At UN Charter Debate, Inner City Press Asks Venezuela FM Delcy Rodriguez About Yemen, Live Blog

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 15 -- When the UN Charter was debated in the Security Council, chaired by Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez, she brought up Syria, the State of Palestine and eight armed conflicts in Africa.

  Inner City Press, when she did a question and answer stakeout, asked her about Yemen as well, a conflict decidedly less spoken about in the Security Council amid continuing airstrikes. Periscope video of Q&A here.

   Inside the Chamber, Spain's Ignacio Ybanez brought up Burundi, as did France's Ambassador Francois Delattre (along with CAR and Mali, North Korea, Syria, Libya and yes, Yemen) - but what has been done about Burundi? 

 New Zealand's Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen said the delay of the Council's visit to Burundi by six months blunted its impact. The Free UN Coalition for Access would add, and the lack of transparency.

  Russia's speech went old school, back to the UK bombing Yemen in 1964, the US in Grenada and Nicaragua. It was unclear if the US would invoke a right of reply: 68 countries were signed up to speak. Number 65 was Turkey, as signs across from the UN said “Turkey, ISIS, Stop Killing Kurds!”

  India's Permanent Representative said that peacekeeping Troop Contributing Countries are not consulted enough, and criticized that there must be consensus to list groups as terrorist.

 There will be more...

On February 12, when Venezuela's Permanent Representative Rafael Ramirez held a breakfast Q&A, Inner City Press asked him about Yemen, Western Sahara, the next UN Secretary General, Haiti and UNSC transparency.

  On Yemen, Ramirez said there is a need for more open meeting, citing February 16 and 17 and the request for weekly meetings going forward. He said the media doesn't cover Yemen anything like Syria.

 On Western Sahara Ramirez told Inner City Press that Ban Ki-moon and his envoy Ross should be able to visit before April. When Inner City Press asked about the so-called "Group of Friends on Western Sahara" which, without any African members, drafts the UNSC's resolutions on the topic, he said, "I don't now what kind of friends are these."

 Ramirez said he was next meeting with the President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft, that the UNSC should propose more than one candidate to the GA. Inner City Press asked for his view on possible candidate Susana Malcorra; he said running is a personal decision.

  On Haiti, Ramirez said he is worried about the parliamentary coup, citing the example of Honduras; he said he would wait to see what CELAC could accomplish.

 Inner City Press for the Free UN Coalition for Access suggested that Presidents of the UNSC, starting with Ramirez, should publish online their daily schedule of meetings. Ramirez to his credit said it is a good idea. We will be following this. 

 Back on February 1 Inner City Press asked then-incoming President of the Security Council Ramirez about Yemen. Video here. As transcribed by InnerCityPro.com:

Matthew Lee, Inner City Press. On behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access, we are hoping you will do question and answer stakeouts after Security Council consultations... On Yemen – there’s a lot of talks about the Syrian peace talks. On Yemen we hear a lot less. What’s your understanding of the status of the envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, bringing the parties together? Do you think the report on possible war crimes by the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes will be taken up at any point by the Council? And do you think that the US, UK, others that are assisting that coalition – is there enough oversight of the civilian harm that’s taking place in the air campaign on Yemen?

Amb Ramirez: Thank you. Before anything else, I hope as president of the Security Council to interact with the press, because each time we come out of a meeting of the Security Council , there’s a healthy practice, we’ve always done it that way so we’ll do what’s possible without taking too much time.

On Yemen, in my capacity as president of the Security Council  I can say that all Security Council members are closely following the events which have been escalating and have been affecting the civilian population, which finds itself in an awful situation, in the bombing campaign and the action on the ground of the two parties to the conflict.

It’s our hope that Mr. Ahmed, when he gives the briefing, will give a better picture of what’s happening there. As president of the Security Council I can’t say in advance what the positions will be of the various members fo the Security Council. This will be in closed consultations. 

But I can say that there is a growing concern on this question, and what you say, that the issue of Syria is being dealt with in a constant basis and the issue of Yemen not, is not the case with Yemen, this is something that we have raised. There is a lack of balance in terms of the way the Security Council deals with some issues. Sometimes some issues are pushed forward for political notice, and therefore they’re high on the agenda, they’re always discussed, and then there are others which are on the back burner, which  are reserved.

So today we proposed that in the Yemen briefing the consultations on Yemen should be in the form of a briefing, so that we can hear about the situation from the Special Envoy of the Secretary General, and that everybody can hear, and we can get a picture of the situation over there, what’s the actual situation, and Mr. O’Brien, we’re also asking that he should take part in that briefing, so on behalf of OCHA he would be able to explain what the situation is, what is the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

 We'll be there, on February 17, covering it. On January 29, the UN Spokesman threw Inner City Press out of the UN Press Briefing Room then on February 1 made this threat, here.

 On January 27, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, transcript here:

Inner City Press: on Yemen, on this recommendation for a commission of inquiry into war crimes, has the, has envoy... I've been looking at his Twitter feed, but has the envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, does he have any response to this report of, you know, dozens of war crimes [inaudible]?

  Note: the reference was to Saudi airstrikes -- a/k/a inaudible, at the UN.

Spokesman Dujarric:  Whether it's the Special Envoy or the Secretary-General, I think they've all been calling for any crimes against humanity, any violation of international law to be fully investigated.

 Back on January 19, Inner City Press asked Uruguay's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Jose Luis Cancela, chairing the day's Security Council debate on Protection of Civilians, if the Council does enough to protect civilians in Yemen, including monitoring the effects of airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition. Video here.

 Cancela diplomatically replied that he was not there to comment on specific countries -- inside the Council, there was much talk of Syria, a smattering on Burundi -- but turned the question toward not hitting schools and hospitals, both of which have happened in Yemen.

 According to IOCA's ground rules published by Inner City Press, there will be no press access, other than photographs with the Special Envoy at the start. Delegates shall not use social media. Only the Special Adviser can speak publicly, and he is supposed to be seen has neutral. There are “Ground Rules,” also put online by Inner City Press here.  

The ground rules include that the delegations should not speak with the media, or use social media. On December 4, Inner City Press asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq about these proposals: are they normal for the UN? Haq said he would not comment on leaks. Video here.

On June 25, Inner City Press asked new UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien three questions about Yemen: cholera, the destruction of ambulances in Sa'ada and about international staff. Video here.

  O'Brien replied that cholera is a risk; he had no information on WHO it was that destroyed the ambulances in Sa'ada (we can guess.) On international staff, which the UN evacuated earlier, he spoke of a rise from 17 to 70, with the goal of getting to 200. He would not say if they are anywhere in the country outside of Sana'a, citing security. But at least he spoke - the Free UN Coalition for Access thanked him.

In UN Decolonization Committee, US Absent From Meeting On Puerto Rico & Vieques, Western Sahara Next

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 22 -- With Puerto Rico the topic of the UN's Decolonization Committee on Monday afternoon, the outside speakers cited the inability to vote for US President to the environmental destruction of Vieques by US bombs. Afterward member states spoke, including Nicaragua on the Monroe Doctrine and Sandino. Cuba's resolution was brought up for decision -- and passed without a vote.

   Inner City Press ran downstairs to basement Conference Room 3 as Cuba was speaking after the vote. Venezuela's Permanent Representative was there, along with his Bolivian counterpart and others. But the seat of the United States, like those of France and the UK beside it, were empty. Periscope video for now here. “It's always like this,” one delegate told Inner City Press. The UN is a strange place.

  (Cuba's Deputy Permanent Representative said that the UN Department of Public Information last Monday said that webcasting of the Committee was guaranteed, but this was later brought into question as has been raised to theFree UN Coalition for Access.)

  While the chairperson of the meeting said that the agenda for June 23 had yet to be decided, Inner City Press had heard it will be Western Sahara. In that case, it seems doubt that Morocco will follow the US and “just say no,” not show up.

  One thing that may be different this year is the revelations in the Morocco cables leaked by or on “Chris Coleman” Twitter account. Earlier on June 22, Inner City Press asked the UN Spokesman who it was in the UN, who called Anders Kompass a “sleaze-bag.” Video here.  We'll have more on this.
   

On Gaza in UN Security Council, The Collective Punishment WILL Be Televised -- on UNTV

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 22 -- The Middle East debate in the UN Security Council on July 22 ran until 6:30 pm, ending with Israel's representative snarking that Saudi Arabia and Iran are engaged in a proxy war in Syria but are very close here in the UN.

  But the elephant in the room, or in the Security Council chamber, was the draft resolution of Jordan and the Arab Group. Inner City Press published a draft of the draft last week, and has repeatedly been told it is about to be circulated. But several speakers on July 22 asked, where is it?

  Once the Security Council's 15 members were finished, more than forty other countries spoke. A sampling of a half-dozen:

  Pakistan's Permanent Representative Masood Khan said that the collective punishment of the people of Gaza is being broadcast, live: the collective punishment will be televised, to paraphrase Gil Scott Heron's “the revolution will not be televised.”

  Brazil's Permanent Representative Antonio Patriota noted that the Security Council cites protection of civilians in other contexts -- Libya came to mind -- so why not in Gaza?

  Nicaragua's Permanent Representative, among others, called for Palestine's admission into the UN as a full member, not only as “Observer” state.

  South Africa's Deputy Permanent Representative Mashabane quoted Nelson Mandela: “Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”

  New Zealand's Permanent Representative gave a speech that sounded more in the mainstream of UN member states' views than, say, Australia. In the upcoming election for Security Council seats, New Zealand is seeking the Western European and Other Group seat that its fellow CANZ member Australia is vacating.

  The other CANZ-er, Canada, called for the UN to investigate if UNRWA gave rockets found in one of its schools back to Hamas. The question was put earlier in the day to US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf, who said the US is looking into it, don't jump to conclusions.

  The session ended with Israel snarking, on mass death penalty grounds, at Egypt - which struck some as strange. But this is the UN. Watch this site.

   

On Indigenous Conference, UN President of the General Assembly "Fails on Modalities," Permanent Forum and States Speak Out

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 23 -- The failure of UN President of the General Assembly John Ashe to “show leadership” in setting up the World Conference on Indigenous People scheduled for September was strongly criticized on May 23.

For more than a week, Inner City Press has been asking indigenous leaders what they expected from PGA Ashe. Only that he implement the “modalities” already agreed to for the Conference, was the answer. One speaker, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, noted that Ashe's office had tried to blame a member state for blocking things but this wasn't true.

  But at 4 pm on May 23 in the General Assembly, when a statement was read out for Ashe, it said that “no consensus” had been reached, even on Monday's watered-down proposal, and that Ashe would be calling for another meeting next week. 

 There followed speeches of disappointment, not only from indigenous representatives but also countries: beginning with Mexico and Norway, through Denmark and Guatemala's Permanent Representative Rosenthal, heavily indigenous Bolivia, Finland, Australia and New Zealand.

 Nicaragua's deputy Permanent Representative spoke, then Sweden. Kenneth Deer called for full and equal participation. Panama spoke, and a representative of the United States, with obstructed view.

Earlier in the week Inner City Press asked Grand Chief Edward John from Western Canada about the proposed oil sands and tar sands pipelines there. He said the Harper government is expected to gives its approval. Then what?

Footnote: at these indigenous press conferences, the newFree UN Coalition for Access thanked the speakers; the old UN Correspondents Association was generally not there, except an appearance that triggers a response that Morocco is not in the African Union and therefore didn't participate in its programs. UNCA big wigs were trying a scam elsewhere, it emerged. Typical.

   

As Guatemala Says "Legalize It," UN's Ban Ki-moon Goes Light on Latins, Drops Jamaica from Maritime Disputes

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 25 -- When Guatemala's president Otto Fernando Pérez Molina arrived to speak to the media at the UN on Wednesday, only three came and asked questions. Inner City Press asked if, on his signature issue of de-criminalization of drugs, he has a sense of the views of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and what he thinks the US should be doing.

  Otto Fernando Pérez Molina, who had mentioned the support of Ban's predecessor Kofi Annan, said he had spoken with Ban last year. He noted that two US states have decriminalized marijuana and said the Federal government is not opposing that. He spoke of small compartments in cares carrying drugs through Guatemala.

  An irony, of course, is that Otto Fernando Pérez Molina has been accused of war crimes, including making rebel leaders disappear. Guatemala is now on the Security Council; this part of its history and of Otto Fernando Pérez Molina rarely come up, even as Sudan and Syria are discussed.

On September 24, the president of Costa Rica spoke, mostly about her country's dispute with Nicaragua. A response by Nigaragua, scheduled for September 25 at 11 am, was canceled. So far, Latin presidents are the most accessible, but with most UN press fixated on Syria and Iran, they are not getting much play.

  Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesperson's office about a letter Colombia gave Ban and was told that not only Costa Rica and Panama but also Jamaica had signed it, about maritime issues.

  After Costa Rica's president told Inner City Press it did not include Jamaica but also on-land issues and the Press reported it, the UN quietly issued a correction. Who's counting?

  We are.

  When Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, met with Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday evening the UN had five officials at the table. Twenty minutes later for an Israeli minister the UN brought more than 12 officials. 

  Does Ban's UN take Latin America for granted? Some say,Si. Watch this site.

   

UN Silent on 2d Faux Syria Rebel Jarba "UN" Briefing, Spins French Takeover of Press Briefing Room, FUNCA Protests

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 24 -- With Saudi-sponsored Syria rebel boss Jarba set for his second faux UN briefing in two months, the UN Department of Public Information which has facilitated this fraud had no answer on Tuesday.

  Inner City Press asked four DPI officials, who had provided as least spin on France's "reserving" of blocks of seats in the UN Press Briefing Room for Francois Holland, the following:

"whether tomorrow's session with Syria rebel Ahmad al Jarba, the second held in Room S-310, can properly be called a 'UN briefing' as UNCA did in July. Also, it has only been publicized to those who pay UNCA dues -- but it is in a UN room. These questions should be answered today."

  But the questions were not answered, or even replied to. For the UN, it is the Department of Public Information which decided to give the UN Correspondents Association the key to large room S-310, as well as an office around the corner, which which to hold faux "UN briefings" publicized only to those who pay them money, under 2013 UNCA president Pamela Falk of CBS.

  Now that the UNCA Executive Committee has so blatantly shown its politics, what does it say that Ban Ki-moon gives the first of his only two or three question stakeouts to UNCA 2013 president Pamela Falk? It is propaganda-ville.

  Falk didn't even bother coming to the press conference of Bolivia's president Evo Morales on Monday, sending down (late) a Turkish journalist who asked a softball question in broken Spanish on which his media is sure not to report.

  When Costa Rica's president held a press conference, NO representative of UNCA appeared. The first question went to the Free UN Coalition for Access @FUNCA_info and Inner City Press, about the dispute with Nicaragua. 

  UNCA is a politicized group -- it is entirely illegitimate for DPI, and officials like the ones who allowed France to take over the UN Press Briefing Room on Tuesday, to continue to give special favors to UNCA. Watch this site.

 In fairness, this was DPI's response to the Free UN Coalition for access, and FUNCA's reply, UNresponded to:

Subject: Fw: French "reserved" seats in Press Briefing Room - challenge and question by FUNCA
From: Stephane Dujarric [at] un.org
Date: Tue, Sep 24, 2013 at 4:40 PM
To: funca [at] funca.info
Cc: Hua Jiang [at] un.org>, Isabelle Broyer [at] un.org, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal [at] un.org, Jaya Dayal [at] un.org, Darrin Farrant [at] un.org

Dear Matthew, You've already seen a draft of my response but I am sending something more formal to you nonetheless.

As a courtesy to their large traveling press corps which had to move quickly from the North Lawn Building to the Secretariat for Pres. Hollande's press conference, we allowed the French Delegation to reserve a number of seats.

The press briefing room was indeed 'standing room only,' but in the end you and other UN press corps members all had seats. I also note that a number of UN correspondents, affiliate with UNCA and FUNCA, were able to ask questions of the President.

Stephane Dujarric, Director, News & Media Division | Department of Public Information

To which FUNCA replied, still without response hours later:

Thank you for this response, but it doesn't answer the question asked: what percentage would be OK?

Could France have marked 70% of the seats Reserved? 80%? That's what FUNCA is asking: what is the rule? Be aware: there were many correspondents who had questions and concerns about those "Reserved" signs. So it would be good to answer.

Also, it did make a difference: as you saw, the questions were all clustered in the front of the room. Carla only got a question because she just started asking: she was not called upon by the French mission.

FUNCA continues to challenge the first question automatically going to UNCA, in the briefing room and now, it seems, at mere two or three question stakeouts.

There's more to be said, but most pressingly, this is a request for an answer from DPI whether tomorrow's session with Syria rebel Ahmad al Jarba, the second held in Room S-310, can properly be called a "UN briefing" as UNCA did in July. Also, it has only been publicized to those who pay UNCA dues -- but it is in a UN room. These questions should be answered today, before tomorrow's session. Will appreciate it. Thanks.

Watch this site.

   

At UN, Nicaragua Targeted by Letter from Colombia, Costa Rica, Jamaica & Panama, with ICJ Case Echo?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 23 -- After UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Colombia's president Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, Ban's office issued a read-out including that "President Santos hand-delivered a letter, also signed by Costa Rica, Jamaica and Panama, concerning maritime issues in the Caribbean Sea."

Inner City Press made inquiries, including to Ban's spokesperson's office, a "short and simple question: did President Santos of Colombia give the SG a letter? If so, did it assert that Nicaragua is 'expansionist'?"

Ban's Spokeperson's Office replied,

From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 4:23 PM
Subject: Questions
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

Your question on Colombia:

Please see below the readout issued. It is for the Member States mentioned to decide whether they disclose the contents of the letter.

Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, President of the Republic of Colombia

The Secretary-General met with the President of Colombia, Mr Juan Manuel Santos. They discussed the on-going peace process between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

They also discussed Colombia’s progress on the MDG’s as well as its contribution to building a post-2015 development agenda. President Santos hand-delivered a letter, also signed by Costa Rica, Jamaica and Panama, concerning maritime issues in the Caribbean Sea.

23 September 2013

Your question on briefings in Room S-310: please direct your question to UNCA.

Politics, politics. The letter, we surmise, concerns the International Court of Justice case. And on the faux "UN briefing" in UN Room S-310, click here. Watch this site.

   

At UN, Australian Lesbian Medical Association Wins NGO Committee Vote 19-6, Sudan Complains of US Double Standard on Islamic Charity

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 24 -- A week after the day against homophobia, the Australian Lesbian Medical Association won a vote at the UN for recommendation as special consultative status to ECOSOC.

When ALMA's application came up, Pakistan sought to put it off, asking for a copy of a scientific paper mentioned in its application. Bulgaria took the floor to call this a delay tactic, and called for a vote.

There are 19 members of the NGO Committee. Two were listed as "absent" -- Burundi and Cuba. Of those listed as present, nine voted yes, six voted no, and two abstained.

The nine "Yes" votes as recorded by Inner City Press in the room were the USA, Venezuela, Belgium, India, Israel, Nicaragua, Peru and Turkey.

The six "No" votes were China, Morocco -- which also opposed or questioned groups dealing with Western Sahara -- Pakistan, Russia, Senegal and Sudan.

The abstainers were Kyrgyzstan and Mozambique, which Secretary General Ban Ki-moon just visited.

Inner City Press has asked, does Ban's Secretariat monitor this NGO Committee, and try to assert leadership?

On the other hand, the US alone blocked or delayed the Islamic African Relief Agency, saying it funded Osama Bin Laden, and asking for more information: which UN agencies funded it?

Sudan complained that while the US question blocked the groups, questions about ALMA did not. But ALMA had the votes. Did the Islamic African Relief Agency? Watch this site.

Footnotes: China spotted a group which said it had consultative status on its web site while applying for it; Russia wondered if those who disagree with gay rights don't themselves have their rights violated. The NGO Committee is one of the few places in the UN where such clashes occur in the open, on the record.

UN Protection of Civilians Goes Past 10 PM, From Drones to IDPs, Double Standards Everywhere

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 12, updated – The Security Council's “Protection of Civilians” debate Tuesday started late, after a session on North Korea, and went past 10 pm, with nearly all Permanent Representatives gone. Inner City Press stayed, through Sri Lanka and the Congo, Turkey and Qatar, all the way through to Bolivia.

Early in the proceeding, France's Gerard Araud praised the UN's use of drones and called for accountability. Some wondered, what about in Cote d'Ivoire, the killings in Duekoue and of Internally Displaced People?

Russia's Vitaly Churkin also praised the UN, or at least its mission in Afghanistan, for systemically counting the number of civilians killed. This might be contrasted, as Inner City Press has, to the UN hiring non-profit Benetech in San Francisco, partially funded by the US State Department, to purport to count the dead in Syria.

Tanzania's Permanent Representative said the international community and the UN failed in Rwanda. Later on, the DR Congo spoke mostly about the M23 rebels, blaming Rwanda. Inner City Press interviewed Rwanda's foreign minister, story here.

The Netherlands' Permanent Representative spoke about accountability, too, leading some to hearken back to the role and inaction of Dutch soldiers or peacekeepings in Srebrenica.

New Zealand stressed that even when the Council is blocked, action should be taken, citing only only Syria but also Sri Lanka.

When Sri Lanka's Palitha Kohona spoke, he railed against media fabrications. Afterward Inner City Press spoke with him, with a story forthcoming (now here).

Brazil's foreign minister Patriota also did a stakeout. Inner City Press asked him about Mali -- he called for action to get under Resolution 2085 as soon as possible, with Africans in the lead -- and Guinea Bissau. On that, Patroita said harmonization and cooperation had been less than ideal, but it should be better under new envoy and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ramos Horta.

Nicaragua's speech put it plainly: Resolution 1973 was used in Libya for the assassination of a head of state.

There were outgoing Ambassadors. India's Hardeep Singh Puri, set to retire from foreign service, criticized double standards in the protection of civilians. Belgium's Permanent Representative, too, is set to retire.

But the debate ended with two rounds of replies between Azerbaijan and Armenia about Nagorno Karabakh. Syria replied to Qatar, which had railed at Assad. Turkey did that but Israel killings in Palestine, too. As he spoke, Inner City Press at the stakeout was asked about it scoop of Palestine seeking a vice chair of the Arms Trade Treaty talks. Who is trying to block it? Watch this site.

At UN, As Venezuela Celebrates Bolivar by the River, Talk of Syria & Censors

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 6 -- Venezuela at the UN celebrated its independence on July 6 by the East River, with music and food and a speech by Ambassador Jorge Valero against the Empire. There was a US representative there, leaving just as Inner City Press entered.

  Inside the representative of CITGO chatted, alongside the Permanent Representatives of, among many others, Cameroon, Colombia, Somalia, Iran, Sudan, the European Union, Kenya, Brazil -- too many to count. The permanent observer of Palestine was there.

 Ironically talk turned to the dominance of Latin America over Africa, with Argentine Susana Malcorra as the chief of staff, wanting to manage the Controller and even the Department of Field Support which she used to run.

 "Africa is losing everything," a prominent African Permanent Representative told Inner City Press. "We've been bypassed by Latins."

  Ban Ki-moon's new deputy Jan Eliasson came in, fresh from his closing talk at ECOSOC, and chatted with a "gringo" adviser to Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, as one observer put it. 

  The incoming president of the GA, Vuk Jeremic, is said to be asking for $7 million to run his office, as Inner City Press reported. On Friday evening, a Latin expert said d'Escoto as PGA held fundraisers. To this has the UN been reduced.

  The Syria report, hours old, was discussed, largely in terms of if Mood might possibly stay (many said no, consistent with Inner City Press' June 29 scoop) and who might replace him as the face of the UN in Syria.

  Talk repeatedly turned to attacks upon the Press, some asking, "are these people journalists?" That is a question that remains to be seen. The confluence of the New York Civilities Liberties Union and the Grupo ALBA, American containing multitudes, was noted, along with a two and a half hour detour caused by pretext. And then this article. Watch this site.