By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 25 -- There is a hunger among some at the UN that Ahmad al-Jarba, President of the Syrian Coalition turn out to be authentic, credible, open.
This was reflected by how quickly Thursday the ostensibly big issue of the Congo and Great Lakes was dropped to chase around al-Jarba and his entourage. (Inner City Pressvideo, featuring US Secretary of State John Kerry, here.)
But when al-Jarba was announced as the leader of the Syrian Coalition, few had heard of him and those who had declared him as the candidate of Saudi Arabia, which was simultaneously nosing out Qatar in Egypt.
After al-Jarba et al met with John Kerry on Thursday, it was Kerry who spoke briefing to the media. (Inner City Press asked him about the Congolese minister saying all rebellions in the Great Lakes bear a similar genetic signature; Kerry said he hadn't heard it. But video here, from Minute 1:06:20).
Al-Jarba et al strode north on First Avenue past the Trump World Tower and into the German mission, after which leaks and a press release issued.
But when al-Jarba deigned to take question from the media, it was not at a UN press conference or one elsewhere open and publicized to all UN accredited journalists. Rather it was with an increasingly questionable subset, the United Nations Correspondents Association, which sent notice only to its dues paying members.
Inner City Press has shown that UNCA's first vice president Louis Charbonneau leaked to the UN's top accreditation official an ostensibly internal UNCA document three minutes after saying he would not. Story here,document here, audio here.
Even after this was documented, UNCA took no action. This is a dubious organization.
Charbonneau and current UNCA president Pamela Falk of CBS News made a variety of statements after, as an alternative to UNCA which tries to get the investigative press thrown out of the UN, the Free UN Coalition for Access was formed. On the record audio here, and here (Falk); here andhere (Charbonneau).
In full disclosure, Inner City Press first crossed swords with UNCA when its then president organized such a pseudo UN event for the government of Sri Lanka to deny war crimes charges. Click here.
To prop UNCA up (while threatening to suspend or withdraw Inner City Press' accreditation unless it takes down even a FUNCA sign from the door to it shared office), the UN gives UNCA an office, Press passes for their non-journalist interns (who take "focus booth" space denied to actual working journalists), and a big meeting room for events like the one with al Jarba.
From an UNCA source, not from UNCA, not posted on the door to its UN given, locked meeting room, Inner City Press has obtained the notice sent out only to those who paid money:
UNCA will hold a press briefing with the delegation of the National Coalition of the Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces tomorrow, Friday, July 26th in the UNCA Meeting room S-310 soon after the informal UN Security Council Meeting.
The delegation will include:
Ahmad al-Jarba, President of the Syrian Coalition
Michel Kilo and Burhan Ghalioun, Syrian Coalition members and members of the Syrian Coalition Political Committee
Dr. Najib Ghadbian, Special Representative of the Syrian Coalition to the United Nations
We will send an update on a time in the morning.
Why would the UN give its -- the member states' -- space to a group that invites only some types of speakers, and does not publicize it to all UN accredited journalists? And what does this birds of a feather connection say about al-Jarba et al?
Why not just do it in the Saudi mission? Or have Saudi Arabia sponsor a real press conference, in the UN briefing room, publicized and comfortable to all UN accredited journalists? Why indeed. Watch this site.
