Bahrain Silent on US But Protests Vague Statement from UN, Which Still Ignores Syria Note Verbale of December 2013

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 16 -- After the UN issued a vague statement about Bahrain, not mentioning its official Terje Roed-Larsen's friendly visit there, now Bahrain had fired off an angry memo to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, blaming his spokesperson Martin Nesirky. One wonders how the UN will respond, given that it has yet to respond to Syria's protest note verbale, on which Inner City Press exclusively reported on December 19, 2013.

  The Khaleej Times has just reported:

Bahrain has addressed a memo to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in response to a statement by UN Spokesperson Martin Nesirky.

Minister of State for Information Affairs and Government’s Official Spokesperson Samira Ibrahim bin Rajab submitted the memo to United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) director for the Gulf Countries, Nejib Friji, on Saturday. The letter highlighted that Bahrain, a full UN member, has been confronting for years a systematic terror campaign, perpetrated by a misled group directly condoned and harboured by extremist religious figures and backed by foreign parties...

  Blaming outside interference for internal opposition is widely pilloried in Syria, less so in Sri Lanka -- but will the UN accept it from Bahrain? Ironically, US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf also commented on Bahrain, but it is unclear if Bahrain has protested this, from February 14:

QUESTION: Leaving the country? Bahrain – this is the third anniversary today of the uprising in Bahrain --

MS. HARF: It is.

QUESTION: -- and so everybody seemed to agree that the national reconciliation talks have failed, but the repression continues. And the U.S. is criticized by human rights groups for not doing enough in Bahrain to try to resolve the crisis, so what is the state of you conversation with the regime there?

MS. HARF: Well, without getting into details about what we talked to the regime about, just a few points here. We do – we have seen the opposition at many times be receptive to initiatives, working with the government in terms of resuming a dialogue in Bahrain. Obviously, we believe that dialogue is the critical mechanism to move beyond the current period of unrest, and we would encourage all parts of Bahraini society to participate in such a dialogue. Look, a few other points. Obviously, we would call on security forces to exercise restraint as we see some of these demonstrations, but also would condemn all acts of violence in Bahrain. And we are concerned that some Bahrainis have embraced a path of violence at the expense of this dialogue process that we think is so important. So we would encourage both sides to refrain from violence and show restraint, and try to move the dialogue forward.

   So where is Bahrain's protest to that? 

  On Syria: Back on November 7, Inner City Press asked UN spokesperson Farhan Haq about Irish UN peacekeepers getting shelled in the Golan -- who did it?

Haq said, " In this case, the firing was by the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and protest was made to the Syrian Arab Armed Forces.

But as Inner City Press pointed out even that day, "Ireland has said that it was a firefight between the Government and opposition forces in Durbol."

  On December 16, Inner City Press asked Syrian Permanent Representative Bashar Ja'afari about the Golan, including statements by Israel's defense minister that Israel was delivering aid into Syria through the Golan, reportedly "mediated" by the UN mission UNDOF. Inner City Press YouTube video here and embedded below.

  Ja'afari said his country had protested to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations under Herve Ladsous, who previously refused to follow up on involvement from Doha in the kidnapping of UN peacekeepers by the Yarmouk Martyrs brigade rebels.

  Ja'afari said his Mission would be writing to the UN about what he called the Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary General's misstatements.

  Inner City Press immediately e-mailed the top two UN spokespeople, asking them for their response to what Ja'afari had said. The first day, there was no response. The next day, a discussion took place trying to determine the complaint, and get a response. Still, no response.

Now Inner City Press has obtained and is exclusively publishing the Note Verbale dated December 16 from the Syrian Mission, here. It addresses the November 7 (mis) statements, the aid from Israel including statements by the Israeli defense minister, and the "missed" -- kidnapped -- nuns of Ma'aloula.

Now will the UN Spokesperson's office respond, as Inner City Press requested on December 16? 

Update: Inner City Press asked UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq about this at the December 19 noon briefing. He confirmed receipt of the Note Verbale and said his Office is checking with other UN offices -- that is, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations which gave out the information that Syria's government did it. Haq said he would inform of any needed correction or amendment. Watch this site.

   

Exclusive: Syria Complains to UN of Its Spokespeople's Misstatements to Inner City Press on Irish Peacekeepers in Golan

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, December 19 -- Back on November 7, Inner City Press asked UN spokesperson Farhan Haq about Irish UN peacekeepers getting shelled in the Golan -- who did it?

Haq said, " In this case, the firing was by the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and protest was made to the Syrian Arab Armed Forces.

But as Inner City Press pointed out even that day, "Ireland has said that it was a firefight between the Government and opposition forces in Durbol."

  On December 16, Inner City Press asked Syrian Permanent Representative Bashar Ja'afari about the Golan, including statements by Israel's defense minister that Israel was delivering aid into Syria through the Golan, reportedly "mediated" by the UN mission UNDOF. Inner City Press YouTube video here.

  Ja'afari said his country had protested to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations under Herve Ladsous, who previously refused to follow up on involvement from Doha in the kidnapping of UN peacekeepers by the Yarmouk Martyrs brigade rebels.

  Ja'afari said his Mission would be writing to the UN about what he called the Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary General's misstatements.

  Inner City Press immediately e-mailed the top two UN spokespeople, asking them for their response to what Ja'afari had said. The first day, there was no response. The next day, a discussion took place trying to determine the complaint, and get a response. Still, no response.

Now Inner City Press has obtained and is exclusively publishing the Note Verbale dated December 16 from the Syrian Mission, here. It addresses the November 7 (mis) statements, the aid from Israel including statements by the Israeli defense minister, and the "missed" -- kidnapped -- nuns of Ma'aloula.

Now will the UN Spokesperson's office respond, as Inner City Press requested on December 16? Watch this site.

   

At UN on Qatar GA Draft, Syria Note Verbale Slams OP 25, Welcoming Rebels, Contesting Seat

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 3 -- On April 30, Inner City Press published the Fourth Revision of the Qatari draft General Assembly resolution on Syria, as an exclusive, here.

  Since then, Qatar and other sponsors have held a meeting at the French Mission to the UN, Inner City Press has learned, trying to decide whether to do a Fifth Revision or simply go to the vote on what they have. 

  The reported indecision of envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to quit or not, or to quit now or at the end of May, adds to the uncertainty.

  Now, Syria's Mission to the UN has circulated a "Note Verbale" to all UN members, arguing why they should vote "no" on the draft resolution, if and when it is introduced in the General Assembly.

  The Note Verbale, which Inner City Press immediately put online here as an update to its Rev 4 story (and is sure to appear elsewhere soon), take specific issued with Operative Paragraph 25 which welcomes the "National Coalition."

Syria disputes this, and the decision from which Algeria and Iraq have taken reservations, and Lebanon disassociated itself.

Brahimi's testimony and other studies, of foreign jihadists in Syria, are cited. The Note concludes, in bold, that even as revised the draft is a step toward contesting who should hold Syria's seat at the UN. Countries are asking themselves, what precedent would that set? Watch this site.

With Undersea Turkey Dispute Airbrushed, UN Stakeout is All Greek, No Photos

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 22, updated – With Greek foreign minister Dimitris L. Avramopoulos at the UN to meet with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and speak to the media at the Security Council stakeout, one expected not only Cyprus and the so-called “name issue” of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to arise, but also the undersea disputes with Turkey.

  Just as Turkey is sparring with Cyprus on hydrocarbon exploration, so it is with Greece. Inner City Press has covered the former issue, including the proposal to Ban Ki-moon by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

   But when Avramopoulos and his entourage appeared at the stakeout microphone, his entire statement was in Greek. Then he stepped forward to speak to reporters on the other side of the barricade, still shown on the UNTV's camera.

  Suddenly, however, UNTV was ordered to move its boom microphone away, told that this was “off the record” although at the stakeout.

   Then a journalist who was taking a photograph on his cell phone was told to stop: no photos should be taken. This violates the UN's stated Media Access Guidelines -- photographs are allowed in this area, without escort or any additional permission.

  Also, this is where the Guidelines say “on the record” communications are to take place, in a micro-management that the Free UN Coalition for Access has challenged in a series of reforms submitted to and received by the UN.

  But no one did anything. [Update: On February 22, FUNCA raised the issue directly to the Department of Public Information.]

  On February 21, Inner City Press went to the UN noon briefing -- held at 1 pm to include announcement of the UN dismissing claims it introduced cholera to Haiti -- and asked:

Inner City Press: Martin, mine was actually a question; it was, did you call on Pam the last two days as the [United Nations Correspondents Association] representative or as a journalist? Question.

Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: I think I have had enough of this for today, so could I have any other questions, please, thank you very much.

Question: On Greece, did the Greek Foreign Minister present to Ban Ki-moon some kind of a communication about the exploration of gas, oil, hydrocarbons by Turkey in allegedly Greek territory?

Spokesperson: I’ll have to check, Matthew, I wasn’t there. Thanks very much. Have a good afternoon, thank you. [He later shared the readout of that meeting: The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Dimitris Avramopoulos, Foreign Minister of Greece. They exchanged views on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, and also focused on prospects for renewed negotiations to find a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus and to resolve the Greece-former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia “name” dispute. The Secretary-General underlined the importance of accelerating progress in both processes, and reiterated his personal commitment to that end.]

   So this read-out, inserted into the UN transcript, did not include the Turkish undersea issue, nor the note verbale that Avramopoulos came to the UN to file. Why not? We'll have more on all this. Watch this site.