UN Council Meets Many UK-based Somalis, Dodges Requests for Human Rights Prosecutions

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press in Africa
www.innercitypress.com/unsc4djibouti060308.html

DJIBOUTI, June 3 -- Many of the Somalis meeting at this luxury hotel in Djibouti with UN Security Council members from New York came in not from Somalia but from the UK. That the Transitional Federal Government is top-heavy with UK citizens has recently been exposed, as discussed here. But it emerged on June 2 that even the vice-chairman and spokesman for the ostensibly Eritrea-based Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia, Abdulrahman Abdishakur Warsame, lives in London.

When Inner City Press asked him about reports that the town of Baidoa is surrounded and about to fall, he replied, "I am not in Baidoa, you should ask the Transitional Federal Government." That he was not then physically in Baidoa was obvious. But the disconnect is more fundamental. The A.R.S. delegation in Djibouti is distant both from compatriots still in Asmara who demanded the immediate withdrawal of Ethiopian troops and from the insurgents on the ground who are fighting the Ethiopians.

UK Ambassador John Sawers was seen meeting Monday night with some of the A.R.S. delegation, after a liquor-less reception thrown by the Saudi Arabians. Earlier he had encouraged the traveling UN press corps not to freeze the A.R.S. into a hard-line position about the withdrawal of the Ethiopian, which apparently would be accomplished by quoting what they actually said.

Tuesday before the Council and press headed to Juba in South Sudan, they received a "Statement by Somali Non-state Actors and Civil Society" which read suspiciously like a production of the UN's Ould-Adballah. The statement called Ould-Adballah's Office "the best institution to lead the current International supported peace process." Inner City Press has asked about how the Somali delegations' hotel bills at the Djibouti Palace Kempinski, with its $90 buffet, are being paid. "Half by the E.C.," was the beginning of an answer. If and when we get more information, it will be reported on this site.

Afterwards, Inner City Press asked the Somali Peace and Human Rights Network's Abdinasir A. Osman who, in his view, has been committing the human rights violations in Somalia, only the insurgents or also the Ethiopians and the Transitional Federal Government? He answered by referring to Amnesty International's reports, and said that the Security Council should consider referring perpetrators for criminal prosecution, presumably by the International Criminal Court, to which the Council can and has referred cases, such as in Darfur.

At the Council's close-out press conference in Djibouti, Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador John Sawers if the Security Council is going to act on the civil society request that the Council "establish a commission of inquiry to investigate violations of human rights." Amb. Sawers said that will be up to the Somali parties. This is not the approach the Security Council has taken toward Sudan, to which the Council members were headed, on their special UN plane.

Curtain-raising footnote: Three weeks after violence emptied the southern Sudanese town of Abyei, the UN Security Council headed to Juba, to meet with the president of the South Sudan region, Salva Kiir. They were also slated to visit -- and render "homage," one Ambassador said -- at the tomb of John Garang. We will report from there, or from Khartoum after that. President al-Bashir has traveled to the food summit in Rome, and so the Council will wait to speak with him.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unsc4djibouti060308.html

Ethiopian Troops Cast Shadow on Djibouti Talks, But Who Could or Would Replace Them?

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press in Africa
www.innercitypress.com/unsc3djibouti060208.html

DJIBOUTI, June 2 -- The Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia delegation meeting the UN Security Council laid down a condition for moving forward: there must be a timeline for Ethiopian troops to leave Somalia. Some saw this as a softening of the A.R.S. position, in which actual departure was the threshold for discussion. But who would replace the Ethiopians?

When A.R.S. vice-chairman Abdulrahman Abdishakur Warsame emerged from meeting with the Council to take questions, Inner City Press asked if the Alliance would support a UN Peacekeeping force in Somalia. Yes, he said, we would support that. But earlier in the day, the Council was told that there are no countries waiting to send troops. So what if the Ethiopians were "re-hatted" as UN Peacekeepers?

Inner City Press asked Abdulrahman Abdishakur Warsame about reports that the town of Baidoa, defended until now by Ethiopian troop and those of the Transitional Federal Government, is surrounded and about to fall. I am not in Baidoa, he answered. "You should ask the TFG." Inner City Press did ask, the TFG's minister of information. He did not deny the town might change hands. Instead he said that the TFG has taken the decision to "stop all operations," including apparently operations to defend Baidoa, and Jowar before it. What these talks can or do have to do with events on the ground in Somalia is not clear.

UK Ambassador John Sawers afterwards told the press that perhaps the A.R.S. representatives here in Djibouti are having to take into account the less flexible views of their compatriots still in Eritrea. Inner City Press' sources say that "the A.R.S. members in Eritrea are demanding that the breakaway group that is now in Djibouti return to Asmara for consultation. The ARS members in Eritrea are actually accusing the SRSG and these 'UN mediated talks' as a U.S. inspired program to divide the resistance." Al-Shabaab's representative was even more focused on Monday, saying that the UN is the U.S.. Djibouti is crawling with U.S. military presence; there's talk of beer in the Sheraton Hotel and even a red light district.

Footnote: U.S. Ambassador Wolff, meanwhile, took a surprisingly (but perhaps understandably) low profile in Monday's talks in Djibouti. France took an even lower-key approach: their Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert is skipping Djibouti and will fly directly to Sudan. Never a dull moment...

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unsc3djibouti060208.html

Report on UNDP in North Korea Raises More Questions Than It Answers, But Who Will Be Held To Account?

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN
www.innercitypress.com/undp1panel060208.html

UNITED NATIONS, June 2 -- As the UN Development Program prepared put its gloss on a report by Hungarian prime minister Miklos Nemeth, in a hastily called press conference by UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis, questions arose about the irregularities that the report confirms, in places begrudgingly. As so often happens at the UN, these confirmations are buried deep in the report. A wire service emphasized that the report "concluded that [Tony] Shkurtaj's claims of retaliation are without merit. As a contract employee he could not have been fired, it was just that his contract was not renewed, it said."

But UNDP formally selected and notified Shkurtaj of his selection and hiring for a full-time UNDP staff position as UNDP's North Korea operation manager, out of a total of 174 applications and a finalist list of 29 applicants. (Click here for Inner City Press' interview with Shkurtaj at the time.) Then UNDP subsequently retracted that offer from Shkurtaj. This fits any credible definition of retaliation. Significantly, despite UN Ethics Officer Robert Benson's plea to Dervis to allow his office, the UN specialist in whistleblower protection, to investigate the case, UNDP said no. Then UNDP said that this panel, which also included former World Bank official Chander Vasudev of India and former U.S. and U.N. official Mary Ann Wyrsch, would clear the air. But consider these questions about UNDP's operations:

The Panel conducted "[a] review of documentation related to the Selected Projects budgets" and concluded that "[f]or 77 transactions (74%) the available supporting documentation was insufficient to determine whether the ultimate beneficiary is consistent with the payee name indicated in the financial system (pg 158).

"38% of disbursements made by UNDP-DPRK" were to DPRK "government agencies" which constituted 11 of the top 20 of all payees and totaled $9.13 million (pg 100-101). This analysis does not even include "disbursements made on behalf of UNDP-North Korea by UNDP country offices and other UN agencies" which totaled in the range of $33.3 million -- $48.5 million (pg 118). If at the same percentage payment rate to the DPRK government, then an additional $1 2.65 million to $18.43 million was paid directly to the DPRK government as part of the UNDP DPRK program.

The Panel's review of the most sensitive items - those the Panel classifies as Level I and II -- exported by UNDP to North Korea focused on 151 pieces of equipment and found that 95 items were "classified as being on the Commerce Control List.... [and] would have required a licensee from the U.S. Commerce Department for export or re-export to the DPRK"? (pg. 210) The Panel found many such items were "controlled by the U.S. for national security and anti-terrorism reasons.... and were of heightened concern" (pg. 213).

"At the suspension of the UNDP program in the DPRK in March of 2007, the UNPD transferred a large amount of equipment in closed projects to agencies in the DPRK government.... [and] to the extent that this equipment included U.S.-origin items, the UNDP's retransfer to the DPRK government of U.S.-origin items subject to U.S. license requirements would likely be considered by the U.S. to contravene its export policies prevailing at the time" (pg. 215-216).

Assistant Secretary General for Legal Affairs Larry Johnson reportedly opined to UNDP that UNDP required a "retransfer authorization" from the U.S. to transfer the equipment to the DPRK or other third parties and that UNDP did not obtain any such "retransfer authorization" prior to transferring these items to the DPRK government (pg. 220). But what did the UN's Office of Legal Affairs, of which Larry Johnson is the Deputy, do about this?

The Panel concluded "that in the course of his duties and areas of oversight, Shkurtaj in fact reported conduct and facts about UNDP operations in the DPRK that required resolution and may well have been in violation of UNDP policies as well as applicable agreements with the DPRK" (pg. 312).

The Panel noted a "management lapse" in UNDP's handling of the counterfeit currency (pg. 269). The Panel "noted discrepancies" in the accounts that UNDP Comptroller Darshak Shah gave to the Panel regarding the counterfeit currency issue (pg. 267) What action will be taken against Mr. Shah for his inconsistent statements to the Panel?

While the UN system become ever-better known for lack of accountability, at UNDP this rises to the level of impunity.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/undp1panel060208.html

Somali President and Ex-Capital Baidoa Surrounded by Trouble, UN Council Told at Djibouti Talks

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press in Africa
www.innercitypress.com/unsc2djibouti060208.html

DJIBOUTI, June 2 -- As UN Security Council members waited to meet Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf of the Transitional Federal Government, they received briefings in a luxury hotel about the identities and backgrounds of those meeting with the TFG, and the security situation in Puntland, Somaliland and the South and Central portions of the country. The press was allowed to listen, but not to attribute quotes to any participant. Questions arose about whether the armed opponents on the ground, who are said to already control Jowar and to be massing around Baidoa, are sufficiently represented in these talks. In response, it was pointed out that some of the non-attendees are subject to UN sanctions, but live in and travel through countries serving on the Security Council, some on a permanent basis.

The UN's advice, it seems, is to participate in the peace process and then maybe, just maybe, they will be taken off the list. These same incentives are being deployed on opposition figures now leaving Eritrea for Djibouti, Yemen and, they hope, Kenya. To help them with asylum, the UN expects them to sign something.

With this gang, coercion may not be the right word. But the sincerity of commitments under duress remains dubious.

Reference was made to previous attempts to solve the Somali problems, meetings with up to 3000 participants in processes allowed to drag on for 18 to 24 hours, described as not serious. This process, it is said, is limited to the TFG and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (or a mere portion of the ARS, it was pointed out), with only 22 participants on each side. They are all staying in the same hotel, the luxurious Djibouti Palace Kempinski, apparently at UN expense. They talk with each other by phone, it was said, to not be seen together.

With the scheduled voting in New York on the Council's resolution on piracy only nine hours away, members were told that some of the best pirates are, in fact, cousins of President Yusuf. They are, its seems, excellent mariners, though inconvenient relatives at this time.

President Yusuf, fresh from having his plane mortar-attacked in Mogadishu, arrived with an entourage of twenty. The press were allowed for photos, and the beginning of Yusuf's speech. And then exile into the long marble-floored hallways of this luxury hotel, with bouquets of lush roses and metal detectors everywhere.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unsc2djibouti060208.html

UN-Represented at Djibouti Talks Are Somaliland and Al-Shabab, Piracy Projections

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press in Africa
www.innercitypress.com/unsc1djibouti060208.html

UN SPECIAL PLANE, June 2 -- "Anytime you eliminate an Al-Qaeda target it's a positive contribution," said Alejandro Wolff, the U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN told the press while flying to the Somalia talks in Djibouti. He had been asked if the U.S. airstrikes in Somalia were a positive contribution to reconciation. He was asked for the U.S. position on meeting with individuals on terrorism watchlists. "Let me know if there are" any, he said. He said that "if all goes well," the Security Council's resolution on piracy in Somalia's coastal water will be enacted Monday at the UN, at 3 p.m. New York time. Inner City Press asked Amb. Wolff, if the resolution allows the Transitional Federal Government could authorize anti-piracy entry into the waters of Puntland and Somaliland. "We believe in the territorial integrity of Somalia," Amb. Wolff said.

But Somaliland, according to the UK's Ambassador to the UN John Sawers, has "different ambitions" than the rest of the country, and is not represented in the Somali peace talks in Djibouti. Puntland, according to Amb. Sawers, wants to remain a part of the country. On the UN Special Plane headed to the talks from Nairobi, Inner City Press asked Amb. Sawers about the presence on the list of civil society groups the Security Council will meet with of representatives from Puntland -- Mohamed Ali Shirwa, Hawa Li Jama and Dahir Mahamed Farah -- but none from Somaliland. It's important to note, he said, that things are more peaceful in the northern part of the country. In Mogadishu, by contrast, President Yusuf's plane was shot at as he left for Djibouti.

South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo was asked why the Council, or at least some of its members, were not going to Somalia itself. The reason is security, he said. Amb. Sawers spoke of Islamist groups which are not and should not, he said, be part of the political process. Asked about the al-Shabab group, which is actively fighting both the Transitional Federal Government and the Ethiopian troops which brought them to the capital, Amb. Sawers said drily that he did not think they have a coherent political platform.

Perhaps not, but al-Shabab has the guns. Those of academic bent thought to ask about British Somalialand, or even the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium. This Council trip has historical echoes, which we will attempt periodically to channel.

For now, some notes from the road.

The delegates whisked through Nairobi's airport with scarcely a security check. Metal detectors beeped by nobody cared. The group walked across the tarmac taking photographs. In the distance military cargo planes loomed. Inner City Press asked South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, who is co-leading the Djibouti leg of the Council's trip, if anyone is speaking with al-Shabab. "We'll have to see," Amb. Kumalo answered. In New York he had said that all of the important parties are involved in the Djibouti talks.

While a more realistic sense of these talks will have to wait until Monday afternoon, at earlier, the Council's pre-dawn breakfast at the Nairobi Inter-Continental included, alongside very British hot tomatoes and sausage, comparison of various Ambassador's travel costs to Kenya. The Ambassador mostly closely affiliated with British Airways appeared well-rested from First Class. U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative Alejandro Wolff, it was noted, flew "World Economy." When Inner City Press asked, he joked, "It had nothing to do with frugality, I assure you." More seriously, he said he had worked hard to get the Somalia piracy resolution ready for adoption Monday at 3 p.m. New York time. His Chinese counterpart Ambassador Liu marveled at the pace of real estate development in Nairobi. The representative of Panama wore, what else, a Panama hat.

In separate mini-busses escorted by Kenyan security in four-by-fours with enormous antennae, the Ambassadors followed by the press corps drove at dawn to the airport. The shoulders of the road were filled with small boulders, and the road was periodically thinned down by spiked metal strips. "Vote No" was spray-painted on cinderblock walls.

Voting, even with Kenya's problems, it was remarked, would be a major step forward for Somalia.

Footnote: Amb. Sawers announced in his briefing on the plane that he expected the Somalia piracy resolution to be adopted Monday at the UN in New York. Late last week, the Ambassador of Indonesia, among others, expressed reservations about the draft of the resolution at that time. Inner City Press asked what provisions, if any, were being included to ensure that foreign fishing ships don't trawl in Somalia's exclusive economic zone. One Council diplomat questioned, "What was that French yacht doing off Somalia? Or the South Korean trawlers?" We'll see -- watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unsc1djibouti060208.html

In Kenya, Amnesty Rift in Rift Valley Echoes Annan-Led Mediation, Leaked Minutes Show, Council Passes Through

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press in Kenya
www.innercitypress.com/unsc1nairobi060108.html

NAIROBI, June 1 --As both President Mwai Kibabi and Prime Minister Raila Odinga celebrated Kenya's 45th year of independence here Sunday, the dispute between then concerning whether those held for political violence earlier this year should be prosecuted continued to heat up. Odinga favors release, saying this is not even amnesty, "because they committed no crime. Is it a crime to fight for your democratic rights? Or is it a crime to stand and say that last year’s elections were rigged?" Kibaki, on the other hands, said that those in jail should be put on trial.

Leaked minutes of the mediation led by Kofi Annan, given to Inner City Press by well-placed Kenyan sources, show that these very issues, of "reconciliation" and so-called transitional justice, were discussed in the process that led to the power-sharing agreement. On February 29, for example, in a session also attended by Ghana's former Ambassador to the UN Nana Effah-Apenteng, as chief of staff of the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation secretariat and Odinda negotiator William Ruto quotes Ruto

"that as a person from the Rift Valley, he recognized that the people there had resisted an earlier truth and justice process, having seen it as process of apportioning blame. In the current situation, however, they would be ready and willing to put historical injustices on the table in order to do away with them. Building police stations in the Rift Valley would not fix matters."

Click here for the February 29 Minutes.


Inner City Press' interviewing in Nairobi on June 1 tended to confirm this. Speaking just outside the Nyayo National Stadium, a man who asked that his name not be used due to continued fear said he doubted he or other displacees from the Rift Valley would return. "It's much worse being beaten by people you know than by strangers," he said. "How can you go back? The trust isn't there." He predicted the Kenyan economy will continue to suffer for at least two more years, due to the violence as well as to the worsening food price crisis.

On that, police here fired tear gas at food price protesters on May 31, arresting four. Inflation in Kenya soared to 26.6 per cent in April from 21.8 per cent the previous month due to the rising cost of food.

Members of the UN Security Council convened in Kenya, where they had planned to meet with Somalia's Transitional Federal Government. The TFG, however, is in Djibouti meeting with portions of the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. And so the Council members and accompanying media, including Inner City Press, will set out Monday before dawn for Djibouti, and after that Sudan. Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unsc1nairobi060108.html

Dutch Government Also Paid Military Officials at UN, Reports Say, Like Herfkens and N. Korea, Litigation Needed

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press in Amsterdam
www.innercitypress.com/undp6herfkens060108.html

AMSTERDAM, June 1 -- While in New York the United Nations has been trying to bury the controversy of Eveline Herfkens, the Coordinator of its Millennium Campaign who simultaneously took $280,000 from the Dutch government, here in the Netherlands l'affaire Herfkens continues to gather steam and to expand. Raised in the Dutch press, contrary to UN denials on May 30, is that Dutch military officials ostensibly working for the UN may be having their salaries "topped off" to equate what they would make in NATO or in Holland. Meanwhile Ms. Herfkens herself has refused to return any of the money, saying that would be an admission of guilt. She has said, in essence, "sue me." If someone does, it is not known if the UN's immunity, or in this case impunity, could be a prevailing defense.

On May 30 at the UN's noon briefing in New York, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe

"This is in light of this issue of either housing subsidies or wage supplements. There is an article in NRC/Handelsblad in the Netherlands saying that, if these payments are prohibited, the Netherlands is going to have a hard time detaching senior military officials to work for the UN or, I guess, in peacekeeping missions... Do force commanders or senior military figures from Governments that work for the UN on peacekeeping missions, are they entirely paid by the UN, or are they allowed, despite or around the Charter, to receive wage supplements from their Governments?"

Deputy Spokesperson Okabe: No, they are not.

Inner City Press: They only are paid by the United Nations?

Deputy Spokesperson: Of course.

But following this exchange, the Dutch newspaper BN DeStem reported that the country's Ministry of Defense "Also Paid UN-ers," specifically colonels working to the UN. Click here for English translation.

As with the still-unanswered question of which other countries' UN official may have "pulled Herfkens," which other countries secretly pay extra to their military personnel supposedly answering only to the UN? Now that even the narrow Dutch issues have moved beyond the UN Development Program, which has specialized in blocking, delaying and controlling investigations into its activities, will the wider UN, or anyone else, conduct a credible investigation?

Footnote: well-placed sources said Friday that UNDP long-prepared whitewash of its retaliation against the exposure of irregularities in its North Korea programs was to be unfurled Monday and that, not surprisingly, the whistleblower is not protected. But even the Kemal Dervis-selected panelists admitted systemic breakdown of safeguards within UNDP. On Sunday night, the UN to the press that Dervis would brief, or brag, at 11 a.m. Monday (Inner City Press' UN Correspondent is in Africa, click here for first of many articles.) The UN Ethics Office, which backed down or was called off this case once already, now has another chance, on this, the Koumoin / Cote d'Ivoire case, and the Somalia / KPMG cases, along others. Watch this site.

Footnote: back on May 22, Inner City Press asked UNDP these two questions, which have yet to be answered:

Q: What ever happened to the promised investigation by OAPR of UNDP's award of no-bid contracts to a firm called PRO-FIT? At the time, UNDP promised its own investigation. did it ever happen? will UNDP make it public? So far not answered.

Undp claimed a couple months ago that internal investigations and a Kimberly Process investigation had cleared undp from any wrongdoing in Zimbabwe, concerning undp's support of diamond mining operations. but undp refuses to make public the investigations. what is the basis for undp not sharing copies of these investigation reports: Will UNDP release the reports? So far not answered.

Q: Beyond UNDP, what about the question of UN requiring letter from a media's country's mission for accreditation?

Answered thusly: " I have been advised that for regular accreditation missions do not get involved. However, they do get involved when a visiting senior official travels with a press corps. In those instances, the mission would sent the UN Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit a list of journalists who need to get a one or two day pass."

We less sure of this last answer, as several journalists have been asked to get letters from their country's mission to the UN. Developing.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/undp6herfkens060108.html

As UN Council Heads to Africa, Justice in Confidential Meetings, Impunity Not Mentioned

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/unsc1pre053008.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 30 -- As the UN Security Council members set off to six countries in Africa, questions have been raised about the place on their agenda of justice, as well as of transparency. UK Ambassador John Sawers briefed the media about the three days the delegation will spend in Sudan, in Khartoum, Juba and Darfur. Inner City Press asked if the issue of the two International Criminal Court indictees, Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb, will be raised to President Al Bashir. Ambassador Sawers replied that "of course our conversations with all the various leaders that we meet will be confidential and we'll decide at the time what to say to the press afterwards." Video here, from Minute 26:34.

Rather than answer the question directly, he went on to cite the Council's terms of reference for the trip, which he said include underlining the importance of compliance with all previous Security Council resolutions, the rules of law and due process. He did not mention impunity.

Inner City Press asked Ambassador Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso whether, during the Cote d'Ivoire leg of the trip, the recently-raised issue of sexual abuse and exploitation by UN peacekeepers will be pursued with the UN Mission's senior leadership. Ambassador Kafando said, "These are important issues that we cannot just gloss over," and said they would be raised even to the leadership of the country, including president Laurent Gbagbo. He went on to note that the Security Council is only supporting the political process, mediated by the president of Burkina.

Less restrained was French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, who along about the four has full charge of two separate legs of the trip, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad, in connection with which he twice mentioned the Central African Republic. He did not say whether in Chad there will be any meetings with opposition or human rights groups.

While South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo was upbeat about the talks in Djibouti between Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and some of the opposition, Inner City Press' sources in Mogadishu, deemed to dangerous for a UN visit, indicate that the portion of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia that is meeting with the TFG has been losing support and credibility, that splits in the ARS are developing despite the positive spin deployed by the UN. Still available online is this expose, which raises questions that the trip should help answer.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unsc1pre053008.html

In Fallout from Georgian Drone, Abkhazia Analogies Cut Two Ways, Kosovo or Chechnya

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
www.innercitypress.com/un4abkhazia052908.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 29 -- As the fallout of the unmanned aerial vehicle or drone shot down over Abkhazia on April 20 reaches into the UN Security Council, Georgia on Thursday disputed the UN's statement that its drone flights over Abkhazia violate its commitments in the so-called Moscow Agreement. Georgian Ambassador Irakli Alasania compared the drones to a camera in the hand of a photographer. He said Georgia has been forced to deploy its intelligence assets in light of Russian moves in Abkhazia. Inner City Press asked if, as the UN's report on the drone downing says, the flights violate the Moscow Agreement. No, Amb. Alasania said. Video here.

Inner City Press asked Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin to comment on this. "Illogical and strange," Amb. Churkin called it, that Georgia would be asking for a Security Council meeting based on a report which, in what Churkin calls its only statement of fact, criticizes Georgia for the drone flights. Churkin said that unanimity had not been possible on its request that Abkhaz representatives be allowed to attend the Security Council meeting, which will therefore be unbalanced, and held behind closed doors. He predicted that support was growing for Abkhaz involvement in the Council's meeting in two months on the UN's next Georgia report. Given the support in this dispute for Georgia, by the U.S. and others, consensus is hard to imagine.

Inner City Press asked Amb. Alasania, since Georgia is asking compensation, how much each drone costs. I don't know, he answered, that would be negotiated bilaterally with Russia. With Abkhazia -- said by a Georgian minister to have more weaponry than Syria -- claiming to have shot down seven drones, Inner City Press asked Amb. Alasania how many drones have been downed. We are speaking about the April 20 incident, Alasiania said.

There was a battle of analogies. Supporters of the Abkhaz side compare the situation to that of Kosovo, which was allowed to participate in Security Council meetings. Georgian Ambassador Alasania, on the other hand, urged Russia to withdraw its request for Abkhaz participation in the Council, saying this is "not in the best interest of Russia," as it would set a precedent for "other separatists" to participate -- a reference, it seemed clear, to Chechnya. The analogies of Abkhazia, then, can cut at least two ways. We will continue to follow this story.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un4abkhazia052908.html

Human Rights Council Vote Flawed by Two Errors, Kerim Admits, Spain Demands Improvements

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/hrc1kerimerror052808.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 28 -- Further irregularities have emerged concerning the Human Rights Council elections held in the UN General Assembly last week. In one contested race, the UK beat out Spain for a seat by a single vote, with two ballots called "invalid." When Inner City Press asked the spokesman for General Assembly president Srgjan Kerim to explain on what basis the ballots were deemed invalid, he declined to provide the answer. At Srgjan Kerim's press conference the following day, despite a statement just before the vote that the question could be asked, no question was permitted on the issue. Nor has any update been provided since.

Until Srgjan Kerim issued a letter apologizing for even further and more serious errors. He wrote:

"I wish to bring to your attention a matter relating to the election by the General Assembly of 15 members of the Human Rights Council that took place during the 98th plenary meeting yesterday, 21 May 2008.

"With regard to the results of the balloting for the two seats from among the Western European and other States, I have been informed by the Secretariat that there were two recording errors by the Secretariat: one in the number of abstention ballots and the other in the number of Members voting.

"The registration for abstention should have been 1 (one) instead of 10 and the number of Members voting should have been 189 (192 ballots received, minus two invalid ballots, minus one abstention ballot) instead of 182."

On such a simple vote, two major errors? Spain has written its response, which Inner City Press is putting online here. But this is a new low, and as Spain argues, things must improve. And questions must be answered.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/hrc1kerimerror052808.html

Eveline Herfkens Commits the Perfect Crime, No UN Answer on Robert Serry's Housing Subsidy

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN

www.innercitypress.com/undp2herfkens052808.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 28 -- As the Dutch government demands repayment from Eveline Herfkens, who took $280,000 from the government while ostensibly working only as UN Millennium Campaign coordinator, Ms. Herfkens is staking out a position as the committer of the perfect crime. To the Dutch she has said that she broke only UN rules, not Dutch rules, and so she won't pay back a penny. "This is a case between me and the UN," Herfkens has said.

So Inner City Press asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe on Wednesday at noon, what's the UN position if somebody works for the UN and takes money from a Government?

Ms. Okabe answered, "this is a United Nations Development Program matter and UNDP, as you know, Stephane Dujarric, is willing to take any questions on this matter."

Inner City Press followed up, "The only reason I'm asking you is because her quote was 'it's a matter between me and the UN.' She didn’t say UNDP; she said 'me and the UN.'" Video here.

Ms. Okabe repeated, "I'm referring your questions to UNDP."

But seven hours later, UNDP's answer was in fact a non-answer:

"The statement posted earlier this week is clear on what the investigation found. I don't want to get into a he/said she/said with Ms. Herfkins. The funds in questions came from the Dutch government and not the United Nations. Those specific issues need to be worked out by those parties."

So Herfkens tells the Dutch she will not return the improperly received money, because "it is between me and the UN." But then the UN says it is between Herfkens and the Dutch. As it stands, it is the perfect crime. People have gone to jail for less...

Another Dutch UN official receiving housing from the government, Middle East envoy Robert Serry, spoke to the Security Council on Wednesday. In the morning, Inner City Press asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Okabe

"Can you please provide an update, regarding this morning's briefer Robert Serry, to your March 5 response that 'an arrangement is being made to enable Mr. Serry to reimburse the Dutch government of the fair and reasonable monthly rent value for the period between 1 January through 30 June 2008.' Was the arrangement made? What is it? Is it still ongoing? Also, still no answers at all to the questions asked of OLA, below. And any Alicia Barcena-briefing update?"

More than 12 hours later, no response has been given. Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/undp2herfkens052808.html

UN Admits Child Sex Problem, But Ban in Denial on Congo Gold and Guns Cover-Up

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un8oiosmonucsex052708.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 27 -- The UK-based Save the Children released a report about systemic and unpunished child sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers, and the UN quickly embraced the report, calling it useful. Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Michele Montas called the report "largely accurate." While Inner City Press was not permitted to ask her questions about this phrase - for example, did this characterization apply to the testimony of a girl in Cote d'Ivoire that she was gang-raped by ten peacekeepers? -- Jane Holl Lute came and gave a briefing about the report.

Since a major critique is of the lack of punishment of wrongdoers in blue helmets, Inner City Press asked Ms. Lute for an update on the Moroccan peacekeepers suspended in Cote d'Ivoire, on the Sri Lankan contingent repatriated from Haiti, and of Pakistan's failure to even response to a "note verbal" from the UN asking if those repatriated for the "gold for guns" trading scandal have been put on trial or punished. "I came down to speak about the report," Ms. Lute said, "not those cases.". They are, of course, related. She subsequently acknowledge this, at least as to Cote d'Ivoire, saying the UN Peacekeeping has "asked the mission" there to respond to charges that they were given evidence of child sexual abuse and did not act on it. She said there might be accountability for the mission leadership there. It was unclear if she meant the departed leadership, which most say will not work for the UN again, or current leadership.

While Ms. Lute said that the new Memorandum of Understanding with troop contributing companies does not limit UN responsibility, previously the head of the Office of Internal Oversight Services Inga-Britt Ahlenius told Inner City Press that the new MOU (A/61/19, Part III, Annex) provides that "It is understood that the Government has the primary responsibility for investigating any acts of misconduct or serious misconduct committed by a member of its national contingent."

So not only is punishment left in the hands of the troop contributing country -- so is investigation. Is this credible? Even Ms. Lute said that there are questions regarding if the UN can investigate itself. Inner City Press asked her if Ban Ki-moon, or UN Peacekeeping, favor the formation of a global watchdog unit on the issue. She said the Peacekeeping supports it, but she didn't know Ban Ki-moon view. Nor do we, even after Ban purported to speak about the issue on Tuesday.

Notably, while the UN quickly capitulated to the Save the Children report, it continues to aggressively deny reports by BBC, Human Rights Watch and now one of its former auditors about the the trading of gold for guns in the Congo. Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon about the former auditor's op-ed in the New York Times of May 23. "I have given my answer to this question," Ban said -- strange, since he was out of town in Myanmar on May 23. Yes, he had previously been asked about the guns for gold trading scandal, by Inner City Press. We have looked at it closely, he said at the time. Tuesday he added, "we did not find much to the allegations." Now that a former UN auditor has come forward to say that his report was whitewashed and covered-up, there seems to be more to say. But Ban did not say it, on Tuesday. He did, however, call Save the Children very helpful.

What explains this different approach to reports by seemingly similarly situated NGOs? Why does the UN find it easier to cop to allegations of child sexual abuse by its peacekeepers than to charges that peacekeepers traded guns for gold with rebels in the Congo? Could it be that the latter is based on leaked UN documents -- the current UN hates leaks -- or that the charges of providing guns to militias to kill civilians is so devastating? "OIOS should look into it," Ban said on Tuesday. "This is what I am going to do." Video here, from Minute 23:23.

We'll see, www.innercitypress.com/un8oiosmonucsex052708.html

Calling Criticism "Unwise," UN Says It's Open to States and Staff, But Not the Public or Press

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/dm4war052708.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 27 -- With Ban Ki-moon in Myanmar, his outgoing Under Secretary General of Management Alicia Barcena penned a response to the UN Staff Union's May 16 Open Letter, which was critical of Ms. Barcena and her successor, of what it called rule-breaking by senior officials, and by a generalized inattention to inside-the-UN developments by Mr. Ban. The response by Ms. Barcena, which appears to be Ban's response to the letter which was addressed to him (and which Inner City Press, seeking comment, handed to Ban's senior advisor on May 16), calls the Staff Union approach "reprehensible," unfair and, perhaps ominously, "unwise."

Ms. Barcena begins by reciting the Ban "came into office... intent on strengthening the Organization and making it more efficient, transparent and well-managed. He very much welcomes the scrutiny of Member States, as well as the staff."

But what about the public and the press?

As an example of transparency, Ms. Barcena cites the publication of officials' Senior Compacts "on i-Seek," which is an intra-net for UN staff, not the public. When Inner City Press asked Ms. Barcena why these Compacts would not be available to the public, since the performance of officials at the top of UN Peacekeeping and Political Affairs clearly impact the public, she said, maybe later. Now she is leaving, and the Compacts are still kept in-house, just as there is still no UN freedom of information policy, another basic reform she had promised.

The second example of transparency cited by Ms. Barcena is the "publication of financial disclosures." But many senior officials have only filed a form saying that they opt to not disclose. Supposedly they are being encouraged to make at least basic disclosure so that the public and Member States can know of possible conflicts of interest. But there are no repercussions for those officials who opt to disclosing nothing, or who make disclosures which omit obviously possible conflicts of interst, such as when the UN's outgoing head lawyer Nicolas Michel did not include in his public disclosure that fact that he received over $10,000 a month from the Swiss government, while ostensibly working only for the UN. Large family or not, the payment should have been publicly disclosed, if the UN's public financial disclosures are to have any substance.

Nothing happened, either to Mr. Michel nor to those he says advised him that public disclosure of this blatant conflict was not necessary. Now, even more than Ms. Barcena, Michel ignores press questions about the activities of the UN Office of Legal Affairs, and Ban's Spokesperson's Office appears unable to get any answers, weeks after they forwarded the press questions to OLA. Is this transparent and well-managed? Likewise, Ms. Barcena has declined to response to numerous press questions about, among other things, the Geneva Staff Union dropping out of what Ms. Barcena calls the only structure for negotiation.

In fact, the trend in UN disclosures even to Member States is become more rather than less secretive. In the most recent Chief Executives Board meeting on April 28, Ban Ki-moon according to leaked talking points proposed that henceforth Member States only be given copies of audits if they commit to keep them confidential, which has not been the case to date, as to the Secretariat. This constitutes Ban's Secretariat taking on the less-transparent practices of Kemal Dervis' UN Development Program, a UN entity which been allowed to declare autonomy from the UN's Ethics Office and whistleblower protection policy.

Closer to home, when whistleblowers provided Inner City Press with copies of e-mails for publication showing the head of the Office of Internal Oversight Services writing to Ms. Barcena to be sure to be on the interview panel for a friend of hers, for a job in UN Procurement, and Ms. Barcena writing to her staff to make SURE she was on the panel, nothing happened. Likewise in the case of e-mails showing the acting head of Procurement, Paul Buades, taking thirteenth hour changes to a request for proposals for a big contract in Darfur, suggested by the French government's "mission economique" to the UN. While some day that the irregularities have taken Mr. Buades out of the running to hold on to the top Procurement job -- an Australian is rumored -- from the outside, no repercussions were seen.

Ban Ki-moon, when Ms. Barcena penned this letter, was emerging from discussions with Myanmar's Senior General Than Shwe, praising his flexibility. That's diplomacy, but from this exchange of letters, it appears that more focuses may need to be devoted to the UN itself running more cleanly and transparently -- not only to the staff and Member states, but to the press and most importantly the public. Help was requested, may this be a step in that direction. Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/dm4war052708.html

UN's Congo Scandal was Covered-Up, Former OIOS Investigator Says, Accountability Delayed

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un7oiosmonuc052308.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 23 -- Faced with evidence that UN peacekeepers traded guns for gold with rogue militia leaders in the Eastern Congo, the UN's Office of Internal Oversight Services engaged in a cover-up and issued a whitewash report, its deputy chief investigator in the Congo announced in a detailed article published Friday morning. At the noon briefing at UN Headquarters, Inner City Press asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe for a response to the expose, if the militia leaders have been re-interviewed, as OIOS chief Inga-Britt Ahlenius said she was trying to bring about, and for a briefing by Ms. Ahlenius. Video here, from Minute 20:03.

Ms. Okabe replied, "Normally I do not represent OIOS as you know, but in response to these questions these you just asked, OIOS does have a number of points, so I'm going to read them, but this is really for follow-up with OIOS." She referred to a "background" briefing given on April 28 by a senior - but not the most senior - OIOS official, who insisted that his name not be used. What was presented at that briefing is directly contradicted by the new information from former OIOS investigator Matthias Basanisi. As Inner City Press pointed this out, Ms. Okabe put down her talking points and said, "I will provide you this after the briefing."

The five points that OIOS had given to Ms. Okabe are, in full, as follows:

- OIOS categorically denies all the accusations by Mr. Basanisi as baseless.

-Professional investigations cannot rely on rumor and unsubstantiated allegations, and require corroboration and evidence to draw definitive conclusions.

-During the course of his investigation, Mr. Basanisi was not able to provide credible corroboration of a single allegation. In fact, he never progressed further than cataloguing allegations.

-OIOS reiterates that it drew the right conclusions based on the evidence. As in all cases, OIOS applied common quality control procedures to examine and test whether evidence has be adduced.

-Should, however new evidence come to light -- OIOS will investigate.

Inner City Press asked Ms. Okabe, regarding just the first of the five points, if OIOS disputes that Mr. Basanisi was its deputy chief investigator in the Congo from 2005 to 2007. Ms. Okabe said, "This is what OIOS gave me. I don't speak for OIOS." Who does?

An obvious question for Ms. Ahlenius to answer is, "Did OIOS remove Mr. Basanisi and others from the Congo investigation when they resisted attempts to influence the outcome?"

Previously, Ms. Ahlenius told Inner City Press by e-mail that "given the fact that the persons known as 'Dragon' and 'Kung FU' respectively have changed their statements from denying obtaining any armaments from UN peacekeepers in their interviews with OIOS on 19 and 20 of July 2007, OIOS investigators in Kinshasa currently are making efforts to obtain access to them." That was more than three weeks ago. Have the interviews taken place? Inner City Press hopes to have more on this, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, soon.

Questions on which more is hope for from Mr. Basanisi include, who attempted to "influence the outcome"? Were such persons in his chain of command? If so, who? Are such persons still in the employ of the United Nations? If not, why?

Mr. Basanisi asserts that the reason for the whitewash is that the UN needs to continue to receive troops from Pakistan and India, and therefore covers-up abuses committed by these contingents. This would imply that the pressure to quash his report came from Peacekeeping -- that is, either Jean-Marie Guehenno or the just-passed head of the Department of Field Support Jane Holl Lute. Guehenno has already confirmed that he is leaving -- still unanswered is the question of which Frenchman will replace him, Jean-Maurice Ripert, Jean Arnault or some other. Jane Holl Lute, who was passed over to head DFS in favor of Susana Malcorra, is said to be preparing to leave. Some analogize this to the way the mere repatriation of accused peacekeepers keeps accountability from ever taking place. Time, then, is of the essence, and these questions must be answered.

Answers -- which Inner City Press has sought without success from Ban Ki-moon himself -- are particularly important in light of two audits of the Office of Internal Oversight Services which OIOS chief Inga-Britt Ahlenius told Inner City Press she owned and would not release have been put online by Inner City Press, here (1st) and here (2nd).

The reports are damning. The first, by Erling Grimstad, states among other thing that

"OIOS suffers from an ineffective and unclear structure, lack of independent budget and limited to no administrative support (check in and separating procedures, travel arrangements, etc.), poor management, conflicts at the senior management level, lack of communication inside ID/OIOS as well as with stakeholders and clients of ID/OIOS, lack of standard operating procedures and constant disagreements with regard to the scope of some of the investigative procedures of the division. This has obviously resulted in instability, high turnover rates and non-optimal working conditions for investigators."

The second report, on the "culture" of OIOS and compiled by Michel Girodo, states for example that, "secrecy and central control of information facilitated independence but also insulated managers from external review."

The fact that Ms. Ahlenius refused to release these on her own is, if anything, more troubling. The refusal to disclose could not be blamed on member states. She told Inner City Press, "It is my document." Now what does she say? Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un7oiosmonuc052308.html

In Nepal, Killing in Cantonment Site Called Criminal by UK, Child Soldiers "Put to the Side"

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un7nepal052208.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 22 -- Protests have shut down Kathmandu following the killing of businessman Ram Hari Shrestha in a Maoist cantonment site in Nepal. These sites are monitored by the UN Mission in Nepal, but UNMIN chief Ian Martin on Thursday said that all the UN is monitoring is the weapons storage facilities, not those who wielded and may wield the weapons. When Inner City Press asked Security Council President John Sawers about the protests and the killing, he said it is not surprising that in Nepal there is "occasional violence, criminal violence." But abduction and killing in a military camp overseen by the UN is not the ordinary crime. Martin says the Maoist are cooperating with the investigation.

Inner City Press asked Martin about the UN's own investigation of the deadly crash of its helicopter earlier this year, and UN personnel's blocking of journalists from filming, and seizure of their film. Martin said this was only to stop the photographing of remains before they were covered, and that the work of the UN Board of Inquiry is still ongoing. He stated that an earlier emergency landing which Inner City Press asked about had been "minor," and had been reported to Nepal's Minister of Civilian Aviation. Video here, from Minute 38:10.

Asked about UN reports of continued failure to release child soldiers, Martin acknowledged that the issue had been "put on one side during the election" in Nepal. But now UNMIN is winding down. Who will follow up? Inner City Press asked Amb. Sawers about child soldiers in Nepal, but this part of the question was no answered. Video here, from Minute 3:45.

Martin said that consideration of Nepal by the UN Peacebuilding Fund will have to await the formation of the new government. Video here, from Minute 42:33. Click here for Inner City Press' coverage of Burundi, and disagreements between Burundian officials and the Un on the need for aid. If Nepal, as Ambassador Sawer said, is to be a UN success story, the funds and proper investigations better be forthcoming.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un7nepal052208.html

In Burundi, UN Admits FNL Rebels Fired Katyusha Rocket, Their Provenance Left Vague

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1burundi052208.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 22 -- The FNL rebels in Burundi fired a Katyusha rocket during their most recent drive on the capital, Bujumbura, the UN acknowledged on Thursday. The FNL, Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People - National Liberation Forces, are in on-again, off-again peace talks with Burundi's government. Inner City Press had heard from Burundian sources that this rocket -- "we never heard those rockets before in Bujumbura," one said -- was the basis for alleging a link between the FNL and the FDLR militia in the Eastern Congo. The FDLR, in English the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, is comprised of ethnic Hutu from Rwanda. But when Youssef Mahmoud of the UN Integrated Office in Burundi was asked, he said "we do not deny that the Katyusha rocket was fired," but we have no credible evidence to link it to the FDLR. Video here, from Minute 4:46.

Fair enough. But where did the rocket come from, then?

The UN's operations in Burundi, which were requested to protect 46 opposition parliamentarians on February 28, did not offer any protection before a March 8 grenade attack on four of the legislators. Thereafter, the UN asked the government to condemn the attacks, and checked up on the level of protection the government was providing. Inner City Press asked if, between the February 28 request for protection and the March 8 attacks, the UN had told the requesters that no help would be provided. We are in touch with the opposition, Mr. Mahmoud replied.

Many senior leaders of the FNL have been in Tanzania. Burundi officials says that the FNL is being squeezed out of Tanzania, and that many of the leaders "can't live in the bush," and so surrender. The FNL's forces are dwindling, they say. But Katyusha rockets can multiply forces.

When Inner City Press asked Karen Pierce, the Deputy Permanent Representative of the UK, which hold the Council presidency this month, about discussions of FNL connections with the FDLR, she acknowledged it was discussed, but said that the link had not been proved. She said that the issue of providing protection in Burundi had not been discussed, but rather child soldiers and "woman, peace and security." Video here, from Minute 4:06. Asked about the repeated flaming up of conflict in Burundi, she said that "a lot of visibility will help people adhere to their commitments." But when will that lot of visibility come? Discussions of Burundi at the UN take place on the margins.

On May 21 on the sidelines of the General Assembly's vote for members of the Human Rights Council, Inner City Press asked Norwegian Ambassador Johan Lovald, the head of the UN Peacebuilding Commission's Burundi "configuration" if he thought the Peacebuilding Fund is putting enough money into Burundi. Lovald answered that it might not be a question of too little money but rather of the capacity to spend it. Burundian officials contacted on May 22 by Inner City Press not surprisingly disagreed. We have 17 projects, one of them said. They are not all funded. It was noticeable that many Security Council delegation had their Permanent Representative leave Thursday's meeting on Burundi well before the end, leaving second-stringers. So it goes for Africa, or most of it.

Footnotes: now if the Katusha rocket were alleged to come from Iran, for example, more senior officials would come to the Burundi meetings....

Also, Amb. Lovald was asked about Carolyn McAskie's replacement as head of the Peacebuilding Fund. It's still a young entity, Lovald said, it needs a dynamic leader. Inner City Press asked, Jan Egeland? Amb. Lovald only laughed...

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1burundi052208.html

UN Peacekeeping Gives CISCO Access to Its Cairo Meetings, Roots of No-Bid Contracting

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1cisco052108.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 19 -- A U.S.-based computer company with, already, $90 million in UN business was allowed exclusive access to a recent Peacekeeping Information Technology conference in Egypt, rather than being referred for performance review or investigation, it has emerged.

In what some attendees call a junket, UN peacekeeping's Department of Field Support earlier this month held a conference about information technology in Cairo, Egypt. Sources told Inner City Press they were surprised and troubled at the high-profile presence including as a provider of entertainment at the intra-UN meeting of the large contractor, CISCO, via its global account manager to the U.N., David Andemicael. Such corporate access would not be allowed, at least under the rules, by the UN's Procurement Division. So why does UN Peacekeeping -- or its Department of Field Support -- allow it?

Inner City Press sent this question to DFS's information technology chief Rudy Sanchez as well as to the new head of DFS, Susana Malcorra. The first day passed without response. But on May 20, DFS spokesman Nick Birnback provided a lengthy response:

"Hi Matthew, Ms. Malcorra asked me to get back to you on your queries of yesterday. The United Nations Secretariat has a direct contractual agreement with CISCO Systems. This agreement was developed in compliance with United Nations Financial and Procurement rules and regulations and has been in place since February 2004. The Secretariat has standardized the use of CISCO products and technology for Network equipment used in field mission’s Local Area Networks (LANs) and the DFS Wide Area Network (WAN). Field mission Information and Communications Technology (ICT) personnel indicated that one of the most pressing technical issues was network performance related to the transmission of voice, video and data over mission LANs and the WAN, and the optimization of CISCO technologies currently in use.

CISCO representatives were therefore invited to the conference to provide technical briefings to the UN participants on the utilization of CISCO technologies that would mitigate performance degradation associated with the high-latency, low-bandwidth infrastructure in use in field operations. CISCO engineers also provided technical briefings on how their equipment could best be leveraged in support of field ICT operations. CISCO representatives only participated only in this phase of the conference.

While there were no other non-UN participants in attendance this year, major UN contractors/technical service providers have participated on an issue-specific basis in previous conferences. "

This answer, while appreciated, raises more questions. Sources tell Inner City Press that CISCO's "network performance," now proffered as the rationale for its exclusive access to decision-makers, is a performance issue, which should have been referred to the Procurement Division. What CISCO provides, they say, is often incompatible with UN Peacekeeping missions.

How long has CISCO worked for the UN? Since at least 1992, Inner City Press is told, beginning with routers costing (then) $30,000. But CISCO was soon made the UN de facto standard, so that other contractors could not compete. It has been, in essence, no-bid ever since, culminating in being invited to UN Peacekeeping's own information technology conference. It is credible that CISCO will be subjected to legitimate competition for UN contracts going forward? What do the powers that be at the UN have to say about this?

Footnotes: it's now said that the acting chief of the Procurement Division, Paul Buades, may not in fact get the post, that "an Australian from UNOPS" is now in line, and even Buades' Ukrainian deputy is on the rocks, his partying picture circulating through capitals of the countries for but not in which the UN buys millions of dollars of goods.

Meanwhile, the UN has erroneously jumped the gun on promising Spain that its Peacekeeping Information Technology unit will be in Valencia -- without Budget Committee approval of any kind. Hopefully that Committee will look into Valencia, and also into this. We'll see.

Finally, insiders describe a trend in which information technology staffers of UN Peacekeeping now Department of Field Suppport leaves and go to work with the companies which contract with the UN. Where are the safeguards? Partying with CISCO...

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1cisco052108.html

Amid Mysterious Invalid Ballots, France and UK Squeak By Spain on Human Rights Council, Reports of Torture at France's Artemis Camp in Congo

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/hrc1francedrc052108.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 21 -- The UK beat out Spain by a single vote for a seat on the Human Rights Council, with two nations' votes being declared invalid. Not only will the UN not disclose which two countries had their ballots invalidated -- despite repeated requests, the UN will not even state on what basis the two possibly dispositive votes were deemed invalid. Instead, the UN's response is that "voting was done through secret ballot, therefore, there is no voting sheet on how individual countries have voted nor is there specific information on why ballots may have been invalid." The grounds for disregarding a cast vote can and should be made public, even if the identity of the disqualified voter remains secret.

Following the vote, UK Permanent Representative John Sawers extended his hand with a smile to Spain's Ambassador, who bristled, shook and walked away. A single vote...

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, was one of the two spurned Asian candidates, along with Timor Leste. While repeated questioning of Ambassadors in the run-up to the vote did not result in any evidence of U.S. efforts against Sri Lanka, despite U.S.-based Human Rights Watch asking for precisely this, Pakistan's more extensive diplomatic outreach appeared to pay-off. Pakistan garnered 114 votes, to Sri Lanka's 101.

France, which bested Spain by a grand total of four votes, 123-119, sent its Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert to the stakeout microphone, accompanied by human rights minister Francois Zimeray. (Yama Rade left New York on Tuesday night, after informally briefing in the UN's Delegates' Lounge some Mission-selected journalists, one of whom complained that it was too loud to use any quotes. In fairness, the select journalists this time weren't all French, as was the case during President Sarkozy's last visit to the UN. Since then even procurement questions have arisen about France's Mission Economique to the UN, click here for that). Zimeray said France favors not a clash but an alliance of civilizations.

Meanwhile, a response has been received to the questions that Inner City Press would have asked Rame Yade had her Tuesday morning stakeout included any Q&A. Presumably she and her colleagues have viewed the expose broadcast on Swedish television (SVT) on April 2, that French "soldiers mistreated a Congolese captive in the French-Swedish military camp Chem-Chem' in the DRC. The man was allegedly paraded around the camp with a rope around his throat while being interrogated and was subjected, among other things, to a simulated drowning. According to Swedish witnesses, 'his cries could be heard throughout the whole camp.' A French officer also apparently pretended to shoot the prisoner by putting his gun to his head but without firing a bullet. The prisoner was then loaded into a jeep at around midnight and driven to some unknown destination. In this light, Inner City Press had prepared to ask Yama Rade, but not being allowed, asked the French Mission

--is France actively investigating the charges (of torture), including in light of developments in and statements by Sweden? If not, why not? If so, why did it take so long, and will results be made public?

--If France is denying the allegations of torture or mis-treatment, is it
saying that the Swedes are lying?

--And, is Ms. Yade and office involved in this review / issue?

The French Mission to the UN's spokesperson has responded, "yes, an enquiry has of course been launched. It's called the rule of law you know. The spokesperson of the French foreign ministry as well as the spokesperson of the Defense ministry have communicated extensively about it. The statements can easily be found on the website of the Foreign ministry www.diplomatie.gouv.fr."

But Laurent Teisseire, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, has already been quoted that there is "no evidence to corroborate the allegations made by the Swedish soldiers." Even more recently, European Report of April 30, 2008, reports that the " French army's internal affairs division" already finished investigating -- or whitewashing, some say -- the charges, offering this explanation of incidents at the Franco-Swedish Artemis camp in Bunia, on 13 July 2003 -- "The young man, who had entered the camp by climbing over the first barrier of barbed wire, was held at the camp. During this time, he was promptly hooded while moving around the camp so as not to allow him to make an accurate reconnaissance allowing him to inform militias operating in the region. His hands were tied but he was not ill-treated at any time. After being interrogated, the young man, who apparently had no sinister intentions toward the European force, was released a few kilometers from the camp."

Hooded and dumped -- threatened with drowning? One day there will be answers.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/hrc1francedrc052108.html

UN Dodges Gypsy Questions as Camps in Naples Burn in Seeming Blind-Spot

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1romanaples051908.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 19 -- Gypsies and immigrants were attacked last week in Naples and elsewhere in Italy, and apparently no part of the UN system had anything to say about it. On May 16 at the UN's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked about " reports of mass arrests and also violence against immigrants in Italy, and in Naples, there was mob violence, and the Government has started deporting people very quickly. Has anyone in the UN system had anything to say about this?"

Ban Ki-moon's Spokesperson Michele Montas replied, "No, not yet." But as Friday ended, there was still no comment. Over the weekend, the Spokesperson was quoted by UN News that Ban would go to Myanmar, then the Spokesperson's office demanded that UN News Service take down the article. Still no word on the burning of homes around Naples, nor the mass deportations. Nor on Monday. What gives?

The UN has been the venue of talks about the rights of gypsies, Roma and Sinti. Inner City Press has interviewed top officials of the UN's refugee agency, who said they are constantly monitoring and speaking out on attacks on immigrants. Why nothing on this one?

A month after Ban Ki-moon became Secretary-General, a group of Roma and Sinti came to the UN, including the Association of Roma in Poland, the Kiev-based International Charitable Organization of Roma Women Fund, the Budapest-based European Roma Rights Center, the Council of NGOs of the Slovak Romani Communities, and the Committee for the Compensation for the Romani Holocaust.

Inner City Press asked what they would like the UN to do, and what they knew of Ban Ki-moon's position. Video here. In response, Romani Rose summarized the petition and requests the delegation was delivering, along with a book describing the "horrifying" refugee camps for Roma, including Plemetina, run by the UN in the Mitrovica region of Kosovo. The next day, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokeswoman for his position on the Roma petition. She said she couldn't yet say, they haven't received it. Video here. Is it still somehow missing?

Or could the UN be running scared, of criticizing certain countries? Italy's Berlusconi government has already bristled at a critique from Spain. Still, the UN Secretariat routinely expresses concern and calls for restraint. Why not here?

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1romanaples051908.html