UNITED NATIONS, November 25 -- When the "Right to Privacy in the Internet Age" resolution came to the floor in the UN's Third (Human Rights) Committee on November 25, German Ambassador Harald Braun summarized its new elements: the inclusion of metadata, obligations by the private sector, effective remedies for violations and an invitation to the UN Human Rights Council to establish a special procedure on the right to privacy.
Ambassador Antonio Patriota of co-sponsor Brazil expressed regret on what wasn't in the resolution, for example extra-territorial coverage of communications infrastructure that a country controls, wherever located.
While Braun cited US National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, the resolution was adopted by consensus - that is, no country, including the United States, objected.
Those spied on included a Republican candidate for the Virginia legislature, Faisal Gill; Hooshang Amirahmadi, an Iranian-American professor; lawyer Asim Ghafoor; Nihad Awad of CAIR; and "Agha Saeed, a former political science professor at California State University who champions Muslim civil liberties and Palestinian rights."
The United Nations' Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has already said he thinks Snowden "misused" information, as Inner City Press reported here.
Back on March 14 when the US delegation to the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva took the floor, it was a full court press. Ofthe elephant in the room, NSA spying, the speaker from the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice used a single line: DOJ is "monitoring" a number of private actions. You don't say.
The head of the US delegation, Mary McLeod, said but did not explain why the US Administration has "no current expectation to become a party to the optional protocol" to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights -- which the US says does not apply to its actions outside of its borders.
The session closed with a slew of questions: Walter Kalin asked why the US deports people to Haiti even amid the cholera epidemic -- for which, Inner City Press notes, the US has said the UN should be immune. Watch this site.
UNITED NATIONS, July 22 -- The Middle East debate in the UN Security Council on July 22 ran until 6:30 pm, ending with Israel's representative snarking that Saudi Arabia and Iran are engaged in a proxy war in Syria but are very close here in the UN.
But the elephant in the room, or in the Security Council chamber, was the draft resolution of Jordan and the Arab Group. Inner City Press published a draft of the draft last week, and has repeatedly been told it is about to be circulated. But several speakers on July 22 asked, where is it?
Once the Security Council's 15 members were finished, more than forty other countries spoke. A sampling of a half-dozen:
Pakistan's Permanent Representative Masood Khan said that the collective punishment of the people of Gaza is being broadcast, live: the collective punishment will be televised, to paraphrase Gil Scott Heron's “the revolution will not be televised.”
Brazil's Permanent Representative Antonio Patriota noted that the Security Council cites protection of civilians in other contexts -- Libya came to mind -- so why not in Gaza?
Nicaragua's Permanent Representative, among others, called for Palestine's admission into the UN as a full member, not only as “Observer” state.
South Africa's Deputy Permanent Representative Mashabane quoted Nelson Mandela: “Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
New Zealand's Permanent Representative gave a speech that sounded more in the mainstream of UN member states' views than, say, Australia. In the upcoming election for Security Council seats, New Zealand is seeking the Western European and Other Group seat that its fellow CANZ member Australia is vacating.
The other CANZ-er, Canada, called for the UN to investigate if UNRWA gave rockets found in one of its schools back to Hamas. The question was put earlier in the day to US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf, who said the US is looking into it, don't jump to conclusions.
The session ended with Israel snarking, on mass death penalty grounds, at Egypt - which struck some as strange. But this is the UN. Watch this site.
UNITED NATIONS, June 23, more here -- After the UN's Burundi cable of April 3, detailing the ruling CNDD party arming its youth wing, was published and asked about by Inner City Press, many in the UN have been stonewalling.
On June 23, Inner City Press asked the chair of the UN Peacekeeping Commission, Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, if the PBC has done anything about the continued detention of Mbonimpa or to investigate his allegations that the youth wing has been trained in camps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Video here.
Patriota's response acknowledged the allegations in the cable -- many in the UN including its spokesman simply refuse to discuss the cable -- but said that the recent "Code of Conduct" may show a change in atmosphere.
The response is appreciated - but what about the banning of demonstrations seeking the freedom of Mbonimpa? What atmosphere does that reflect?
Inner City Press also asked what the PBC is doing about illegal financial flows, Patriota's response included the possibility of working with Paul Collier and moves by Brazil to focus on the briber (or "corruptor") as well as the bribee - video here.
Softball questions about Burundi were lobbed by the president of the United Nations Correspondents Association a/k/a UN Censorship Alliance, who then didn't even listen to other questions and so repeated them. Full video here. This is another example of why the UN often gets away with stonewalling.
Background: Inner City Press is informed that Mbonimpa was cynically offered his freedom only if he would agree to
1) make public apology
2) renounce investigation of and communications about on paramilitary trainings to be held in Kiliba Ondes in Democratic Republic of Congo
3) refrain from making any declaration of victory on his release from prison.
These sources say that the US "premature" announcement that Mbonimpa had already been freed "boomeranged." Much to his credit, Mbonimpa would not agree to the conditions, including that he speak no more about the arming and training of the youth wing, described in the UN cable, and allegedly taking place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo without any inquiry by the UN Mission in the DRC, MONUSCO.
Inner City Press has asked the UN a dozen times about the cable, yielding answers more and more surreal. US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, when Inner City Press asked her at the Security Council stakeout,provided a more substantive Burundi answer, here.
Even as Mbonimpa of the Association pour la protection des droits humains et des personnes détenues(APRODH) was arrested, the UN denied it received his and others letters, and stonewalled on letters from opposition parties. Mbonimpa is 23rd on this letter given to BNUB but still denied by the UN, click here as Inner City Press first published it.
It was good news. But in the sixteen hours after, no on else confirmed it, least of all the Burundian government. Questions mounted, and at 11:25 am on Saturday in New York, Inner City Press reported them.
An hour later Ambassador Power said, "Now word Burundi's government has not in fact freed Pierre Mbonimpa."
Some in Burundi surmise that the Presidency informed Power that Mbonimpa was being freed, or was being offered freedom, and ask what the US thinks of conditioning a human rights defender's freedom on not speaking out anymore.
And what about the UN, which claims a "Rights Up Front" approach since its failure in Sri Lanka? The UN is silent.
On May 22 UN spokesman Stephane Duarric still denied even receiving Mbonimpa's letter, and the letter of opposition political parties that Inner City Press is reliably informed was given to the BNUB mission.
Inner City Press: I’m sorry to ask this again, but I wanted to ask about Burundi again, in the sense that the opposition parties there have affirmed and re-affirmed that they sent to a letter to Secretary-General about this leaked cable of the arming of the youth wing of the CNDD (National Council for the Defence of Democracy) Party. And so, I asked and Vannina said the NGO (non-governmental organization) letter wasn’t received and she’ll check on the letter of the Opposition Party that was the seventh [of May]. I asked you on the sixteenth [of May]. Who should I ask? I mean, it seems like if the UN is [covering up]
Spokesman Dujarric: I will check again all the possible recipients of the letter.
Inner City Press: There was a speech or press conference held by the SRSG (Special Representative of the Secretary-General) in Burundi, essentially apologizing to the Government for the leak of the cable, but not in any way… I mean, I’ve asked here a number of times, like people there seem to believe it’s true. The human rights defender has named the camp… a camp where he says there are being trained in the DRC. Has MONUSCO (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo) even gone to that camp? Is there any coordination?
Spokesman Dujarric: If I have something new on Burundi, I will share with you, but I don’t at this point.
On May 22 Dujarric announced "Yesterday, Matthew, you asked about two letters from NGOs [non-governmental organizations] and political parties. We’ve checked again this morning for you and we cannot ascertain that we have received such letters at the Secretariat."
Inner City Press: I wanted to ask about Burundi. There are two letters that have emerged that were sent to the Secretary-General, people say they were sent. One was from a group of [non-governmental organizations] in Burundi and now, a group of 12 political parties, including the major, all the major opposition parties wrote to the Secretary-General asking for UN investigation of the 3 April cable saying that the Government was arming the youth wing… to remain in power. And, I wanted to know, one, maybe you won’t have it here, but can you, today, confirm or deny that these two letters were received and say whether… what the response has been? Whether, in fact, the UN is, itself, investigating the contents of the cable?
Associate Spokesperson Vannina Maestracci: Okay, let me check first if we did, indeed, receive these two letters and we’ll start there. Okay?
Associate Spokesperson Vannina Maestracci: No. We checked on Burundi. You asked about two letters, is that right? There’s one by the NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that we did not receive. We’re still waiting for an answer on the other one. So that’s one thing.
Pierre Claver Mbonimpa was arrested. Belatedly, Human Rights Watch spoke -- but in a statement that doesn't even MENTION the April 3 UN cable. Why not? Well, HRW has a history of not criticizing the UN.
In fact, when Inner City Press asked HRW to simply summarize what issues its Ken Roth raised to the UN's Ban Ki-moon -- Haiti cholera impunity? Minova rapes by the UN's partners in the Congolese Army? UN Peacekeeping's Herve Ladsous' use of drones? -- HRW's lobbyist at the UN Philippe Bolopion, a former France 24 and Le Monde scribe at the UN, replied that such summaries are not public (apparently only for funders), in order to retain HRW's access:
"Hi Matthew: To preserve our ability to have frank discussions with UN officials and advance our advocacy goals, we don't typically communicate on the content of discussions we have with them." Click here for that.
Here, to not speak of the UN cable and the UN's shameful silence on the expulsion of its author -- is irresponsible.
Back on May 14the issue was expected to be addressed in the Security Council's May 14 meeting.
But UN envoy Parfait Onanga-Anyanga lavishly praised the government, with Interior Minister Edouard Nduwimana sitting at his side. He referred vaguely to a propensity to confrontation between youths affiliated to the political parties, adding that this phenomenon is particularly preoccupying when it also touches youths affiliated to the party in power.
Ah, diplomacy. (The Swiss chair for the Peacebuilding Configuration's speech was somewhat more frank; we have uploaded it here. But under current, unACTed on Council rules, he cannot enter the Council's consultations.)
Burundi threw out of the country the UN Security Chief quoted in the cable; Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Office of the Spokesperson told Inner City Press that a letter from civil society organizations was not received, and never answered Inner City Press' question on a letter from opposition parties. This is not diplomacy, some say: this is a cover-up.
Background: the UN has been asked to investigate the April 3 cable, first by Burundian civil society organizations and then by 12 political parties. Inner City Press has obtained the letter of the 12 parties, including Uprona and Frodebu, and today puts it online here.
What will the UN do?
When Inner City Press asked at the UN noon briefing and of US Ambassador Samantha Power at the UN Security Council stakeout, the UN came up with an interim answer.
(Also, as set forth below, 23 civil society organizations wrote to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to request a full international and independent investigation of the cable: letter here, annex here.)
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced that the UN had sent its Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng to Burundi. But it was not possible to ask Dieng about his visit and findings, either when he appeared at a think tank across from the UN at a genocide commemoration or inside the UN building. Until on May 2 when Dieng took questions after briefing the Security Council about South Sudan, and Inner City Press asked him about his Burundi visit and the cable, video here.
Significantly, in terms of the UN using Dieng's visit as evidence of action on the cable, Dieng answered that his visit was planned before the cable was "released." But he ran through a litany of concerns: rampant impunity, people "around" the president who are trying to hold on to power, and the arrest of opposition leader Alexis Sinduhije.
Beyond putting the video online, Inner City Press is also today putting online the Burundi NGOs' letter and annex, here. How has the UN responded?
While sources in the UN Security Council told Inner City Press on April 24 that they want an investigation of the April 3 leaked UN cable about the party in power in Burundi arming its youth wing, it was the media that first reached one of the Generals at issue, Nduwumunsi.
The cable, as published by Inner City Press, stated that "General Nduwumunsi (currently Director General of former Combatants) and General - Major Niyungeko Jevenal aka KIROHO (currently head of the Office of military Cooperation) would be supervisors of these activities (distributions of weapons and military and police uniforms)."
Now IWACU runs quotes from Nduwumunsi but concludes, "Pour les autres accusations des Nations unies sur une distribution d’armes, il a promis de s’exprimer ultérieurement." ("For other charges UN distribution of weapons, he promised to speak later.")
Inner City Press: I wanted to ask you about Burundi. There was a consultation yesterday of the Security Council; Mr. [Jeffrey] Feltman went, some other people from DPA [Department of Political Affairs]. I was told afterwards that basically there’s a call to investigate that same cable, 3 April cable about distribution of weapons to the youth wing of the Government party in power. So I wanted to know what is, one, can you say whether the persona non grata DSS [Department of Safety and Security] chief…actually who left the country or if the protest has worked? And what is UN’s task from this in terms of investigating the contents of the cable?
Spokesman Dujarric: The DSS person, the person that was declared persona non grata, when that happened, was out of the country. He has not returned to Burundi. Can you rephrase the first part of your question?
Inner City Press: It was said afterwards by a participant in the consultations that there’s been a request by the Council that the contents of it be investigated. If DSS chief is not there, what is the role of either the country team, DSS or DPA to actually, more than expressing concern, actually look into the facts alleged in that cable?
Spokesman Dujarric: You know, obviously, this allegation of arms distribution… that allegation has taken more and more of a centre stage in political discourse in Burundi. We’ve noted the Government’s public statements rejecting the allegations and we welcome them. But we still call on the Government to investigate, to embark on a credible and transparent investigation into these allegations. We’ve offered assistance to assist in this credible and transparent investigation and we stand ready, but we have not been asked, but it is the primary responsibility of the Government to lead such an investigation.
So the UN "welcomes" the government's statements on the cable - a vituperative denial?
Meanwhile journalists in Burundi face demands to name and give up their sources: "Alexis Nkeshimana et Eloge Niyonzima, respectivement correspondants de Bonesha FM et RPA à Bubanza comparaissaient devant le substitut du procureur de la République à Bubanza, ce jeudi 24 avril, sur plainte du Cndd-Fdd" -- that is, a complain by the same CNDD-FDD party.
Back on on April 24, a week after Burundi ordered out of the country the UN security chief who authored a leaked cable reporting the President arming his youth wing, a team from the UN Department of Political Affairs rushed into an unscheduled Security Council meeting. A Permanent Representative told Inner City Press the topic was Burundi.
But afterward, despite the UN's claims about "Rights Up Front" and sounding the alarm, no one spoke at the UN Television stakeout to even summarize the meeting on Burundi.
Off camera, a source who had been in the closed door meeting told Inner City Press, "their main concern was about the leak" of the cable. Inner City Press first published the cable; the full text is below.
Update of 7 pm -- After publication of the above, a proponent of the Security Council's performance on this told Inner City Press that while it's being kept quiet, there are requests that not only the leak but the substance of the cable be investigated. Another questioned why all that the Council's "pen-holder" on Burundi belatedly put out about the April 24 was a tweet by its political coordinator. Inner City Press has posed questions. We'll see.
On April 21, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric if the "PNG-ed" UN staffer left, and about the president now meeting with his youth wing, video here:
Inner City Press: On Burundi, you’d said on Thursday that the UN was troubled by the “PNG” letter. I wanted to know, one, the head of security, has he complied with the letter from the Government and left. And does the UN have any comment on the President of Burundi since Thursday having done a meeting or a rally with his youth wing. The same youth wing that the UN memo said was being handed weapons.
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric: No. I have… I don’t know what the status of the staff member who was “PNG-ed”. We can check. And on Burundi, I think what we had to say last week stands.
Is that good enough, to simply stand on a past statement as new fact unfold? On April 21 the Banque de la Republic de Burundi - the nation's central bank - was enveloped in smoke. The excuse? Burning bills. Meanwhile staff say there are threats. But old UN statements "stand."
So Inner City Press asked the US State Department spokesperson, albeit in a Twitter Q&A, for a comment on the President meeting with the youth wing, and if the government did in fact ask US intelligence to help investigate the cable. So far, no answer: review here.
Twenty years after the "genocide fax" from Rwanda to the UN in New York was largely ignored, for a week earlier this month there was little visible reaction to a strikingly similar cable from Burundi, about AK-47s being distributed to the youth-wing of the Hutu aligned CNDD party.
And now one of the authors of the cable has been ordered to leave Burundi in 48 hours, see below.
Inner City Press on April 9 put the cable online, submitting questions about it to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric and on April 10 online and at the Security Council stakeout to Ambassador Gerard Araud of France, pen-holder on Burundi in the Council.
But it was US Ambassador Samantha Power who took and answered the question, telling Inner City Press that it is very troubling, that there have been fast trials of 21 young opposition figures and a threat to change the constitution and now, these reports. Video here and embedded below.
At the April 10 noon briefing, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric who had sent Inner City Press a wan response to its April 9 questions about the cable (and about actions by one of the three addressees, Herve Ladsous of UN Peacekeeping) read out a list of contacts the UN had made.
Inner City Press asked if the UN, whose cable it was and is, had done anything to check into the weapons given to the youth-wing: pistols in February, AK-47s since. Dujarric said he didn't understand the question and had nothing to add. Video here.
Hours later, the UN Security Council issued a press statement, here.
And now, a week later, one of the UN authors, Paul Dobbie of the UN Department of Safety and Security ("UN Burundi Chief Security Adviser") has been told to leave Burundi within 48 hours of April 17.
How will Ban Ki-moon's UN react? Inner City Press asked on April 17,video here.
That the cable was in fact sent from the UN in Burundi to three top UN officials -- Jeffrey Feltman of the Department of Political Affairs, Herve Ladsous of UN Peacekeeping and Great Lakes envoy Mary Robinson -- was reliably confirmed. Inner City Press and the new Free UN Coalition for Accessput this photoonline here and here. Below, the full text of the cable is published.
On April 9, UK Mission to the UN spokesperson Iona Thomas replied to Inner City Press that "I can confirm that Feltman raised this issue in the Council discussion on Burundi yesterday and members of the Council expressed their concern at the reports."
That UN read-out says that "the Secretary-General expressed strong concerns about reports concerning activities of Burundian youth groups and urged the relevant national authorities to investigate these reports."
But it is the government itself that is accused of distributing pistols, uniforms and AK-47s to the "youth groups," which the UN read-out leaves unnamed. Is this "Rights Up Front"?
US Ambassador Samantha Power traveled from Rwanda to Burundi andissued a statement that the "United States will provide $7.5 million in assistance for the Burundian electoral process" and expressing concerns, here. It did not directly mention the alleged distribution of weapons to theImbonerukure or the cable.
France, in the same week that it snubbed the Rwanda genocide commemoration and called any suggestion it was complicit in the 1994 killings "disgraceful," holds the pen on Burundi in the Security Council.
That is to say, it was up to France after Feltman came and raised the memo to then pen and push for fast adoption some output: a resolution or Statement. But this did not happen -- until a week after the cable.
Australia's Ambassador to the UN Gary Quinlan tweeted, "#UNSC discussed deteriorating situation in #Burundi for 2nd time in 2 weeks - signs of political exclusion & oppression deeply concerning."
The French Mission to the UN -- the penholder on Burundi -- was even less specific: "Under Secretary General Jeffrey Feltman has briefed #UNSC on current political tensions in #Burundi."
So is the main difference in 20 years since the Rwanda genocide the speed of leaks and of social media?
Other questions are pending. Here is the full text of the April 3, 2014 cable:
CONFIDENTIAL
OUTGOING CODE CABLE
TO: FELTMAN, UNATIONS, NEW YORK
INFO: LADSOUS, UNATIONS, NEW YORK
ROBINSON, O-SESG-GL, NAIROBI
FROM: [for] ONANGA-ANYANGA, BNUB, BUJUMBURA
DATE: 3 April 2014
REFERENCE: CDN-037
SUBJECT: Reports of alleged distribution of weapons to the Imbonerakure
Summary: Informs on reports of alleged distribution of weapons [to] ruling CNDD-youth wing and actions taken by BNUB.
1. "This follows my cable CND-022 of 26 February in which I informed of allegations of distribution of weapons to the ruling CNDD-FCC youth wing the "Imbonerakure."
2. Yesterday UN Chief Security Adviser (CSA) in Burundi conveyed the following message from the DSS daily sitrep:
"After information gathered from key informants, there was distribution of weapons and outfits military and police during the months of January and February for youth affiliated to the CNDD - FDD (IMBONERAKURE) party and the demobilized ex-AIMP Rumonge. An ad-hoc meeting was held in a hotel call[ed] KUKANYAMUENZA belonging to a "General de Brigade" located Nduwumunsi in Rumonge. A night training for the handling of these weapons would be located on the side of the central prison of Rumonge (KUMUREMBWE) and the surrounding population would have heard gunfire. These same activities (distribution of weapons) would be considered to take place in the commune of Nyzana-Laca, Kibago and Mabanda in Makamba province. Another face which tends to confirm the news, these are the statements of people who participated in these meetings but refused to receive weapons.
Two generals originating in the province of BURURI ex-AIMP whose names follow: Bde General Nduwumunsi (currently Director General of former Combatants) and General - Major Niyungeko Jevenal aka KIROHO (currently head of the Office of military Cooperation) would be supervisors of these activities (distributions of weapons and military and police uniforms). In this meeting they emphasized especially, that the beneficiaries of these weapons must remain vigilant and that when there is a trigger that each take care of their opponents in their proximity / neighbourhood."
3. I have undertaken consultations with key embassies including United States, Belgium and the Netherlands, all involved in security sector support activities, to corroborate the information and plan to raise the matter with the relevant ministers. The ambassadors informed have confirmed the grave nature of the allegations which if confirmed may have implications for bi-lateral assistance programmes.
Observations
4. CSA in Burundi confirmed the reliability of the sources.
5. The Imbonerakure actions have been on the rise since the beginning of the year and are one of the major threats to peace in Burundi and to the credibility of the 2015 elections as they are responsible for most politically motivated violence against opposition. BNUB has documented 27 cases implicating the Imbonerakure so far in 2014, 23 of which have been politically motivated.
6. The Imbonerakure act in collusion with the local authorities and with total impunity. In the country side they have replaced the law enforcing agencies and act as a militia over and above the police, the army and the judiciary. Opposition parties have repeatedly complaint [sic] about the Imbonerakure violence.
7. One can only speculate about the purpose of the distribution of weapons and uniforms in Bururi which is a traditional stronghold of the UPRONA. However the last sentence of the message indicated a highly decentralized chain of command which is consistent with reliable information on Imbonerakure modus operandi on the ground.
8. In February BNUB had informed of the disappearance of 500 uniforms from military and police installations as well as the distribution of 9mm pistols. Although not confirmed there are indications that the weapons distributed this time can be AK-47 assault rifles. DSS has also informed in the past of radio messages for the population "to be ready."
9. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and keep you informed.
UNITED NATIONS, December 10 -- On UN Security Council reform, President of the General Assembly John Ashe today sent a "non-paper" and letter from San Marino ambassador Daniele Bodini to Afghanistan's Ambassador Zahir Tanin as chief of the Inter-Governmental Negotiations.
Inner City Press has obtained the letters and non-paper, which are not yet online on the UN's website, and publishes them here.
Ashe back on November 6 tried to assuage the critics by saying that, contrary to statements by Brazil and Germany in the Security Council debate on Working Methods, the Group of Six would neither negotiate nor draft.
Still, France's Deputy Permanent Representative said France looked forward to the Advisory Group drafting.
Ashe had to write and go online again, canceling the December 5 beginning of Inter Governmental Negotiations and putting it back a week to December 12. Now Inner City Press publishes the non-paper here.
The United States, through its Number Three Ambassador to the UN Jeffrey DeLaurentis, said "All governments do things that are secret." And then, at least Tuesday, defend them only at the end of a debate when nearly everyone is gone.
Later the US Mission e-mailed out DeLaurentis' reply, but online it was only Permanent Representative Samantha Power's prepared statement, here.
Diplomats from three Latin American countries, exiting the Council, panned DeLaurentis' right of reply. It's up to you, one of them said, apparently meaning the press.
Covering the meeting to the end, Inner City Press noted Sudan saying that it liked a segment of the Presidential Statement about helping national judicial systems. This, it seems, was a code word for a local trial of the country's ICC indictees, including President Omar al Bashir with whom the UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous met in July.
UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant came back to say that there would be no bilateral talks with Argentina with "the Islanders" involved; he disputed Uruguay's minister's statement about UK illegal hydrocarbon searching near The Islands.
(Argentina's Permanent Representative Perceval replied briefly, that her government's position on Malvinas is well known, which she gracefully repeated to Inner City Press while leaving.)
Lyall Grant also chatted amiably with Inner City Press, about Puntland in Somalia, but had nothing to add, past 8 pm, to his right of reply on Falklands / Malvinas. It was e-mailed out, and this was put online. It had the feeling of a ritual, even on the only recently revealed spying programs.
Five Latin foreign minister came and met with Ban Ki-moon. In a question and answer Inner City Press put a portion of online here, Brazil's minister Patriota said that with this meeting, they had achieved their objective for the moment.
He did not say, but Inner City Press does, that governments come to New York to say they raised an issue to the UN. Ban Ki-moon's lack of action on the issue, or asin the case of Edward Snowden, his seeming antipathy, don't really matter to the governments that visit. They raised the issue.
As was said on the NSA spying, somehow it's up to the press.
Footnotes: The Free UN Coalition for Access posed a number of questions Tuesday to the Department of Public Information, from its UN Television and Media Accreditation and Liaison Units up to their supervisor, Stephane Dujarric.
DPI big shots left the UN while the Security Council meeting continued, without apparently caring how it could or would to covered. This is today's UN -- and FUNCA objects. Watch this site.
