Of Crimean Maps & Western Sahara Stakeouts, End of Luxembourg's Month

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 31 -- After a month as president of the UN Security Council in which Luxembourg's Ambassador to the UN Sylvie Lucas did 14 question and answer stakeouts, she hosted an end of presidency reception. Along with shrimp, champagne and for some, soda, there was talk of Crimea on the map, the EU and Africa and for April, Western Sahara.

  After an Arria formula meeting on Crimea that was closed to the press, video here, a not-yet Council member recounted how the UN Office of Legal Affairs has opined that the recent General Assembly vote, despite the 58 abstentions, means that Crimea will remain part of Ukraine on all UN maps. But for how long?

  Of the EU - African Summit, there was talk of South Africa's Zuma not going, and of Robert Mugabe's wife being blocked. The African Union position on Western Sahara arose, as UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous whispered with Morocco's Ambassador. Will Polisario be banned again from even speaking at the stakeout? The Free UN Coalition for Access opposes such restrictions and abuses of power.

  This will be decided in April under Nigeria's presidency; there will be a Rwanda event on April 16, and earlier in the month. And what on North Korea? Will there be any presidential statement?

 Earlier on March 31 Ambassador Lucas said seven resolutions had been adopted -- and one, on Ukraine and Crimea, was vetoed.

   Inner City Press had earlier asked the UN Spokesperson why the Crimea "Arria formula" meeting was not listed in the UN Media Alert, even though meeting organizer Lithuania had told the Free UN Coalition for Access there would at least be a question and answer stakeout afterward. There was one - but only of Lithuania's Deputy Permanent Representative.

  Inner City Press asked about Palestine and also about the Central African Republic.

  During March, the Mission of the Observer State of Palestine directed letters to Lucas as Council president, and a delegation of the OIC, NAM and the Arab League met with her. She said she conveyed that information, and it was discussed in consultations. 

  But what really comes of it? US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Tel Aviv; the UN's role in these talks is unclear or non-existent.

  In the CAR, the Chadian special forces killed somewhere between eight and 30 civilians, while not being part of the MISCA peackeeping force. Lucas said she had read the reports, and understood that the Chadians were part of a team to evacuate other Chadians. 

  So what happened? Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's 150 word statement does not answer. We aim to have more on this. Watch this site.

   

Murky Central African Republic Coverage Has Zuma Boosting Troops to 400, UN Stakeout Blackout

By Matthew Russell Lee, Blog

UNITED NATIONS, January 6 -- Why is the conflict in the Central African Republic so murky? 

  Not only events in the country north of Bangui, but also the international community's responses, from UNseen stakeouts at the United Nations in New York to superseded South African counts of how many troops that country is sending?

  First it was said South Africa was sending 120 soldiers. Then the numbers reported climbed to 150, then 200. Finally today President Jacob Zuma posted a statement putting the number at 400, and saying he gave the authorization four days earlier. Why the delay?

  At the UN on January 4, Security Council President Masood Khan of Pakistan came to read a Council press statement on CAR, drafted by the French. Inner City Press was there, and at first was told there would be no on-camera reading of the statement, since "you are the only one here."

  Inner City Press tweeted the Council Presidency's readiness with the statement, and went to visit the basement offices of UN Television. Finally after 6 pm the camera was set up, and two of the wire services that cover the UN sent reporters to the stakeout.

  Ambassador Khan read the statement, then Inner City Press asked him how many troops each country was sending to defend Bangui from the Seleka rebels. Khan said the Council had received this information from UN Department of Political Affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman -- who had declined to speak to the press -- but that he didn't have it off hand.

  Inner City Press asked about those arrested by Bozize, on ethnic and even religious groups. Khan pointed to a portion of the statement about "targeting." And then he was gone.

  As Inner City Press wrote up the answers such as they were, another reporter ran up to the Council, saying that the "televised" stakeout had not been shown live on UNTV. Inner City Press summarized it, then uploaded its informal video of the stakeout, figuring the UN would put its video up soon.

  But now two days later, at 1 pm on January 6, a visit to the UN Webcast website finds the Central African Republic stakeout video is still not online. Stories were written, including by a wire service bureau chief "at" the UN but not present at the stakeout, Reuters' Lou Charbonneau, a mere retyping of the e-mailed press statement. 

  "Reporting" and thus public knowledge are being undermined by the UN. This sounds like a job for the Free UN Coalition for Access, FUNCA, which asks: why are things so murky? Watch this site.

South Africa's Month from Sudan to Syria, Missing Annex & Robben Island, AU Vote

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 30 -- As South Africa's month as Security Council president ends, it had hoped to simultaneously nail down the chair of the African Union. But while Gabon's Jean Ping didn't win a second term, nor did South Africa's Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma win.

Outgoing Council president Baso Sangqu told Inner City Press that after this "no confidence vote," Ping must step down. But will Dlamini-Zuma run again in summer? Sangqu said at day's end that she would be "eligible" to run, not that she would.

South Africa's month atop the Council began with the UN in South Sudan failing to get "lethal assets to dissuade" attacks to Pibor, where an untold number of Murle people were killed.

But Sudan quickly became overshadowed by Syria, to the extent that by month's end when US Ambassador Susan Rice did a stakeout after the South Sudan meeting, she took questions only on Syria.

As president of the Council, South Africa had to play an administrative role. So, for example, when the Arab League letter came in asking for a meeting with the Council after the annexes attached to the letter were reviewed, it was Sangqu who asked, where are the annexes?

Eventually they came in: click here to view the English translation of the Arab League's monitoring report. By the time Inner City Press obtained this and put it online, the observer mission was pulled out, after Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al Arabi called some -- but reportedly not all -- Arab League ministers.

The month went by without any move to a vote on Palestine's application for UN membership; there was, however, a briefing on the humanitarian impacts of Israel's settlements, with rockets from Gaza in the mix as well.

There was a day long Middle East public debate, with more Syria than usual. As Syria's Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari spoke about Nelson Mandela, he didn't note that the meeting was chaired by South African Deputy Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ibrahim, who spent time with Mandela in prison on Robben Island -- as Jacob Zuma's cell mate.

Another from this group, Nicolas Haysom, was slated for the UN's Afghanistan deputy envoy post, rather than the top spot in Lebanon which went to the Brit Plumley.

Just as December witnessed the death of North Korea's Kim Jong Il, January saw Guinea Bissau's head of state pass away in Paris. When Sangqu's Deputy Doctor Mashabane held a stakeout, Inner City Press asked if he'd get a minute of silence, and about the AU through Jean Ping trying to address instability.

Mashabane said South Africa would go to Guinea Bissau too; he correctly referred Inner City Press to the GA, where the minute of silence was belatedly held on January 25.

South Africa's main thematic debate was, not surprisingly, about the African Union. It started late after some fighting about the speakers' order; President Jacob Zuma came and spoke.

Afterward Inner City Press asked Zuma about the fallout from the Council's and NATO's actions in Cote d'Ivoire and Libya. He said the problems are being worked around, just as his foreign minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane had told Inner City Press the day before. But are they? Watch this site.

At UN, Halonen Contradicts Rudd on Frequency of Sustainability Meetings, Less Press Access Under Ban Ki-moon?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 19 -- Finnish president Tarja Halonen predicted more UN Panel of Global Sustainability meetings than Australian foreign minister Kevin Rudd had, when he was accused of two timing by the Press.

In the first media stakeout of this heavy UN week, Inner City Press asked President Halonen how the panel she co-chairs with the absent Jacob Zuma will accomplish much, if it only meets three times in the next two years, as Kevin Rudd described it.

President Halonen responded that there should be a meeting this Fall in New York, another next Spring, and more after that -- that is, more than Rudd had said. She acknowledged her co-chair's absence but said the panel members are committed.

Only two questions were taken, both directed at Halonen, during which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stood seeming uncomfortable. “I will see you later,” he told the Press after the two questions, referring to his upcoming stakeout after a meeting on Pakistan to which Richard Holbrooke and others were seen streaming at 5 pm.

For today, Sunday, reporters are allowed to roam on the second floor of the UN's Temporary North Lawn Building. But starting tomorrow, journalists will largely be confined to a media room on the first floor, with only twenty “free range” passes to share amongst them.

What in previous years was a stakeout microphone in front of the General Assembly Hall is gone. Many have remarked that under Ban Ki-moon, there is less and less press access. But will the member states notice and complain? Watch this site.