Christofias Says Cyprus Pays Price for Sanctions, Explosive Mix With Downer

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 22 -- When Cypriot President Demetris Christofias took questions after his speech to the UN General Assembly, Inner City Press asked him not about oil about exploding stored ammunition, and of UN envoy Alexander Downer.

Christofias told Inner City Press, "You mixed the weapons, the explosion with Downer... this is a very dangerous mixture." There was laughter. Video here, from Minute 23:25.

He continued, "We store in Cyprus these materials, trying to be consistent in implementing UN Security Council resolutions of sanctions against Iran. We tried to avoid it. Unfortunately we are forced to take and store it."

Christofias paused and asked, "Why the explosion? It's a matter of investigation. At end of month they are going to have the result. Then we could say more, anyway... Implementation of UN Security Council resolutions is paid by a very high price by the Republic of Cyprus."

Turning philosophic, Christofias posed another question: Why we try to follow UN Security Council? On these resolutions we base our struggle to put an end to occupation."

The Cypriot Permanent Representative and chair of the Host County Committee Minas Hadjimichael whispered, and Christofias said to him, "Human rights, if you want to, we mention, of course."

Then he changed topics: "Alexander Downer is Alexander Downer, we watch, we follow. He control us, we control him." (At this, the moderator looked quizzical.)

Christofias concluded that Cyprus is "in a daily dialogue, we have good relations despite sometimes we don't have the same opinion on some matters. This is democracy. This is life. I'm ready to continue the dialogue, for with Mr. Eroglu, then with with Secretary General, with the presence his special adviser Alexander Downer." So there.

In Libya, UN Plans Over 200 Staff, Martin Says on NATO He Was Right, Dodges on ICC

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 22 -- Shrinking from his earlier plan for Libya including 200 military observers, UN envoy Ian Martin on Thursday told Inner City Press that 146 "international staff" as well as 50 local hires are being proposed to the UN's Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for action as early as next week.

Inner City Press asked Martin a series of questions, about his leaked report and the exclusion of Africans and even Arabs from his Mission's leadership, to his view of the role of NATO and of the International Criminal Court. Video here.

Martin claimed that his statement in his August 22 report that NATO "would" have a continuing role had been validated by the Security Council -- on September 16. But was it appropriate for the UN Secretariat to be positing continued NATO bombing as a "factual statement?"

On Third Avenue on September 19 Martin graciously answered Inner City Press' request for confirmation that Number Three official in the UNSMIL mission is the German Hansjoerg Strohmeyer by saying "There is no number three."

On September 21, Martin acknowledged that Strohmeyer has been given the chief of staff post. What's in a name?

Inner City Press asked, now that UN mediator Al Khatib has left, reportedly miffed at being shouldered out by Martin and others, will Martin offer mediation for the armed conflict still taking place around Gaddafi supporters' last bastions, now being bombed by NATO? If the Libyans ask, Martin said, and they haven't.

On whether Gaddafi and the other indictees should be sent to the ICC, Martin said it is entirely up to the Libyans. Inner City Press asked for his assessment of trying them in Libya or the Hague, but Martin would not answer.

Martin said he couldn't confirm what Chad's President Idriss Deby told Inner City Press on September 19, that there remain 400,000 Chadians in Libya, some of whom were recruited as mercenaries by the Transitional National Council and not only Gaddafi. Martin said he couldn't confirm who fought as mercenaries, nor the numbers of sub Saharan Africans remaining.

He visited a jail last time he was there. Where are those people now? Watch this site.

Footnote: There were only three questioners at Martin's press conference, one of whom tossed a softball question for Martin's views of the role of women in the New Libya. What about the role of women -- so far invisible -- in the UN Support Mission to Libya?

As Obama Meets Japan's Noda, Bill Clinton Photo Called "Great Present," Kyodo Denied

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 21 -- Japan's sixth prime minister in five years Yoshihiko Noda met on Wednesday with US President Obama, and afterward Inner City Press asked Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Yutaka Yokoi if all the turn over made more difficult the personal relationship he was talking about.

Yokoi paused and said, "Everything has two faces, that is quite true." He continued, "If you want a good relationship, you should have one face. But new people have new ideas." He continued about the shared financial crisis. Video here.

Going smaller bore, Inner City Press asked Yokoi about foreign minister Koichiro Gemba's gift to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of a photograph of himself with Bill Clinton, which the Daily Mail reported "horrified" Hillary Clinton.

Yokoi disagreed. He said, "I think it was a great present, a personal present... I'm sure Ms. Clinton appreciated very much."

Inner City Press asked about a Kyodo News exclusive about a UN report calling Japan's disaster preparedness "too modest." Yokoi turned to his colleague from the Prime Minister's office, Noriyuki Shikata. (His business card, given afterward, identified him as "Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Public Relations").

Shikata said he wasn't sure what report Inner City Press was referring to, and he maintained his even after the press conference. He cited positive reviews from the IAEA -- headed as many of noted by a Japanese official -- and said Japan will cooperate with anything. We'll see -- watch this site.

On Palestine, Ashrawi Says US Uses "Blackmail," Hopes Republica Srbska in Bosnia Does Right

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 21 -- Long time Palestinian advocacy Hanan Ashrawi was at the UN on Wednesday, and Inner City Press asked her about votes in the Security Council for Palestine's UN membership.

Minutes earlier, Nabil Shaath spoke of how he was with the PLO at the UN in 1974, and said that since nine Security Council members have recognized Palestine, he assumes they would vote in favor of Palestinian UN membership. His list included Russia, China, India, Lebanon, South Africa, Brazil, Gabon, Nigeria -- and Bosnia.

Ashrawi, asked about the figure of nine supporters, said "we're working at it." She complained that the US is "pressuring, cajoling, even blackmailing" countries to vote against Palestine. She said that "Third World countries... the weak" don't like to feel they are being browbeaten. She said the US should have put this energy into promoting peace.

Informed Balkan sources have for weeks told Inner City Press that the Republica Srbska portion of the Bosnian government does not want to vote in favor of Palestine, and that on this matter that would lead to an abstention. Inner City Press asked Ashrawi about Bosnia, Republica Srbska and a possible non affirmative vote.

On camera , Ashrawi said "we hope the Bosnians take the right decision and I think the Serb member of the tri sy should und this is in fav just it is an imperative and a responsibility." Click here for YouTube video, from Minute 1:06.

Will Republica Srbska "understand" that? Or who will reach out and (counter) "cajole" them? Watch this site.

Palestine's Shaath Calls Hamas Obstructive, Says Fear of ICC Shows Bad Intent

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 21 -- As Palestine's Nabil Shaath says Mahmud Abbas will ask the Security Council for full UN membership before "going to the General Assembly," Inner City Press asked him about Palestine joining the International Criminal Court, and about the position of Hamas on what his delegation is trying at the UN.

Shaath said the first question, which he said "some Europeans" have been raising, implies that Israel intends to commit crimes. He said Palestine would not file complaints to "harass" Israel, because it would hurt what he called the credibility, of Abbas and the PLO.

"I am not an advocate for Hamas," he said. But he said that in Cairo many good agreements were reached with Hamas, but that no government could be formed, as he said was the case in Lebanon and Iraq too. He said Hamas has two reasons to oppose the UN push: Hamas says it wasn't consulted with sufficiently, and they think the UN moves are "in the air."

Shaath called this "obstructive" and negative. He then spoke about Gazans, if they go to the West Bank, being called "illicit infiltrators" and being sent back to Gaza, as if the two were like "Zimbabwe in the south and Iceland in the north."

Returning to Hamas, he acknowledged they are not represented in the Palestinian delegation to the UN, calling this a political question. "We have not yet regained our unity," he said.

He was asked which nine countries on the Security Council have recognized Palestine, and would presumably vote for Palestine's application for UN membership. He answered: Russia, China, India, Lebanon, South Africa, Brazil, Bosnia, Gabon and, after a pause, Nigeria.

Nine positive votes would then require a veto. Shaath said that Ban Ki-moon has assured there will be no "political" delays in transmitting Palestine's requests, only "procedural" ones. Watch this site.

At UN, Obama Goes Soft on Bahrain, Ignores Darfur, Uses Sudan to Blunt Palestine Critique

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 21 -- A week before US President Obama's yearly UN speech, Inner City Press asked his Ambassador Susan Rice what he thought and would do about Sudan, specifically the killing of civilians in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile State, as well as in Darfur.

Rice said the Administration is very concerned. But when Obama on Wednesday delivered his 27 minute speech -- 12 minutes over the limit that had been set -- his three mentions of the word Sudan were only in the context of the success of the South Sudan referendum, and then only to argue that the US really does want there to be a Palestinian state.

Obama focused on what's called the Arab Spring, but highly selectively. He went out of his way to praise Bahrain for reforms, even as killing continues there, with a Saudi military presence.

The night before the speech, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met for more than an hour with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, with whom UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he didn't even discuss Bahrain.

Obama bragged that "we've banned" human rights abusers from traveling to the US, without mentioning the obvious, that this does not apply to the UN and the meeting he was speaking at.

Just as one example, despite petitions to the President of the General Assembly, Mahinda Rajapaksa the President of Sri Lanka which is charged, even by a UN report, with war crimes, has traveled to New York. He met with Bill Clinton a few blocks to the west.

Traveling with Obama is his "Genocide is a Problem from Hell" adviser Samantha Power -- but there was no mention of war crimes in Southern Kordofan in the speech, much less the need for accountability in Sri Lanka.

It was, more than one listening concluded, a campaign speech. But Obama can't get re-elected in the UN -- and might not be, if he vetoes a request in the Security Council by the Palestinians for UN membership. Trying to avoid that request seems the theme of his trip. Watch this site.

Footnote: Beyond the speech, of course, the test is what the US actually does at UN going forward. We'll be watch -- as we note that the American head of the UN Department of Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe was, perhaps to his credit, not watching the Obama speech even on UN TV, as during it he walked around the North Lawn Building's second floor.

French chiefs of UN Peacekeeping -- there have been four in a row -- wouldn't do that while Nicolas Sarkozy spoke. This too is perhaps to the US' credit.

At UN, Coup Leader of Madagascar Now Set to Address GA, Roadmap of SADC

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 20 -- Usually those who have led coups don't speak, at least at first, in the UN General Assembly. With that background, Inner City Press on September 19 asked Nihal Saad, the spokesperson for the new President of the General Assembly, to confirm that coup leader Andry Rajoelina would not be speaking for Madagascar in the General Debate starting September 21.

Later on September 20 to her credit, Ms. Saad sent this reply:

"Regarding your question on Madagascar: The SADC roadmap has been accepted on Saturday. According to the roadmap, Andry Rajoelina will lead the transition. Hence, President Rajoelina will speak at the General Debate."

The background here is that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon dined next to Rajoelina at a meeting in Istanbul, but his spokesman Martin Nesirky later denied that they had met. Next, Rajoelina's prime minister came to New York, and met with Ban's political chief Lynn Pascoe.

When asked by Inner City Press, Pascoe hearkened back to the work of his envoy Mr. Drame -- who appears in a Wikileaked cable as supporting Rajoelina's "extra Constitutional" move. So now this UN takes in coup leaders. What's next?