By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, April 22 -- After the UN's Host Country Committee met on April 22 about the US denying entry to Iran's nominee for UN Ambassador, the Committee's chair from Cyprus told the press that several members spoke and the committee remains "seized of the matter."
Inner City Press asked him how the US had justified its act in light of the Host Country Agreement. Ask the Americans, he said. But they did not speak at the stakeout.
A member coming out of the meeting, well known to Inner City Press, told it that many countries had spoken in favor of Iran, as well as on "the bank issue" which Inner City Pressfirst covered, here: JPMorgan Chase is closing a number of countries' accounts. On this, the Cypriot chair told Inner City Press to expect a solution soon. Or a resolution?
On the US's visa denial, the UN Secretariat under Ban Ki-moon has remained markedly quiet, even as the UN's own agreement with the US is flaunted. Previously, the UN opined that blocking access to Yassar Arafat violated the agreement, as Inner City Press asked out, how doesn't this? But Ban doesn't want to say it.
In fact, the meeting wasn't even initially listed in the UN Media Alert for April 22. The Free UN Coalition for Accessquestioned why, given the level of interest. At the day's noon briefing, Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said there would be a UNTV stakeout in front of the meeting. (He didn't answer, for the second day in a row, why on Western Sahara the Polisario Front has now been banned from speaking on UNTV, while for example the Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu spoke on UNTV on April 21).
Representing the US in the April 22 Host Country Committee meeting was Deputy Permanent Representative Rosemary DiCarlo (Permanent Representative Samantha Power was at a Security Council retreat with Ban Ki-moon.)
Inner City Press has asked why the US under the Host Country Agreement went so far as to do a court filing supporting immunity for Sri Lanka Deputy Permanent Representative Shavendra Silva, whose army unit was portrayed engaged in 2009 war crimes in Ban Ki-moon's own report, but now denies a visa to Aboutalebi, describes as a translator in the 1979 hostage taking. Politics, of course. But we're still waiting for an actual answer. Watch this site.
