On Cyprus, As UN Unaware of Plan for 200,000 Syria Refugees, Play for IMF Loans?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 10 -- After the UN Security Council's low key Cyprus session Tuesday morning, Inner City Press asked UN envoy Lisa Buttenheim two questions, about Cyprus' moves to explore natural resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone, and plans for up to 200,000 refugees from Syria.

  Buttenheim said there is a danger of inflammatory rhetoric about resources, while acknowledging that Cyprus has the right to explore in its "E. E. Zed." Of the Syria refugee plans she said "I have not heard that myself." 

  She said Cyprus is the "primary safe haven" for nine countries, noting that she is the UN's "designated official" and worked for example on the evacuation of UN families from Egypt in February 2011.

  But Cyprus' former UN ambassador Andreas Mavroyiannis told numerous media in Nicosia, "We do not know what will happen in Syria, but in our planning we have estimated up to 200,000 refugees could arrive... It will be a very big strain on us if it happens, so we will need help for sure."

  Cynics say this could be a play for loans not only from Russia -- note that as Inner City Press reported last week Cyprus abstained from the General Assembly resolution on the rights of Georgian IDPs to return to Abkhazia and South Ossentia -- but also from the IMF. 

 The IMF has a briefing on July 12 -- which is when "good offices" man Alexander Downer arrives in New York, ostensibly to meet new Department of Political Affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman. Will he like Italy issue a press release? Watch this site.

At UN, Full Secrecy for Host Country Committee under Cyprus, No More Summaries of Visa Complaints by Nicaragua, Iran

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 1 -- The UN has become even less transparent in the past three years. Take for example the Host Country Committee, which deals with complaints about the treatments of diplomats in their missions by the United States. In 2007, Inner City Press attended the committee and wrote about it.

In 2008, Chairman Andreas Mavroyiannis of Cyprus barred Inner City Press, but allowed the UN itself it issue a press release summarizing the meeting. Mavroyiannis also offered to do a press briefing summarizing the Committee's work.

On September 1, 2010, Inner City Press went to a meeting of the Host Country Committee. Before it began, Inner City Press was asked to leave. The new chairman, Mavroyannis' successor as Cypriot Ambassador, Minas Hadjimichael, came over and said that instead of opening the meetings to the independent press, the decision had been made to discontinue even the UN's own press releases.

Who made the decision? The Committee by consensus -- that is, without a vote. Inner City Press stood outside the meeting, asking those who came out after the thirty minute session what had transpired inside. Some said it was boring: oral complaints by Nicaragua about denied visas, written complaints along with same lines by Cuba and Iran. Why then make it secret?

Committee secretary Surya Sinha told Inner City Press he will dig up the citations justifying the exclusion of the Press. Would a request from the media to attend be taken up by the Committee? No, was the answer. The request would have to come from one of the 19 countries which are members of the Committee. One member told Inner City Press they will raise it next time. We'll see. Watch this site.

Footnote: Ironically, while Hadjimichael claims that the meetings are closed so that problems can be solved, it was the Press which by asking got the UN to urge the US to loosen travel restrictions on those from Iran, Belarus and others. So who is served by the Committee's secrecy?