By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 10 -- At the UN at Wednesday there was criticism of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for not doing enough on the issue of the Rohingyas in Myanmar.
Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative Abdallah Yahya Al-Mouallemi said that upstairs, with Ban and his envoy Vijay Nambiar, the argument was made that Myanmar's President is “not fully informed” of the abuses against Rohingya; he added that this is “difficult to understand.”
His criticism, and that of Djibouti's Roble Olhaye, was well placed. Inner City Press asked Abdallah Yahya Al-Mouallemi about the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation's decision not to postpone the July 7-8 meeting of the Arakan Rohingya Union, which many Rohingyas around the world had requested. This questionwas not answered.
Rather, Abdallah Yahya Al-Mouallemi took the opportunity of his counterpart from Djibouti mentioning an upcoming meeting with the Security Council to call the situation in Syria worse than that of the Rohingya.
Three other ambassadors, of Turkey, Brunei and Egypt had been promised in the UN Media Alert. As with UN envoy to West Africa Said Djinnit earlier in the day (@FUNCA_Questions has asked DPA) they did not arrive to take questions. Abdallah Yahya Al-Mouallemi brought up Syria, but not Egypt. And so it goes at the UN.
Footnote: The turn-out for the press conference, called on short notice, was small: a Turkish journalist, who made a point of offering thanks for UNCA, another asking softball questions, and the UN scribes to write it all up (we predict the criticism of Ban Ki-moon won't make it in).
Inner City Press counter-offered thanks for the Free UN Coalition for Access, and @FUNCA_info asked by Twitter where the Ambassadors of Turkey, Brunei and Egypt -- which Egypt? -- might have been. And we're still waiting to hear. Watch this site.
