For Mali Mission, UN Peacekeeping's Ladsous Proposes "Grace Period" for Child Soldier Recruiter Chad

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 10 -- Three weeks before the UN is slated to take over the mission in Mali, how to deal withChad being on the UN's list of child soldier recruitersremains in play.

  The UN and its Department of Peacekeeping Operations led by Herve Ladsous claim to have policies of human rights due diligence and zero tolerance. Under that, Chad should be banned, at least until it is off the UN's Children and Armed Conflict list.

  But the UN needs troops in Mali, and both Chad and the Bamako-based Malian authorities are historic (colonial) allies of France, for which Ladsous served as Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN, notably during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, supporting the flight of the genocidaires into Eastern Congo.

  And so, NGOs and UN sources tell Inner City Press, Ladsous is working toward a so-called "grace period" on child soldier recruitment. It would be similar to the policy Ladsous stealthy adopted after 135 rapes by his partners in the Congolese Army in Minova in Eastern Congo in November 2012, dubbed "three strikes and maybe you're out."

  In that case, Ladsous never implemented the stated policy. Support continues to the 391st and 41st Battalions despite only three arrests having been made, for 135 rapes. A request by Inner City Press to Ladsous for an update on May 29 resulted in Ladsous saying, "You know I don't respond to you." Video here.

  Despite a second request by Inner City Press on May 30 to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Office of the Spokesperson, still no Minova rape update has been provided. 

  Ladsous' lack of transparency undermines OCHA (whose new Assistant Secretary General on June 4 told Inner City Press the question should be put to DPKO), and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, with operates jointly with DPKO on these issues in the Congo

  On Chad - Mali and the MINUSMA mission due July 1, DPKO's attempts to work around stated UN policies is undermining UNICEF and the Ban's office on Children and Armed Conflict, led by Leila Zerrougui, both of which are quietly negotiating with DPKO. 

  While in some cases such quiet negotiations might be merited, that is not the case now, on the undermining of a publicly stated human right policy, by a UN official likeLadsous who refuses to answer Press questions about mass rape, advice by an alleged war criminal, and cholera in Haiti.

  At least one NGO (Child Soldiers International through its Africa Program Manager Isabelle Guitard) has been willing to say on the record, for publication by Inner City Press, that "after a 2-year period of inaction on the Action Plan, there should now be no short-cut to Chad’s de-listing" and "we don’t want any grace period to act as a loophole." 

  Inner City Press' view: that's how Ladsous has operated on the mass rapes in Minova in the DRC. Will he get away with it in on the issue of child soldiers, in Mali? Watch this site.

Big Talk in Doha Omits Bahrain, Turkey, Qatar Role in Golan Kidnaps, Insults of Royal Family; Karzai Raises Questions at US - Islamic World Forum

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 9 -- As Qatar provides arms into Syria, it pays to play peacemaker and intellectual locus, now with the US - Islamic World Forum. 

  Brookings - Doha is there, many Western journalists are there. Husain Haqqani, Martin Indyk and US Under Secretary of State Tara Sonenshine are there; John Kerry will soon be there.

  What's NOT there, at least in the two four person groups on Sunday is any discussion of crackdowns in Bahrain and now Turkey. 

  The question of involvement from Qatar in the kidnapping of UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights? Seemingly not the menu. Tellingly, very little mention of the UN. The UN is becoming, or has become, irrelevant.

  Even in the morning session about Afghanistan, there was almost no talk of the UN. They are there, with the UNAMA mission led by possible Ban Ki-moon successor Jan Kubis. But what is being accomplished?

  Raising big questions while some journalists joke-tweeted about the lack or delay of salad was Hamid Karzai. We spoke about the increase in number of universities in Afghanistan -- good thing -- but called the war on terror less successful. It has led to radicalism, he said, citing yesterday's death count in Benghazi.

  At least he was up to the moment. The other speeches, it's as if they didn't even watch CNN. No mention of tear gas and water cannons in Istanbul or #OccupyGezi. Outgoing OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu didn't mention it. Is Ibrahim Gambari still vying to replace him?

  When the morning session broke for lunch, an MC gushed about the free Wi-Fi. Great: but don't insult the Royal family. A poet was initially sentenced to 15 years for such a poem. You won't hear that, either, at #USislam13. Watch this site

As Sudan Orders Halt to Oil Flow From South, Power Test for Post-Rice USUN?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 7 -- Sudan's president Omar al Bashir has ordered his minister of oil to cut off the flow from South Sudan on June 8, accusing Juba of continuing to support rebels in Sudan.

  Not only the African Union but also the UN, through now part-time envoy Haile Menkerios, has been trying to keep the oil flow deal on track. But where is Menkerios and the UN now? Recently Secretary General Ban Ki-moon gave Menkerios another job, as UN representative to the AU in Addis Ababa, while still filling the Sudan - South Sudan post.

  Is part time enough? Now we'll find out. (It also remains unclear what will happen with Menkerios' Assistant SG salary line, now that he's paid a higher Under SG salary in Addis.)

  With Susan Rice leaving the US Mission to the UN -- her farewell reception is June 13 -- this may also be an early test of Samantha Power, if confirmed before the US Security Council presidency that starts July 1, or for a Rice-less USUN.

  Many Security Council ambassadors have told Inner City Press that the bi-weekly Sudan / South Sudan consultations were entirely at the request of Susan Rice. Will they continue with her gone? Would Powers take a different approach?

  For now, will the US Mission under Rice or any other mission call for Security Council meetings on what could be a return to war? Watch this site.

On Golan, UN Welcomed Russian Offer Then Quickly Cited 1974 Deal as "No Thanks," Chemical Weapons Echo of Popova - Kane - Sellstrom

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 7 -- When Russia offered troops to replace the Austrians departing from the UN mission in the Golan, there was a strange sequence at the UN in New York.

  First, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Office of the Spokesperson, through Associate Spokesman Farhan Haq, unequivocally said, "The UN welcomes any contribution by the world community to peacemaking efforts in the Golan Heights, and the UN Disengagement Observer Force is very important for the maintenance of peace in the region."

This quote moved Friday morning from RIA Novosti to, among others, YnetNews in Israel.

   But when it was asked again by RIA Novosti near the end of the day's chaotic noon briefing, lead spokesman Martin Nesirky added this: "the Disengagement Agreement and its Protocol, which is between Syria and Israel, do not allow for the participation of permanent members of the Security Council in UNDOF."

  Inner City Press, which often waits for week or forever for a legal ruling or opinion requested from the UN, immediately tweeted the apparent split or fast ruling.

  Today, Russian Gennady Gatilov tweeted, hashtag and all, "It is not for the UN Spokesperson to decide which country may send troops to #UNDOF. This is a UNSC matter."

  What can be noted is that the UN often leaves legal issues, particularly about a 1974 agreement, without public answer for weeks. 

   Was it legal for Romano Prodi to run for president in Italy while serving as UN Under Secretary General on the Sahel? What about Herve Ladsous' Department of Peacekeeping Operations accepting an alleged war criminal as a senior adviser?

   Here, the UN quickly over-ruled the first "welcoming" comment. Who called the Spokesperson's office?

  We also note that the Spokesperson's Office -- for what it's worth through Haq -- on May 23 said that "on material shared by Anastasia Popova, we have the following to say: Yes, the High Representative's Office has received the material and are converting it into a usable format, and it is being sent to the Head of the Team, Ake Sellstrom."

  But by June 3 when Inner City Press asked the High Representative, Angela Kane, on camera in the briefing room after the moderator said to ask her any pressing question,video here, Kane was dismissive of this answer, saying she wasn't responsible for it and wondering why they answered as they did. She and her colleague said the "material" was too short, and "we never managed, technically."

  When on June 4 Inner City Press asked Nesirky about this, he responded thusly:

Inner City Press: yesterday, speaking to Ms. [Angela] Kane, I just want to make sure I understand, she said there was some problems with the material, that it was much shorter than she thought it would be, but it seemed to me that it hadn’t been given to Mr. Sellström; do you, are you aware whether it has been or not and is there a way to find out whether, and if not, why not?

Spokesperson Nesirky: There is a way to find out, Matthew; the footage of alleged chemical weapons use that was provided by Anastasia Popova has been passed on to the head of the mission, Mr. Åke Sellström. And, as I have said, he continues to conduct the mission’s work outside of Syria, and to analyse all information made available to it.

Inner City Press: I don’t know the gentleman’s name, but the colleague that was with her yesterday said something about that they tried, but technically it wasn’t feasible; maybe they, that he just mean he couldn’t, they couldn’t make it as good --

Spokesperson Nesirky: Well, maybe you could go back and look at the footage that you’ve recorded on camera without actually telling Ms. Kane. What’s your next question?

  And now we have another question, for the UN's new Press Briefing Room. Watch this site.

On Golan Peacekeeper Kidnappings, UN Tells Inner City Press No Evidence of Involvement of "States" - But Opposition Ambassador in Qatar?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 7 -- After at least three kidnappings of UN peacekeepers in the Golan, and then an attack that led Austria to decide to pull its troops out of the mission, the question of who is ultimately behind the attacks remains murky.

  On the afternoon of June 7 Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, president of the Security Council for June, if there was any discussion of involvement from any outside state in the threats to peacekeepers. As in the morning, he said there had been no such discussion.

  In the General Assembly, Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari read a cell phone number from an e-mail he said showed involvement from Qatar in the kidnappings of peacekeepers.

    He has said he provided information to UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous; Syria's representative at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 4 said that Ladsous was investigating the Qatar claim.

  But at the UN in New York, they didn't want to answer. On June 4, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky if Ladsous was, in fact, looking into it. Nesirky said he would ask the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

  Three days later on June 7, having gotten no response, Inner City Press repeated the question. Nesirky said again that he would check with DPKO, whose spokesman was in the briefing room, as Inner City Press reported. It was later indicated that an answer would come. And now it has:

Subject: Your question on Qatar
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Jun 7, 2013 at 5:16 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

Regarding your question on Qatar earlier today, below is the response from DSS and DPKO:

The United Nations has no evidence of any involvement by Member States or state actors in the abduction or detention of UN personnel in Syria. To our knowledge, the peacekeepers were detained by individual groups operating in Syria.

  One might find it strange that without answering the question asked on June 4 -- was Ladsous' DPKO looking into what Syria provided it on May 22 and conducting an inquiry as Syria requested, and on June 4 in Geneva said was being done -- the UN now simply says it has no evidence.

  The answer also implies that the UN sees or accepts a distinction between "individual groups operating in Syria" and outside states: as if outside states didn't arm and fund "individual groups" in Syria.

  But it may also be worth looking more closely at what is being answered: the UN says it has no evidence that Qatar as a "member state or state actor" is involved. 

  What Ja'afari alleged in the General Assembly was that the Syrian opposition figure to whom Qatar "gave" Syria's embassy in Doha was involved in the kidnapping. He is not a "state actor," but Qatar's support of him puts his alleged role in a different light.

  If one knew more about Ladsous, evidence of objectivity for example, perhaps there would not be so many questions. But when Ladsous confined news of the third kidnapping to a "conversation" with friendly reporters, it raises questions.

  So the question to be answered is: was the Syrian opposition figure to whom Qatar "gave" Syria's embassy in Doha involved in any of the kidnappings? Did any e-mail received by UN officials in May reflect this? Has the UN done anything to look into or act on this since? To be continued.

Footnote: at the stakeout after Council consultations Russia's Vitaly Churkin said his country is offering to replace the Austrian observers, but is checking to see if this would require a Security Council resolution as well as an amended agreed by Israel and Syria. A representative of Syria told Inner City Press, not surprisingly, they would agree. Watch this site.

Before Norwegian Refugee Council & Minova Rapes, Jan Egeland Said US Training Would Avoid Congo Army Abuses

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 7 -- Jan Egeland is moving from Human Rights Watch to the Norwegian Refugee Council. It's probably a good move: at HRW, Egeland was roped into Ken Roth's positions on Rwanda (Egeland mis-identified the country's foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo as its UN Ambassador, Richard Gasana: they're hard to mistake for one another).

  Perhaps the most false note, at least to Inner City Press, involved Egeland's appearance at the UN speaking about the hunt for the Lords Resistance Army. Inner City Press asked Egeland how this hunt could avoid the involvement of Congolese Army units involved in human rights abuses.  Video here, from Minute 39:55.

 Egeland replied that "the US" are doing training and "vetting" to "avoid that one is creating human rights violations."

This is now highly ironic, or troubling, in that the US-trained 391st Battalion was one of two units involved in 135 rapes in Minova in late November 2012. Saying "selfish" is not enough - there has to be follow-through. We wish Egeland well at NRC. Watch this site.

UN "Monitoring" Threats to Golan Peacekeepers, Won't Answer on Qatar Role Alleged by Syria

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 7 -- The day after Austria announced it will pull its troops out of the UN mission in the Golan, UNDOF, the Security Council president of June UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant came out of the Council to read a press statement.

  Lyall Grant said, "The members of the Security Council... noted with grave concern that there have been a number of incidents threatening the safety and security of UN personnel in recent months and underscored they would continue to monitor the situation closely."

  Inner City Press asked Lyall Grant, of this "monitoring," if it included looking into the allegations by Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari of involvement from Qatar in the kidnapping of UNDOF peacekeepers, through the Yarmouk Martyrs Battalion.

  Lyall Grant said that issue -- which Ja'afari raised in an open meeting of the General Assembly -- had not come up in the Council, but noted that there would be a consultation on UNDOF later in the day, including a briefing by UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous.

It was Ladsous to whom Syria presented what it told Inner City Press is evidence of the involvement from Qatar. Both on June 4 and, having no answer, again on June 7 Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky if Ladsous is in fact looking into the involvement of Qatar.

  Syria's representative at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva said so in an open meeting on June 4; later that day Nesirky said he would ask the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, DPKO.

  At the June 7 noon briefing Nesirky said the same thing about asking DPKO. But sitting in the briefing room was DPKO's and Ladsous' lead spokesman Kieran Dwyer. Why not just ask him them? Or have him answer? Dwyer has, on camera, justified DPKO chief Herve Ladsous' refusal to answer Inner City Press questions - video here - and has no provided the update on the 135 Minova raped by the Congolese Army Inner City Press asked Ladsous for on May 29. Ladsous said, "You know I do not respond to you." Nor has DPKO or the UN, since. Zero tolerance, indeed. Watch this site.

On Mali, UN Wants to Talk Culture Not Human Rights or Child Soldiers, Bungles Even That, Promoting UNESCO's Bokova for S-G?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 7 -- Mali and the preservation of cultural heritage there are very photogenic issue for the United Nations system. 

  The UN would certainly rather talk, if not answer questions, about that rather than abuses by the Malian Army they propose to partner with, or the inclusion in the UN Mission MINUSMA of armies which are on the UN's own child soldier recruitment list.

  And so Friday's UN noon briefing was to include a video feed from Bamako. These are often useful. Here, there were four initial speakers who went over the 30 minutes which the UN rules say is the maximum for press conferences.

  Then they announced 15 minutes of questions, including both Bamako and New York. After 15 minutes and three or four Bamako questions, they turned to New York. 

  Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky and his colleague from UNESCO chose three questions: AP, Voice of America and "TV from Lebanon" (actually, Al Mayadeen).

  But even these questions could not be heard over the video hook-up. Nesirky said he would call Bamako and get answers -- apparently, only to the three questions selected.

  The presentations included praise of French presidentFrancois Hollande, to whom UNESCO recently gave an Africa prize, of Bert Koenders who did France's bidding for the UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire, refusing to probe killing of perceived supporters of Laurent Gbagbo at Nahibly, and of Irina Bokova, see below. This praise was perhaps the purpose of the press conference.

   During what remained of the noon briefing, Inner City Press asked (as it had wanted to ask the Malian minister who spoke on the UN webcast about "terrorists") about Malian Army abuses in Sourango and Tenekou. 

   Nesirky said, on this and Inner City Press' question about Chad and other listed soldier recruiters serving in MINUSMA - and on a Syria question Inner City Press re-asked from June 4 -- that he would check with DPKO, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

  But DPKO's spokesman Kieran Dwyer was right there in the briefing room. Dwyer has, on camera, justified DPKO chief Herve Ladsous' refusal to answer Inner City Press questions - video here - and has no provided the update on the 135 Minova raped by the Congolese Army Inner City Press asked Ladsous for on May 29. Ladsous said, "You know I do not respond to you." Nor has DPKO or the UN, since. Zero tolerance, indeed.

  Why did the UN go so "all in" for Mali and culture? Some think it's a push to line up UNESCO chief Irina Bokova to succeed Ban Ki-moon as Secretary General. She speaks on many topics; she flew in Francois Hollande's plane to Mali, appropriate or not.

  There are many questions beyond culture that the UN system should answer about Mali. But on Friday they wouldn't even answer or take those. Watch this site.

Footnote: Since the UN doesn't enforce or live up to its own "rule" about 30 minute press conferences, it's hard to see how they could legitimately seek to enforce the bogus "no media workspace at the Security Council" rule some in the Department of Public Information and their UN Censorship Alliance are trying to enact. 

  But the UN practicing what it preaches - cited by another SG candidate - is often the exception, not the rule. More on rules to follow.

In Post Subprime Circus, Hedge Funds Paulson & Carlyle Gun for Fannie, Raj Date Cashes In, Mel Watt as a Chip

By Matthew Russell Lee

Following the Money, June 7 -- Even as the predatory lending meltdown continues to reverberate, from HSBC's scam foreclosures to Wells Fargo's discriminatory follow-through on the buildings that it's seized, from Wall Street to Washington the games continue.

  Hedge funds that profited on the way down from the collapses, for example Paulson & Company, the Carlyle Group's Claren Road Asset Management and Perry Capital, are now buying up the preferred shares of Fannie Mae with a eye to taking it private.

  They are buying in the markets, with little disclosure or oversight, and lobbying in DC. Also in the mix is James Millstein, "fixer" of AIG, now ready to cash in through, what else, Milstein & Company.

  On the other side, Fannie Mae has become a grab-bag, with fees imposed on mortgages for entirely unrelated government goals. Who wouldn't want such a pinata?

  Meanwhile a former Deutsche Banker who went to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Raj Date, has now left to start his own firm to make money off the crisis. Fenway Summer, he spins it. He's said to advise McKinsey & Company too. The fox, it turns out, was watching the hen house.

 Inner City Press previously dueled with Carlyle's spin-machine on Jay Powell's nomination to the Federal Reserve Board, here.

A nomination floated that please Obama's base, Mel Watt for FHFA, turns out to be trading chip, and Watt to be more pro industry even that the man in place. He represents Bank of America's district, the same Bank of America targeted for Wells-like disparities. The White House has been pitching: Mel because of who he is could do things that others could. Viewed through this PRISM, can you hear me now?

And so: what's been learned? Very little. As the song goes, it's all about the money. Watch this site.

UK Contradictions on Somaliland & Falklands, Mistranscribing on Table, DFID Flights

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 6 -- While the UK now takes the lead on Somalia, getting Nicholas Kay appointed UN envoy and chairing today's Security Council debate about the country, it does not seem to take seriously the arguments for independence of Somaliland, as well as Puntland and Jubaland. Click here and here for previous Inner City Press stories on this.

  Meanwhile, in the midst of the Somalia debate in the Security Council, UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant re-tweeted about the right of self-determination of people in the Falkland Islands. What about self-determination in Hargeisa?

  There are questions, too, about the UN system handing Somaliland's airspace to Mogadishu, and the role of a UK DFID funded airline. A journalist in the region got the run-around from UN OCHA (the type of UN systemwide stonewalling the Free UN Coalition for Access is trying to counter-act) and requested that this be asked:

“Is it true, USAID and DIFD yearly cover overall expenses incurring UNHAS running cost in Somalia? If yes, why UNDP staff paid expenses on flight and persuaded to use UNHAS instead of EU chartered airlines which is free?"

The answer provided by a "UN spokesperson in Somalia" was this:

“Following notification by authorities in Somaliland, all UN flights to and from Somaliland have been suspended with effect from yesterday at 6pm. The United Nations and its agencies are taking this transportation issue seriously and are in discussions with the relevant authorities to bring about a resolution as quickly as possible. There has been no impact on ongoing UN programmes and it is our priority to ensure no interruption of support or activities. The UN welcomes the ongoing efforts to resolve this quickly.”

If that were the focus, why hand over the airspace? Here's what Lyall Grant said on Thursday:

"One of the very important roles that needs to take place in parallel with the security and stability aspect is the formulation and agreement of the constitutional relationship that will exist between the Federal Government of Somalia and some of the Somali regions, so Somaliland, Puntland and Jubaland and other regions. And one of the important roles that the Federal government of Somalia and the representatives of those regions have in the immediate future is to begin the process of dialogue to make sure that a constitutional settlement can be reached."

  What was that again, about self-determination?

  As we've inquired into May 21 and reported on since, one or more times a day, the UK is presiding over the roll-back in (new) media access to the Security Council from what existed not only during the Council's renovation relocation but also before it. 

  When Inner City Press for FUNCA asked UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant if he supported continued media workspace at the Council and if so what he would do about it, Lyall Grant said this is a matter for the UN Department of Public Information and "the journalists" -- it's becoming clear which journalists. See UK Mission "World Press Freedom Day" video, here.

Even the UK's transcript of Lyall Grant's press conference mis-represents the questions. It's always easier to dodge a question other than the one asked. Compare UN web cast video here, from Minute 17:32, to this (mis) transcription:

"media work table used to be in front of Security Council has been moved. Do you think that there should be one so reporters can stay throughout consultations so reporters can speak with people going in and out? What will you do if you think it should be replaced?"

Actually said, or asked was if Lyall Grant and UK believe that the media access and press worktable should to maintained, and "I you believe that, what will you do to make sure it takes place?"

The question was not about the table being "replaced." There's more. We are, as noted, experimenting. Watch this site.

Before Golan Pullout by Austria, Ladsous Stonewall on Qatar Kidnap Probe

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 6 -- With the Austrian pullout from the observer mission in the Golan, UNDOF, a new light is cast on the UN's lack of transparency about whether Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous was aware of or looking into a Qatar role in kidnappings of and attacks on peacekeepers in the Golan, and Austria's repeated warnings that it might leave.

On June 4, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky:

Inner City Press: at the session this morning of the Human Rights Council, it was said that Mr. [Hervé] Ladsous is investigating the role of Qatar in the three kidnappings of peacekeepers in the Golan Heights by the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade or Battalion, and I wanted to know, since there has been some back and forth about what, what this 22 May letter from the Syrian Mission to Mr. Ladsous was. Can we find out, yes or no? Is it true that [Department of Peacekeeping Operations] is conducting an “investigation” of a Qatari role in the, in the kidnapping of UN peacekeepers?

Spokesperson Nesirky: I’ll ask [Department of Peacekeeping Operations], Matthew.

But 48 hours later, nothing, no answer. This is Ladsous, who had repeatedly refused to answer Press questions. See compilation video, here. But who is being served?

 On the third kidnapping, Ladsous spoke only to friendly reporters. Now there's even a claim of an "exclusive" spoonfeeding Ladsous' spokesman Kieran Dwyer, who appears justifying refusal to answer at the end of thevideo. 

  Likewise Inner City Press repeatedly asked Nesirky's deputy Eduardo Del Buey to respond to public statements by Austrian's defense minister and then foreign minister that the country would pull its troops out of UNDOF, if the EU arms embargo expired, or in other situations. Each time Del Buey insisted the UN had heard nothing about it. Now this.

Will Ladsous be held responsible for any of this? Watch this site.