By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 12 -- Amid the spread of Legionnaire's Disease in New York, beginning from the South Bronx, the question arises how the United Nations, which refused to accept responsibility or to reform after bringing cholera to Haiti, is responding.
Inner City Press, which has covered the UN's role in cholera in Haiti, impunity and South Bronx, had the following questions from the UN - but UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric did not allow them to be asked at the August 12 briefing, cutting the questions off and promises a "responsive" statement. Here are the questions Inner City Press has submitted to the UN:
2. Does the UN have cooling towers in any of its NYC facilities (to include rented properties outside the HQ complex)?
3. In the past month, has any testing been done of UN cooling towers, and if so, on what dates, by whom?
4. Has any host government authority asked the UN if it can enter UNHQ to test the UN's cooling towers for legionella?
5. Does the UN consider itself exempt (or immune) from the new joint NY State/NYC regulations?
6. If requested, would the UN allow host government authorities to enter the UNHQ to test for legionella?
7. If the UN has tested its facilities for legionella bacteria, will it (yes or no) make test reports public by posting them online?
After bringing cholera to Haiti, the UN has refused to help the families of those killed by the cholera. Now the UN belatedly has a rule to get reimbursed by Troop Contributing Countries if it vaccinates their soldiers (hereat Para 61) - but still no compensation for the victims.
In the legal appeal pending in the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the UN on July 14 was informed of its "Notice of Appearance Default," and told if it doesn't respond in 14 days it will not be heard at oral arguments except by the permission of the Court.
Inner City Press on July 14 asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric:
Inner City Press: on Haiti, there's been a notice of them staring at now, sent to the Office of the Secretary-General about the Second Circuit appeal of the cholera case and it basically says… it's called a notice of appearance default notice, that if there's no response by the UN within 14 days, they can't be heard at the oral argument. Are you aware of this? And is it your intention to…?
Spokesman: I'm not aware… I'm not aware of it.
Spokesman: I'm not aware… I'm not aware of it.
Last week, Dujarric told Inner City Press that the UN would respond to a letter urging it to take responsibility for bringing cholera to Haiti. But Dujarric did not say what the UN's response will be. We'll have more on this.
Back on July 7 Inner City Press asked Dujarric:
Inner City Press: Two very quick questions. One has to do with contingent on equipment and this new guidance that's put out by the Secretariat about vaccinations noted by PassBlue. They've noted that, and I'm looking at it now, that the UN now tells countries to vaccinate their peacekeepers if they come from a high-risk area, and if they don't vaccinate, the UN will do it and charge them. Can you say, this seems to be a response to what occurred in Haiti? And what would you say to those who say, if you're going to get into the UN receiving compensation for vaccinating peacekeepers, what about compensation for people that were made sick by the previous failure to have this policy?
Spokesman Dujarric: Well, I don't think we're getting compensation for vaccinating peacekeepers. I think what's important is that we keep improving our policies to keep people safe.
Inner City Press: Right, but the sentence says, "The UN will deduct any expenses for vaccinations"…
Spokesman Dujarric: That's not compensation. That's just covering of costs.
Spokesman Dujarric: Well, I don't think we're getting compensation for vaccinating peacekeepers. I think what's important is that we keep improving our policies to keep people safe.
Inner City Press: Right, but the sentence says, "The UN will deduct any expenses for vaccinations"…
Spokesman Dujarric: That's not compensation. That's just covering of costs.
Inner City Press: Right. It seems like a small amount of money, so…
Spokesman Dujarric: Right, but… I… I… we agree to disagree.
Spokesman Dujarric: Right, but… I… I… we agree to disagree.
Meanwhile outgoing UN envoy on cholera Medrano did an "interview" with the UN's own UN News Centrewithout mentioning that the UN brought the disease to Haiti; the UN on July 6 "reported" about cholera without mentioning Haiti, here.
When UN Peacekeepers are determined, by the UN itself, to have killed three civilians in Mali by using excessive force, what accountability is there? None - and UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous on April 2 refused to answer questions about his own responsibility. Video here.Vine here.
On June 23, Inner City Press asked Mali's foreign minister to confirm that the UN is going to pay compensation to the families of those its peacekeepers killed in Gao. He told Inner City Press to "ask the UN."
And so Inner City Press did ask, at the June 23 noon briefing:
Inner City Press: This is something that the Malian Foreign Minister said to ask you. So, I want to say that in advance before asking you. And it has to do with whether… I asked him whether the UN is in fact going to pay monetary compensation to civilians that were killed by peacekeepers in Gao in that report that was issued some time ago. And he said: You should ask the UN. So, I'm asking you. Is the…
Spokesman: Okay. I will… let me check on what we'd announced at the time, and I'll get back to you. [He later added that a compensation fund had been set up by the Department of Field Support.]
Spokesman: Okay. I will… let me check on what we'd announced at the time, and I'll get back to you. [He later added that a compensation fund had been set up by the Department of Field Support.]
The bracketed material, Dujarric's Office added to the transcript, after emailing Inner City Press this:
"Regarding your question on compensation for casualties in Gao, Mali, we would like to recall that a compensation fund has been set up by the Department of Field Support."
Inner City Press has been told - NOT by the Spokesperson's Office -- that the UN is calculating how much to pay each family in Mali. But why has the UN paid NOTHING to the families of those killed by the cholera the UN brought to Haiti? Inner City Press asked the UN's Mali envoy Mongi Hamdi, who gamely tried to distinguish the two cases, focusing on the UN exonerating itself in Haiti. We'll have more on this.
On June 11, the day after an attack against Malian military posts in the south of the country that killed one soldier and injured two, MINUSMA issued a statement which the Free UN Coalition for Access translates here:
“MINUSMA firmly condemns the cowardly terrorist attack against posts of the Malian military and security forces in Misseni / Kadiolo, in the south of Mali. The attack early on the morning of June 10 killed one soldier and injured two, as well as causing physical damage. MINUSMA offers its condolence to the Government and Armed Forces of Mali as well as to the soldier's family. The Mission wishes a fast recovery for the two wounded soldiers. MINUSMA again underlines the urgency of advancing the peace process to ensure that the Government and the stakeholders can combine their efforts and act in unity to put an end to the terrorism which threatens Mali and its people.”
“MINUSMA firmly condemns the cowardly terrorist attack against posts of the Malian military and security forces in Misseni / Kadiolo, in the south of Mali. The attack early on the morning of June 10 killed one soldier and injured two, as well as causing physical damage. MINUSMA offers its condolence to the Government and Armed Forces of Mali as well as to the soldier's family. The Mission wishes a fast recovery for the two wounded soldiers. MINUSMA again underlines the urgency of advancing the peace process to ensure that the Government and the stakeholders can combine their efforts and act in unity to put an end to the terrorism which threatens Mali and its people.”
That the attack happened in southern and not northern Mali may be a bad omen.
After his May 16 press conference in Bamako, Ladsoussaid the UN's report about its killings in Gao will never be released; follow up question here. During the press conference, tellingly, Ladsous berated Malians for not sufficiently thanking... France and its Force Serval. Audio here, Minute 27:52.
Ladsous said, referring to criticism of him and his mission by Mali's president and others at the signing ceremony the day before, "Did I hear a single word of thanks for France and its Operation Serval? No." (Translation by Free UN Coalition for Access.)
