By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 17, updated Aug 18 -- The UN has among its high officials at least two members of the UK House of Lords, Inner City Press has learned: humanitarian chief Valerie Amos and Lebanon envoy Michael Williams, who sources say may be seeking an even higher post.
The UN charter clearly prohibits a UN official serving any government or other interest other than the UN. Under Ban Ki-moon, this has in effect been waived for example for Ban's envoy to Libya Al-Khatib, who remains a Senator in Jordan. Al-Khatib has told Inner City Press he is not paid by the UN; other sources said a different "fix" or loophole had been found for Amos and Williams.
On August 16, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's acting deputy spokesman Farhan Haq to "please describe the UN's thinking and position on whether the UK titles / honors of Michael Williams and Valerie Amos may violate the letter or spirit of the UN charter."
Haq's written answer -- he had canceled the day's noon briefing, apparently on the argument that with Ban working from home, there was less or no UN news -- strangely addressed only one of the two: "No, they do not. Michael Williams is on a leave of absence from the House of Lords while he is working for the UN."
But why not answer as to Amos? See below. On August 17, Amos appeared in the UN briefing room to talk about Somalia, Syria and Sudan. As the penultimate question, Haq called on Inner City Press, which after Sudan asked Amos, since Haq had declined to answer, about her service in the House of Lords.
"Yes, I am formally a member of the House of Lords," she said, adding "they have something called Leave of Absence and I have take it, I think I'd have to given three months notice to go back." Video here, from Minute 28:50.
Afterward Inner City Press asked Amos' spokesperson to provide the date on which Amos went on leave from the House of Lords. At press time, it has not been provided. [But see update below.]
It is understood that when the UN Office of Legal Affairs questioned Michael Williams about his recent peerage and membership in the House of Lords, the case of Valerie Amos was brought up and cited to. The "on leave" loophole has been opened.
Other sources say that Williams, always genial with the press, is under consideration by the UK Foreign Office to be nominated at a UK candidate to replace American Lynn Pascoe as the head of the UN Department of Political Affairs.
As Inner City Press exclusively reported, Pascoe has told other high US officials he wants to leave the post. The only question is whether the Obama administration would like to put another American at DPA, or take over the UN Department of Management (with Patrick Kennedy, sources say) and perhaps also Ban's chief of staff position.
If Michael Williams, or any other Brit, took back the Department of Political Affairs for the UK, it seems clear that Amos would have to go as head humanitarian, since not even a Permanent Five country is supposed to control two of the top Under Secretary General positions. (Ban's spokesman Haq strange answering of the Press only as to Williams and not Amos can be seen in this light.)
So is it Williams versus Amos, Lord versus Baroness? Both are associated with the Labor party -- Amos waits with Ban Ki-moon when Tony Blair visits the UN -- and officials of Foreign Office under Conservative David Cameron are apparently nonplussed by the idea of nominating Williams. We'll see.
Update of August 18: the next day this came in from Ms. -- or should we say Baroness -- Amos' office:
"Sorry I didn't manage to confirm what Valerie told you yesterday until now, re her leave of absence from the House of Lords. As Valerie stated,
- She took a leave of absence from the House of Lords
- This was done when the offer from UN was accepted
- VA notified the Clerk of the House of Lords as per standard HoL procedure
- This is also to ensure that absentees aren't included in the numbers for voting."
