After Ban Ki-moon's Peacekeeping Chief Ladsous Won't Reply on DRC Rapes, Ban's Spokesman Tells Inner City Press It's "Personal"

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 29 -- When Herve Ladsous, the chief of UN Peacekeeping, held a press conference on Wednesday, Inner City Press asked him for an update on the mass rape of 135 women in Minova in Eastern Congo, committee by the UN's partners in the 41st and 391st Battalions of the Congolese Army. Video here. And embedded below.

Ladsous, who covered up the rapes by repeatedly refusing to answer any questions or provide any information about them in response to Inner City Press questions starting in November 2012, on May 29 the Day of the Peacekeeper said to Inner City Press, on camera, "You know I do not respond to you."

Inner City Press suggested to Ladsous that he pretend the question was asked by someone else, and provided an update, since it is an important issue for UN Peacekeeping. But he did not. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's deputy spokesman Eduardo Del Buey turned to another journalist, who did not ask about the mass rapes in Minova.

At the noon briefing after Ladsous left, Inner City Press asked Del Buey if Ban Ki-moon finds Ladsous' refusal to answer particular media's questions acceptable.

Del Buey said he wouldn't get involved in "personal issues."

But it's not personal, Inner City Press responded. What if Ladsous openly refused to answer any questions about, for example, Haiti? There, Inner City Press also asked, MSF has found the UN's vaunted cholera response, ostensibly making up for the lawless dismissal of the legal claim of victims of the UN having brought cholera to the island, what does the UN say? The UN believes itself.

Del Buey ended the briefing. Later when Ban Ki-moon did a rare question and answer stakeout at the UN in New York, he said he would focus on Africa. But the two questions Del Buey selected were about Syria. Inner City Press said, what about DRC? Ban to his credit paused, and Inner City PRess managed to ask about DRC - watch this site.

Susan Rice Says Abyei Mandate Is Now Clear, Sudan Denies Chad Is In Darfur

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 29 -- In Abyei after the Ngok Dinka paramount chief was killed by the Misseriya, along with a UN peacekeeper from the UNISFA mission, South Sudan Ambassador Francis Deng told Inner City Press thatthe UN wasn't implementing its protection of civilians mandate.

  Deng, a former UN official and also the brother of the paramount chief, told Inner City Press that the UNISFA force commander told him that it was his understanding the mandate concerned protecting civilians from the Sudanese Army, not from non state actors like the Misseriya nomads.

  Inner City Press repeatedly asked the UN about this, but has run into difficulties because the head of UN Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous outright refuses to answer its questions. (On May 29 he refused again, concerning the 135 rapes in Minova in November 2012 by 41st and 391st Battalions of the Congolese Army, with which the UN continues to work; video here).

  After the UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a US-drafted resolution extended the mandate of UNISFA,click here for the text of the resolution put online by Inner City Press just after the vote, Inner City Press asked US Ambassador Susan Rice about Deng's comments and the UN's mandate.

  In a longer answer transcribed by the US Mission, see below, Ambassador Rice said that "We discussed in our consultations on the topic of UNIFSA a couple weeks ago the question of whether there was any ambiguity in the mandate about the nature and scope of the protection of civilians requirement. The Secretariat affirmed that it is their understanding and, indeed, it is clear to UNIFSA that indeed protection of civilians means protection of civilians against a threat from wherever it may materialize."

  The Secretariat means Ladsous' Department of Peacekeeping Operations. While Ameerah Haq of the UN Department of Field Support gave a long, suprisingly candid answer to Inner City Press' questions about the use of "soft skin" vehicles by the UN Mission in South Sudan, including in an incident in which five Indian peacekeepers were killed in Jonglei State, the military mandate and rules of engagement question should be answered by Herve Ladsous. But when?

  After Ambassador Rice left the stakeout, and much of the press corps also left to go hear Ladsous, Inner City Press stayed and asked Sudanese Ambassador Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman a question it also asked Rice: are Chadian forces inside Sudan, chasing rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement through Darfur into Southern Kordofan?

  Sudan's Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman said no, Chad is a "friendly country" but Sudan's army can take care of its business (as it perceives it). He criticized "a few Council members" for blocking any statement on rebel abuses in Abu Karshola. And he told Inner City Press that the US' blocking of the Islamic African Relief Association in the UN's NGO Committee was because of the group's name. We'll see.

Here's the US Mission's transcript:

Inner City Press: On Abyei, South Sudan ambassador Francis Deng had said that he spoke to the force commander of UNIFSA who didn’t understand it to be his duty to protect civilians from the Misseriya, only from governmental forces. And he said that the written mandate is clear, but that there seems to be some problem in implementing it. Do you think that this resolution will actually lead to the kind of incident that targeted the paramount chief or that targets people in Abyei? And also, there’s a report of Chad having pursued JEM rebels through Darfur into Southern Kordofan. I don’t know if that is something the U.S. is aware of. Do you think it’s actually happening? Are you aware of that?

Ambassador Rice: I can’t comment on the latter allegation. But let me say with respect to the UNIFSA mandate—first of all, the United States very strongly supports UNIFSA, and we’re grateful for the very valuable contributions that Ethiopia and other contributors have made to that mission. And we’re pleased that among the provisions of resolution 2104 is the expansion of UNIFSA such that it will be able to carry out not only its responsibilities in Abyei but support the Joint Border Verification Monitoring Mechanism.

We discussed in our consultations on the topic of UNIFSA a couple weeks ago the question of whether there was any ambiguity in the mandate about the nature and scope of the protection of civilians requirement. The Secretariat affirmed that it is their understanding and, indeed, it is clear to UNIFSA that indeed protection of civilians means protection of civilians against a threat from wherever it may materialize. Nevertheless, we thought it wise to take the opportunity of the mandate renewal to underscore that and make plain that the Council’s expectations are, as you will see in the mandate, that protection of civilians entails protection no matter what the source of the violence against them.

At UN on Peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous Omits Abyei & Golan, DRC Questions UNanswered

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 29 -- It was a solemn ceremony Wednesday at the UN, with Department of Peacekeeping Operations chief Herve Ladsous citing three examples of the least measure of sacrifice: the killing of Indian peacekeepers in Jonglei, those from Niger in western Cote d'Ivoire, and from Pakistan in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

  Particularly because this is serious, there are question that must be answered about each of these three, and others not mentioned by Ladsous, including recent killing in Abyei and kidnapping in the Golan. But Ladsous, for now, refuses to answer Press questions. See May 29 video, here and embedded below.

In Jonglei the question arose: why didn't the peacekeepers have a sufficient Armored Personnel Carrier?

In Cote d'Ivoire DPKO (of which Ladsous is the fourth French chief in a row) openly sided with French ally Ouattara, essentially covering up the killing of perceived Gbagbo supports in the Nahibly camp according to no less than Amnesty International.

In the Congo, Ladsous' own history as French Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in 1994, rebutting others to support the escape of genocidaires into the Eastern Congo, raises questions about his Mission's objectivity.

  But if like Inner City Press you ask that question, Ladsous calls it "insinuation" and refuses any more. This has happened since last May -- one year now. He has refused questions on the introducing of cholera into Haiti, taking advice from an alleged war criminal, doing little to protect IDPs in Darfur.

  Now on the Golan, he stands accused of knowing of involvement from Qatar in the kidnapping of UN peacekeepers. Will he answer? Watch this site.

In Syria Debate in Geneva, South Korea Admits Rebels' Abuse -- But Calls Qatar, Turkey and US Resolution Balanced

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 29, updated -- In the "urgent" debate on Syria at the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday, South Korea acknowledged abuses by the opposition but called the resolution drafted by Qatar, Turkey and the US "balanced."

Many disagreed with that. India noted that the draft ignored rebels' misdeeds and was "one-sided."

Russia called the draft "counter-productive," questioning why if the US was a co-drafter the Geneva conference the US and Russia are talking about is not mentioned in the HRC draft. Some wondered: did Qatar and Turkey not want it in?

The UK, represented by former Deputy at the UN Karen Pierce, talked against about referring Syria to the International Criminal Court, for both sides. But considering the case of Cote d'Ivoire, the ICC has yet to act on the Ouattara side's crimes.

The US' Ambassador Donahoe called for a halt to the assault on Al-Qusayr. Some wondered back: did the US ask for ceasefire in Sri Lanka, for example, as it closed it on the bloodbath on the beach?

Bahrain speechified about attacks on unarmed civilians -- something they know about quite well, having most recently blocked the visit of UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez.

Like the UAE which has been a pass-through, Qatar denounced the entry into Syria of weapons and militias, both of which it sponsors.

Italy cited the Paulo Sergio Pinheiro led panel on Syria, without mentioning that panel member Carla Del Ponte spoke of strong suspicions of chemical weapons use by the the opposition.

Spain, also in financial straights, acknowledged rebel abuses,perhaps a veiled reference to the eating or mere "mouthing" of hearts and lungs. 

 It was noted that the fancy ceiling of the Human Rights Council was paid for by Spain, which misleadingly called it international humanitarian or development aid. There's a lot of urgent misleading, in the Human Rights Council. But we continue to cover it. Watch this site.

Update: after the speeches, the sponsors sought a postponement to 5:30 pm Geneva time. Watch this site.

UN Peacekeeping Stonewalls on Syria, Sudan & DRC, UK's Lyall Grant Answers on the Latter, UNSC Media Table in Play?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 28 -- Tomorrow is the Day of Peacekeepers, but today at the UN getting information from or about the Department of Peacekeeping Operations was like pulling teeth. 

  At the noon briefing Inner City Press asked about Sudan, Syria and the Congo. By day's end, the only answer came not from DPKO but from the President of the Security Council for June, UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant. That's appreciated, but where's DPKO?

  It wasn't just Inner City Press getting stonewalled on Syria. Russian and Lebanese reporters started asking about the kidnapping of peacekeepers in the Golan Heights, to which Deputy Spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey said, "Well, Mr. Ladsous will be here tomorrow."

  Since Herve Ladsous refuses to answer Inner City Press questions -- click here for video -- Inner City Press sought to quickly follow up with Del Buey:

Inner City Press: if I could just follow up on that, because I think on Friday I had asked you about a 22 May letter from the Syrian Mission to DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations), what… whether they would say what the contents were. Were you able to ask DPKO that?

Deputy Spokesperson Del Buey: We do not divulge the contents of letters from missions to us or to them.

Inner City Press: But you are just saying that you are not aware of any requests to the Secretariat, so--

Deputy Spokesperson: I am not aware of any requests to the Secretariat for an investigation to Qatar, no.

Inner City Press: So that’s not what the 22 May letter is?

Deputy Spokesperson: I don’t have any information

  And so it went on reports of Chadian forces in Sudan, and reported delays in deployment of the UN Intervention Brigade in the Eastern Congo. On the latter:

Inner City Press: on the DRC, there are reports that the intervention brigade is actually being being delayed, that so far only 500 from South Africa and [the United Republic of] Tanzania have arrived, and there are credible reports that South Africa is dissatisfied with the leadership of the brigade being given to [the United Republic of] Tanzania, of MONUSCO’s (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) force commander being from Brazil, and may in fact not deploy. Do you have any response to that?

Deputy Spokesperson Del Buey: I have no information on that, Matthew.

  Later on Tuesday UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant tweeted that he had just met with this Brazilian Force Commander, General Cruz. Inner City Press asked if he'd indicated when the Intervention Brigade might be fully deployed, and about any briefing of the Council in June, when Lyall Grant is president.

  Lyall Grant replied that two months sounded about right for full deployment of the Brigade, and that General Cruz might be one of the three Force Commanders to brief the Council on June 26. (These Force Commander fests can be newsy - click here for Inner City Press' July 2011 story, Sudan and South Sudan.) It's a new world, at least in social media or "digital diplomacy."

  It is not, however, yet a new world in UN communications. On Sudan and other topic, Inner City Press asked Del Buey:

Inner City Press: there are reports that the Chadian army has passed through Darfur and is now pursuing a JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) column in Southern Kordofan. Since there is a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur, I am wondering, do they deny this, do they have any knowledge of this? And the in-house question is, I would again reiterate this concern about the draft media access guidelines which would limit media workspace in front of the Security Council, the posting of flyers that are substantive in the area and keep all but Resident Correspondents out of the Delegates Lounge. I’d like you to convey that to them and also to ask when those guidelines, it hasn’t been explained to me when they would actually go into force and therefore whether there is an opportunity to really get the Secretary-General to speak whether he stands behind them.

Deputy Spokesperson Del Buey: Well, that question is up to you and DPI to handle. I have already answered that. As much as I have answered last week…

Inner City Press: You are party to the agreement, [the draft Media Access Guidelines]. Is that…?

Deputy Spokesperson: …you’ve got the answer we have given. If you want any more information, you are in contact with DPI; do it with DPI. With respect to reports on Darfur, we have, UNAMID (African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur) visited the area and there have been no indications of any armed forces presence in that sector.

Inner City Press: In Southern Kordofan? They visited Southern Kordofan?

Deputy Spokesperson: No, they haven’t visited Southern Kordofan, but we’ll have to check on that. But so far their analysis is that there is no foreign presence there.

  Beyond Chad, there are reports of death and pull outs of Abu Karshola. So where is DPKO in all this?

Footnote: on the issue of the possible reduction in media workspace in front of the Security Council, specifically a table which was always in front of the Council before it moved to the basement, and was maintained in the basement, it is still not known what will happen on June 1. Video here.

  What seems most reasonable is to allow a table in the space between the steps down from the second floor lobby to the Council and the Turkish Lounge. That space is smaller than what the media had before, but a table to work on makes it possible for correspondents to cover entire Council sessions, and not just ten minutes at the beginning and end. 

  This is particularly important since Permanent Representatives, particularly on the Permanent Five members, often leave after they speak in consultations, and before the session is announced as over. If a journalist is not at the stakeout then, they (and the diplomat) lose the chance.

Also, Council presidents hold bilateral meetings in the Council, and the proposal rule would discourage any media presence outside the Council at those times, and the lack of a table would make presence even less likely. 

  The best way would be to stay or suspend the proposed rule and let it be figured out during June -- WITH a table in place. The sooner this could be clarified, the better. On May 29, not only Ladsous at noon, but also Ban Ki-moon himself is slated to take press questions, at 5 pm after Council consultations on the Congo. Watch this site.

On Indigenous Issues, World Bank Needs to Move to Consent, IMF Invisible, REDD in Question

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 28 -- Alongside the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the UN for the past week, there's been talk of the World Bank versus IMF as well as of the controversial Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, REDD or REDD Plus, program.

  Inner City Press on May 28 put questions about these to a panel including Mexico's outgoing ambassador to the UN in New York, Luis Alfonso de Alba, Grand Chief Edward John and Joan Carling of the Asia Indigenous Peoples' Pact.Video here, from Minute 11:41.

  Luis Alfonso de Alba, who is soon to move to Vienna, replied that the outcome document of the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples will be "very general" but will aim to address the areas on which governments need to do better.

  Joan Carling said that REDD Plus is, in fact, popular in Cambodia. Inner City Press cited opposition in Panama. She said it varies from place to place, depending on how it impacts indigenous people. She said it should be up to them, and not to NGOs which claim to work with them, "imposes their ideological views."

  Chief Ed John went further, citing Keystone, tar sands, the Exxon Valdes, BP and the Gulf of Mexico. He said his people in Canada still "take their fish" and are impacted by these policies.

  There were no other questions in the briefing room. Inner City Press, co-founded of the new Free UN Coalition for Access, thanked the panels generally and asked about the World Bank and IMF. Video here, from Minute 21:20.

  Joan Carling said she'd made an intervention during the session on the World Bank, about the needs for a human rights framework beyond "do no harm." (Even that would be a major step forward for the UN, considering for example their introduction of cholera in to Haiti.)

  Grand Chief Edward John pointed out that the World Bank speaks of prior "consultation" rather than consent. But what about the International Monetary Fund? What are they? Inner City Press put in the question to the IMF on May 23. Watch this site.

UN Tells ICP Great Lakes Envoy Mary Robinson Based in Dublin, Like Prodi in Rome: UN Used?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 28 -- The UN's envoy to the Great Lakes Mary Robinson will be based not in Africa but in Dublin, the UN on Tuesday answered Inner City Press' question from May 24.

Inner City Press was also first to ask why the Sahel envoy of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Romano Prodi, is allowed to be based in Rome, where he unsuccessfully ran for the Italian presidency while simultaneously an ostensibly independent UN official.

On Prodi, the UN on May 28 said only that its report, and that of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, are before the UN General Assembly.

There, and at the African Union in Addis Ababa, there are more and more questions about what Ban's UN is becoming: a dumping ground for former politicians, allowed as UN Under Secretaries General to work from home, until something better come along?

It was complained to Inner City Press last week that while Robinson's office is supposedly in Nairobi, she is in fact based in Ireland. Inner City Press asked the question on Friday, May 24:

Inner City Press: I had asked Martin, before he went on the trip about Mr. Romano Prodi being based in Rome and the fact thatACABQ [Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions] has said that that may be a waste of money for the UN. So far, I haven’t gotten a response yet, but I want to add to that one. Some, at least within the UN, want to know where Mary Robinson, who is obviously the Envoy to the Great Lakes, just to know factually, is she based in Dublin, Ireland, or is she based in Nairobi? And, if Dublin, Ireland, how would you address the same concerns that were raised about Mr. Prodi being based out of Rome?

Deputy Spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey: I believe her office is located in Nairobi, and that’s where her UN staffers are, but we will check on that for you.

  At the next UN noon briefing on May 28, Del Buey acknowledged that Robinson is, in fact, based in Dublin. He excused this by saying she is paid only "When Actually Employed." So will she be disclosing her hours, and any extra costs to the UN from being based in Dublin? We will closely watch and report on both envoys' work. Will Prodi, with respect to Rome? Watch this site.

At UN, Now Homosexuelle Initiative Wien Wins NGO Committee Vote 19 to 6, Syria Offers Evidence of Abuse

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 28 -- The working day after the Australian Lesbian Medical Association won a vote at the UN for recommendation as special consultative status to ECOSOC, Austria-based Homosexuelle Initative Wien (HOSI Wien) won, by exactly the same vote.

When ALMA's application came up on May 24, Pakistan sought to put it off, asking for a copy of a scientific paper mentioned in its application. Bulgaria took the floor to call this a delay tactic, and called for a vote.

On May 28, it was Belgium calling for the vote on HOSI Wien.

There are 19 members of the NGO Committee. Two were again listed as "absent" -- Burundi and Cuba. Of those listed as present, nine voted yes, six voted no, and two abstained.

The nine "Yes" votes as recorded by Inner City Press in the room were the USA, Venezuela, Belgium, India, Israel, Nicaragua, Peru and Turkey.

The six "No" votes were China, Morocco -- which has also opposed or questioned groups dealing with Western Sahara -- Pakistan, Russia, Senegal and Sudan.

The abstainers were Kyrgyzstan and Mozambique, which Secretary General Ban Ki-moon just visited.

Inner City Press has asked, does Ban's Secretariat monitor this NGO Committee, and try to assert leadership?

On the other hand, the US on May 24 alone blocked or delayed the Islamic African Relief Agency, saying it funded Osama Bin Laden, and asking for more information: which UN agencies funded it?

Sudan complained that while the US question blocked the groups, questions about ALMA did not. But ALMA had the votes. Did the Islamic African Relief Agency? Apparently not.

  In other May 28 morning action, Russia noted that the Assyrian National Congress "has no website," and asked for an update on its work. 

  Syria -- not "Assyria" -- spoke on another item, offering to provide evidence of abuse of refugees in camps in neighboring countries. And so it goes at the UN. Watch this site.

At UN, Ban Ki-moon's Office Stonewalls on UN SC Media Access, EZTV Complaints: Follow the Money

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 28 -- Media access was again the topic at the UN's noon briefing on Tuesday, this time with four separate questioners on the topic. Last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday May 22-24 only Inner City Press asked, about the slated reduction in media workspace in front of the Security Council.

  On this topic, after a three day weekend to get a more credible answer, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Deputy Spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey on May 28 would not Inner City Press even on when the amended Media Access Guidelines, shown to the new Free UN Coalition for Accesson May 20, will go into place. 

  He insisted that only the Department of Public Information can answer this. But it hasn't.

  The other question raised, Del Buey also referred to DPI albeit less defensively. He said that he would inform DPI of the questioners concern about "EZTV" not working. 

  Inner City Press for FUNCA echoed and supported this complaint but wonders: if Ban's Office will convey press corps positions about EZTV, why not about actual media access and workspace to cover the Security Council?

  Some have concluded that the goal behind trying to eliminate a media table in front of the Security Council, which existed prior to the renovation, and also during the renovation at the temporary Council in the basement, is to drive reporters back into their offices, to only cover what they are given.

  In this theory, it is in the UN's interest to have reporters relying on "Easy" UNTV. So why not fix it fast?

  A table, as has been shown to the incoming Security Council president for June, could easily fix between the steps down to the Security Council and the so-called Turkish Lounge. So FUNCA continues to press the issue.

  Anonymous social media accounts associated with the old UN Correspondents Association -- and with Reuters, it must be and has been said -- even over Memorial Day weekend mocked the push for media workspace by the Council, comparing it to a push for a "massage table," or saying that a table should only be for "real journalists," presumably like their anonymous selves.

  But then where are they, fighting for anything but television reception in their offices?

Footnotes: Reuters sent both of its UN reporters to Tuesday's noon briefing, as if to show just how important this Easy TV issue is to the wire service (which today lost its social media editor Anthony De Rosa to Circa; more on that anon.) 

  Reuters apparently doesn't push for media workspace in front of the Security Council because they benefit from less access: they get reports leaked by Western members of the Council.

  Continued and unreduced media access to all 15 Council members serves and helps smaller investigative media, not them. And since their compensation is based on exclusives, even if inaccurately labeled and claimed, there appears to be an economic interest in reduced media access for others. 

  Who are they, then, to anonymously and false charge smaller media of being funded by terrorists? It is, in a word,disgusting. Watch this site.

As EU Lets Syria Arms Embargo Expire, UN Silent Despite Austria's Threat to Pull Peacekeepers from Golan, Ladsous & Trolls

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 27 -- Before European Union foreign ministers met on May 27 and did not extend the EU arms embargo on Syria, Austrian officials repeatedly said if the embargo was lifted they would pull their over 300 troops out of the UN mission in the Golan.

  So what was the UN Secretariat's position, both as the (recently mis) manager of the UNDOF observer mission and as an organization ostensibly against arming and the arms trade?

  Typical of its increasing invisibility or cautious opportunism, the UN was nowhere to be seen on this. Not the head of UN Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous, whose interest should be the peacekeepers in the UNDOF mission but who has allowed them to be repeatedly kidnapped without even properly announcing it.

   Ladsous confined the most recent kidnapping to a "conversation" with friendly scribes. And where was Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on this?

On May 23, Inner City Press asked Ban's deputy spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey:

Inner City Press: About the Golan and UNDOF [United Nations Disengagement Observer Force]. There has been renewed statements by Austria that they would… would withdraw their 300-some peacekeepers if an arms embargo is modified to Syria and the rebels, and I wonder, does the UN, given its need for peacekeepers, does it have any view on that?

Deputy Spokesperson Del Buey: Well, number one, we have no information from the Austrians at all on any decision they may or may not have taken, so we are not going to comment any further on that.

  The Austrians' position had been publicly stated, and Ladsous as head of UN peacekeeping, the fourth Frenchman in a row to hold the post, is supposed to be in touch with the troop contributing countries. So how can it be, "no information from the Austrians at all"?

  And so on May 24, Inner City Press asked the UN's Del Buey:

Inner City Press: Austria, now not just the Defense Minister, now the Foreign Minister has said today that if the EU Foreign Ministers who meet on Monday in Brussels remove the arms embargo on Syria, there are 'serious problems with Austria remaining in the Golan Heights and UNDOF.' So, again, are you saying you haven’t gotten any letter from them? Since the UN is running the peacekeeping mission of UNDOF, is there anyone in the UN system that is trying to make any UN view known to the EU foreign ministers who will vote on this?

Deputy Spokesperson Del Buey: Matthew, we are constantly monitoring the situation in all of our missions around the world, but we do not address speculation; it is [speculative]. We are not going to speculate on what the Austrians may or may not do. To the moment, we have not received any indication from the Austrians; we have not received any communication from them on this, and that is where we stand.

  So the UN said nothing, and now the meeting has ended and the arms embargo was not extended. It will expire on June 1. If the Austrians leave, should the UN have spoken? 

Was the UN Secretariat of Ban Ki-moon reluctant to anger France and the UK, who wanted the embargo off? Did Ladsous despite his ostensible duties to UNDOF stay silent to serve the position of France, which he served for years and years? Watch this site.

Footnotes: Meanwhile as a sample of the UN coverage of the UN Correspondents Association "leadership," UNCA president Pamela Falk of CBSNews sent suck up tweets to the French and UK Missions to the UN calling the (non) decision in Brussels a victory for them.

  Earlier in the Memorial Day weekend she sent even more newsless tweets to the UK Mission, paparazzi photos of its Ambassador and that of the UAE, which owns Manchester City football club. (No questions about the UAE's record on gay rights, despite Robbie Rogers suggesting just that question in the New York Times.)

  Meanwhile UNCA trolls on whom Falk at a minimum has refused to act (audio here and here) sent bogus social media messages to the UK Mission in Geneva questioning how the investigative Press is funded. (They have tried to say dictators and terrorists, leading to death threats.) 

Answer: Not by high frequency stock traders a la Reutersand Bloomberg, nor 41% by the French government like AFP. But what have these wire services' UN bureaux and UNCA under Falk come to? Watch this site.