander Downer was vying for political roles and then Australian Ambassadorship(s) while serving the UN, and working for consultancy Bespoke Approach. Now Inner City Press is told the UN is being lobbied to name as Downer's successor a former UN (and US) official, B. Lynn Pascoe. We'll have more on this.

   

From UN Cyprus Post, Alexander Downer Moves On, Conflict of Interest Intact, Bespoke Approach... to London?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 11 -- After mounting questions about Alexander Downer's performance on Cyprus and simultaneous business and political interests, on February 11 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced that Downer's time with the UN is over.

  In his native Australia, Downer has said this allows him to continue work with a "consultancy" -- Bespoke Approach, he never stopped -- and in local politics, which he likewise never stopped. He said if he takes an Ambassador's job (the Australian paper mentioned Washington, but after his performance during the last US election London seems more likely), he'd have to give all that up.

  It's telling that he didn't have to give anything up to work for the UN, the current UN having weak conflict of interest rules.

  Inner City Press' coverage of Downer was picked up in the Cyprus Mail, here; and here is a listing of Downer as lobbyist, including for KKR.

   A week ago after Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said Nicosia would take action over UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s statements in Munich that negotiations were suspended "because of a change of government in the Greek Cypriot community of Cyprus," Inner City Press on February 3 asked the UN to respond.Video here from Minute 27:37.

 Ban's spokesperson Martin Nesirky told Inner City Press to look at the transcript of what the Secretary General said, that would clear up the confusion.  Here's what was e-mailed out:

"these negotiations [were] suspended because of a change of government in the Greek Cypriot community of Cyprus. After that, there was an economic crisis... The United Nations, through Alexander Downer, has really been coordinating and helping them. I believe that it is very close."

  With Alexander Downer's Cyprus mission more and more in question, he was perhaps lucky that his scheduled briefing of the UN Security Council on January 22 was overshadowed by the Syria talks in Montreux.

  Outside the Security Council, only two media tried to cover the meeting. One of them, Inner City Press, was interested as always in how the UN can have an envoy who also works for business consultancy, vies for political office and now, it is said, an ambassadorship.

  Sources link Downer with the Australian Ambassadorship to the UK (the US would not be possible, they say, after Downer's comments during the last election here). This is of course, denied.

  But these question could not be put to Downer himself at the UN on January 22, because Downer was not here. Inner City Press heard, then asked this month's Council president, Jordan, through its Senior Deputy Permanent Representative Mahmoud Daifallah Mahmoud Hmoud about Downer's absence.  It was ascribed to the weather. Video here, from Minute 1:10.

   While Special Representative Lisa Buttenheim offered that the consultations on Cyprus had "done well" and been "balanced," very little news came out. Both sides have criticized Downer. Now what?

   When a country complains to and about the UN, and a journalist asks for the response to the criticism, one would expect one. But not at this UN.

  Back on December 17, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-mon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky aboutCyprus' criticism of Ban's envoy Alexander Downer and his meeting(s) in Northern Cyprus:

President Nicos Anastasiades instructed the foreign ministry to issue the demarche to the UN both here in Nicosia and at headquarters in New York after it transpired that Downer met with Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the Turkish ‘embassy’ in the north.

Deputy permanent secretary at the foreign ministry, Tasos Tzionis, yesterday issued the demarche to UN Special Representative in Cyprus Lisa Buttenheim regarding Downer’s visit to the Turkish ‘embassy’.

Anastasiades also instructed Cyprus’ permanent representative at the UN in New York to do the same at the UN Secretariat.

  In the briefing, Nesirky said he would provide Inner City Press and others with a response later in the day. And he did:

Subject: Your question on Cyprus
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 4:14 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

Please see below in response to your question today concerning Cyprus:

During his visit to Cyprus last week, Alexander Downer, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser, held intensive discussions with the sides to move forward the conclusion of a joint statement that has been under negotiation over the past weeks. Through these discussions and through constructive engagement by the Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Greece and Turkey, important progress was achieved on the joint statement. Although this work has not yet concluded, the Secretary-General is hopeful that it will lead to a successful outcome soon.

  The problem is, this is not responsive to Cyprus' criticism, or to Inner City Press' question.

  Back in September when Cyprus president Anastasiades took questions at the UN, Inner City Press asked him about his dispute with country's Central Bank chief, and if his speech had been coordinated in any way with Turkey, since it was so upbeat. Video here, from Minute 6:13.

Anastasiades said while he tries not to speak about things in Cyprus when he is out of the country, he respects its constitution and the rules and regulations of the Euro system and of the ECB.

On Cyprus we try to open new avenues, he said, "I have a vision to see that my country is going to be reunited... we are not ignoring the rights of Turkish Cypriots.

On Famagusta, he said we are in the process of negotiating: for the port to be open, under EU, Turkey to open airports and ports to ships and planes with Cyprus [flags], then Cyprus would raise veto [threat] on accession process of Turkey.

In that press conference, Inner City Press got the first question, but instead of thanking Anastasiades on behalf of the new Free UN Coalition for Access (which it does when the old UN Correspondents Association insists on pretending it represents all journalists at the UN), thanks was given for "the journalists here."

That's how it should and could be done. But later that day, not only did UNCA's 2013 president Pamela Falk of CBS re-appear for the UNFCCC -- a person who'd lost election for the UNCA board again insisted on getting the first question at an ICC press conference. This means: first questions for sale. UNreal. 

 Since then, UNCA has moved to accept donated television equipment from Samsung while claiming no mission was involved. (Even the UN admits the equipment went from Samsung to the South Korean Mission to the UN to UNCA.)

   Now, amid doubts whether given UNCA leaders' past financial links with and censorship for Sri Lankan government officials -- click here for that -- Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa might attend their $250 a plate event, a new question arises.  Will UNCA, a grouping of correspondents, disclose who is attending, and who paid, and how much? Watch this site.

   

On Cyprus, Two Views of Downer, “No Right to Be Exhausted,” Disclosure Still Lacking, Lobbying Not Precluded

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 25 -- The President of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias, and leader of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Dervis Eroglu, talked at cross purposes to the Press at the UN on September 24 and 25.

Inner City Press asked each about the performance of UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer, a former Australian diplomat who now moonlights with the business consultancy Bespoke Approach.

Eroglu had been quoted that the Greek Cypriots are “exhausting Downer's patience.” When Inner City Press asked Christofias about the quote, he replied that “Alexander Downer has no right to be exhausted. He's a Special Adviser of the UN Secretary General for two years, maybe less than two years... We have to be patient.” Video here, from Minute 18:15.

Inner City Press waited until the next morning to ask Eroglu the same question. Eroglu denied his quote in the Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris, by way of Famagusta Gazette, adopted the more diplomatic position that Downer must be and is neutral. This was said in Turkish, through an interpreter. Eroglu added in English, to Inner City Press, that Downer is “young.. enough.”

In fact, Downer was walking jauntily about the UN this week. Some wondered whether his ubiquity was entirely related to his Cyprus portfolio for the UN, or might be related to or assist in his private for profit work for the clients of Bespoke Approach.

Inner City Press has several times asked Downer to disclose his outside business interests and clients, so that possible conflicts of interest could be assessed. Downer has refused, insisting that his work for example for Chinese firms wanting to do business in Australia has nothing to do with Cyprus.

But consider this: a part time Special Adviser or Special Representative like Alexander Downer, or Tony Blair, or Matthew Nimitz, is given full access to the UN. People including world leaders will take these people's call, sometimes in part due to the UN connection. Can this be abused? Should there be disclosure and then reform? Watch this site.

Footnote: Eroglu's stakeout took place before 10 a.m. on Saturday in the UN's Temporary North Lawn Building. While security outside on First Avenue and 42nd Street was post-Obama being dismantled, inside the UN buzzed with bilateral meetings.

Inner City Press spoke, for forthcoming stories, with for example the Permanent Representatives of Uganda and South Africa, in the midst of bilateral meetings, and the Foreign Minister of Indonesia. The mood was collegial, with an air of relief that the most tense part of the General Debate is over. The Permanent Representative of Malaysia asked Inner City Press, “Working on Saturday?” Yes. Watch this site.

UN Cyprus Envoy Downer Brags of Asia Business, Says No Conflict But What Safeguards?

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/uncyp2conflicts091709.html

UNITED NATIONS, September 17 -- Former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer, now working for the business consultancy Bespoke Approach and part time for the UN on Cyprus, was again asked Thursday by Inner City Press if the two roles might conflict, and what safeguards the UN has in place.

Mr. Downer said most of his work with Bespoke Approach is in East Asia, with Indonesia and China. He said that because he was foreign minister of Australia for twelve years, he has good relations with China, "better than many people I know." Some thought this sounded like a form of advertisement, as did Downer's statement that he was asked about Cyprus during a dinner with Indonesia's Foreign Minister a few weeks ago.

Downer said that he does no work with Cyprus, Turkey or Greece, and by this appeared to mean he does not negotiate contracts in the three, not that Bespoke Approach does not have business relations with enterprises active there.

Inner City Press asked about an initiative in Australia to ban former minister from serving as lobbyists for two years. While Downer said this must have been passed only yesterday, since he'd never heard of it, from the audience in the briefing room Australian parliamentarian Paul Neville clarified that Queensland and New South Wales are moving on such a ban.

Mr. Neville added that working for the UN wouldn't be considered lobbying. But what about working for Bespoke Approach?

Downer's connection in this regard was listed in a recent story about the ban on lobbying for two years:

"The State Government will restrict the activities of political lobbyists to guard against corruption, cronyism and conflicts of interest. In London last night, Premier Mike Rann announced a ban on former ministers acting as lobbyists for two years after leaving Parliament. Lobbyists will be listed on a public register from which they could be struck off if they breach rules governing integrity, honesty and ethics...

adelaidenow.com.au

PUSHING THEIR BARROW

KEY SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LOBBYISTS AND THEIR CLIENTS

BESPOKE APPROACH

Former Liberal minister Alexander Downer

Former Labor senator Nick Bolkus

Former Liberal staffer Ian Smith

Clients include: Minmetals Australia,

Clarke Energy, Forbes Oil & Gas,

Yanzhou Coal Mining Company Limited,

Billabong Australia

Earlier this year, the Australian reported

"Former Labor senator Nick Bolkus was paid a reported sum of $136,500 to lobby the Rann Government on behalf of the beleaguered South Australian Jockey Club, a board member says. SAJC director Bill Spear, who brought legal action last November against the state's biggest gallops club that resulted in its chief executive being sacked, yesterday raised further questions about the board's conduct... Mr Spear had earlier confirmed that during the past two months, while the board and the SAJC's now-sacked chief executive Steve Ploubidis were the subject of an independent inquiry over vote-rigging and alleged corruption, two payments each of about $68,000 were made to Mr Bolkus for lobbying on behalf of the club. Mr Ploubidis denies the allegations. Mr Spear said payments in excess of $10,000 had required board approval, which, to his knowledge, had not been forthcoming in this case. Mr Bolkus is a founding partner in Adelaide lobbying firm Bespoke Approach, with former Howard government foreign minister Alexander Downer, and businessman Ian Smith, who is married to former senator Natasha Stott Despoja."

Downer said that he fills out a form for the UN Secretariat. But it is not clear if this form lists Bespoke Approach's clients. The UN's safeguards against conflicts by part time envoys appear lax, all the more so after the questions that have arisen since part time UN envoy to Niger, Canadian ex-diplomat Robert Fowler, was kidnapped while on non-UN business, visiting a Canadian owned gold mine. Click here for that story -- more than a week after basic questions were put to the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary General, still no answers have been received.

Footnotes: Paul Neville the parliamentarian explained to Inner City Press that he has been sent to New York for the UN General Assembly for the next thirteen weeks. Responding to Robert Fowler's detour in Niger, Neville said that if he ventures beyond New York City, he has to get his own insurance.

Inner City Press also asked Downer about leaked UN documents about his role in Cyprus, and will report that -- and attach some of the documents -- separately. Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/uncyp2conflicts091709.html

At UN, Downer Says Has No Conflict in Cyprus, What Of Turkey, KKR?

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/uncyp1conflicts050409.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 4 -- How does the UN police for conflicts of interest in its ranks? The answer appears to be, it doesn't. Last week the UN's envoy for Cyprus, Alexander Downer, took questions from the Press. Inner City Press asked, as it had in 2008, what safeguards are in place to ensure that Downer's job with business consultancy Bespoke Approach doesn't conflict with his activities in and around Cyprus.

Downer assured that he wouldn't allow conflicts, adding that Cyprus doesn't have that much business. Neither is a satisfactory response at the organization like the UN. Only a few month ago, the UN's stealth envoy to Niger, former Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler, was kidnapped in Niger while on his way to visit a Canadian-owned gold mine, apparently not on UN business. The UN has still refused to answer questions, even after Fowler had been released, reportedly in exchange for the freeing of terrorism suspects.

Downer's answer as to Cyprus is particularly insufficient because Bespoke Approach work with Turkey (or Greece) would also be a conflict. The investment firm KKR lists an affiliation with Bespoke Approach. Who is policing these conflicts? Not the UN.

The Cyprus foreign service has made this transcript of Inner City Press' Q&A with Downer:

Inner City Press: there’s been some controversy or questioning about if you can be the envoy and also have side job as a businessman?

Downer: Well, I was employed part-time not full-time so I have to keep body and soul together. I’ve got a wife, I’ve got children. My daughter got married last week, I just have to pay for the wedding and thank you for congratulating me. It’s only a part-time job. Of course I have absolutely no business with Cyprus at all. I have absolutely no business involvement there. To have business involvement there would be a conflict of interest. Cyprus would be the greatest of perspective, I love Cyprus, is not a very big place, it’s not like the United States. So business doesn’t arise day-by-day between Australia and Cyprus.

Inner City Press: I found on the UN website of bespoke approach, it says you are a good person to hire in part, because you work for the UN. So some people wonder whether it’s appropriate to …..

Downer: Let's just say I’m a good person to hire because if you read it carefully, because I work for the UN, it just explains my CV. You are working in the media and so I think you would appreciate this point in the way that I do. I think transparency is incredibly important. Therefore, it wouldn’t be honest to hide from anybody who may use bespoke approach. But it’s a fair question to ask because obviously I have to be careful there is no conflict of interest. Also I work as a professor at Adelaide University. In that capacity I do talk to people about Cyprus from time to time. In Australia there’s quite a lot of interest on Cyprus. There are nearly 100,000 Australian Cypriots. They split about 60 – 40 Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots. So they keep me busy as well as some of them are on campus of the university. One of them was at my daughter’s wedding actually last week and started lobbying me furiously about some issue to what I’m going to do.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/uncyp1conflicts050409.html

UN Silent on Cypriot Tensions, What a Downer, UNIFEM Forgets FYROM

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un2downer112608.html

UNITED NATIONS, November 26 -- A day after UN Spokesperson Michele Montas told Inner City Press she would seek a comment from Cyprus envoy Alexander Downer about the naval and oil exploration dispute between Turkey and Cyprus, the indirect answer was that Downer and the UN have no comment. They argue, against all logic, that this dispute has no impact on the talks about the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Is this just sloppy and wishful thinking, or something more?

Following Cyprus' complaint to Ban Ki-moon about the naval run-in, Turkey has said it will file its own complaints. Cyprus then moved to file complaints about air space incursions.

As Inner City Press previously inquired into and reported on, Downer has another, for-profit job, with the business consultancy, Bespoke Approach. His web page there mentions, in context as a reason to hire him, his envoy position with the UN. Is this proper? What safeguards are in place? These questions were never answered when Downer was appointed, or since. Wednesday, Inner City Press asked a senior UN official, who acknowledged that sometimes conflicts are not considered until after an envoy is appointed, if then. Nor, apparently, is Downer's employment contract with the UN a public document.

Downer's fellow Australian Joel Fitzgibbon, far from withholding comment, has aggressively criticized the UN and its Afghanistan envoy Kai Eide, click here for that. So Downer's silence is neither national character or strategy. Is it just bad diplomacy, or laziness?

Downer's silence in the face of this escalation can be contrasted with the near-immediate comment issued by another envoy in the region, Matthew Nimetz. When the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia sued Greece in the International Court of Justice for blocking its application to join NATO, Nimetz issued a statement that FYROM had assured him this would not impact talks on the name issue.

UNIFEM Forgets FYROM

Following Inner City Press' exclusive report on November 25 that UNIFEM's handout about the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women refers not to FYROM but to "Macedonia," the spokesman for the UN Development Program had told Inner City Press that "Re FYROM, this fund and project is managed by UNIFEM. They are aware of the error in the pamphlet and are addressing it."

Inner City Press called and spoke with UNIFEM's media consultant Beatrice Frey, who said she would obtain and provide information from officials of the Trust Fund, with whom she was then in a meeting. Inner City Press also asked what UNIFEM does on the issue of violence against women and sexual exploitation and abuse by UN Peacekeepers. Six hours later, no information had been provided on either topic.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un2downer112608.html