UNITED NATIONS, July 15 -- When countries running for seats on the UN Human Rights Council appeared in the ECOSOC Chamber to take questions on July 15, it was a staffer from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights who moderated. Inner City Press ran to the room to asked questions; not called on, it tweeted this question: on OHCHR cover-up of child rapes in the Central African Republic, what's the HRC oversight role?
When that question was read out, Switzerland's Ambassador Paul Seger said the issue had injured the reputation of the UN and OHCHR and that the Human Rights Council might have to take it up, once Ban Ki-moon's “independent” panel issues its report, due in mid-September. Slovenia and Georgia also responded.
In the interim, Inner City Press ran to the ECOSOC Chamber a second time, from the Security Council stakeout, and asked about the the delay in the report on Sri Lanka, due in March, to September, and about freedom of the press, specifically but not only in South Korea. Video here.
Seger said the UN was not at its best on Sri Lanka; South Korea argued that press freedom is only abridged for national security. (One wonders.) Georgia also responded on press freedoms; Inner City Press was thus glad to have asked the question for the Free UN Coalition for Access, FUNCA.
The exercise on July 15 was on balance a good one, and leads one to wonder again why at least this, if not direct debate, is not possible or even required in the race for the next Secretary General. We'll have more on this.
UNITED NATIONS, May 15 -- When the UN Peacebuilding Configuration on Burundi held a closed meeting on May 15, Burundi's ambassador began by saying that almost all of the coup plotters have been arrested.
Minutes later, Inner City Press is exclusively informed, Tanzania's Ambassador asked the UN's head of Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman why the UN and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had been so slow to condemn the coup.
Inner City Press put the question to Ban's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq at the UN's public noon briefing on May 15, to give the UN a change to publicly explain.
But as on a scandal about Ban and his nephew being reported on here by Inner City Press and media in Vietnam and South Korea, where Ban Ki-moon is headed, Haq response was essentially that the UN is good, that is does not need to explain (in the case of Ban's nephew) or should be presumed to be always deeply engaged and deeply concerned. Some simply don't believe that.
Much of the Peacebuilding Configuration meeting involved indirect criticism of the European Union for getting “too involved” in Burundi's constitution, followed by a proposal that the Configuration should issue a statement on Burundi.
The US, Inner City Press is informed, expressed opposition or skepticism of the latter; a draft should still be circulated by the configuration chair, Swiss Ambassador Paul Seger, but it can be blocked by one member.
France, Inner City Press is informed -- that Mission responds to but does not answer its questions -- said that the Security Council spoke and that those (mere) Elements to the Press remain as valid today as the day before.
The EU for its part said it is in discussions with the African Union about a human rights mission to Burundi. After the meeting, some expressed doubt to Inner City Press this will ever happen; at the noon briefing Inner City Press asked Haq if the UN would participate and was told that the UN has other more mediate focus right now.
While Haq did not deliver the UN's best defense, in fairness Inner City Press will: it could say it was waiting for the East African Community and African Union to speak first, which the US - which quickly condemned the coup, even after criticism the possible third term - and EU don't have to consider, as much.
Feltman was asked if the US has better intelligence than the UN (he should know, having been with the US State Department). Of course, Feltman is said to have replied, the US has intelligence that works and the UN does not.
Some in the meeting, including Brazil, said that uncoordinated statements can enflame. In this case, Inner City Press or the Free UN Coalition for Access would say it is good to have a configuration, so to speak, other than the Security Council which can speak. Watch this site.
UNITED NATIONS, May 11, with video -- Amid protests and crackdown after Pierre Nkurunziza was nominated to run for a third term as President in seeming violation of the Arusha Peace Accord, on May 11 the UN Peacebuilding Configuration for Burundi met and sought answers from Burundi's minister by video.
Asking questions were Swiss Permanent Representative Paul Seger and his counterparts from Belgium and Tanzania, Ambassador Manongi, as well as the UK's Deputy Permanent Representative Peter Wilson. France, the penholder on Burundi in the UN Security Council, did not send its Permanent Representative Francois Delattre nor his Deputy Alexis Lamek.
Questions were raised about the armed youth wing, the crackdown on media, the outward flows of refugees. The responses were generally dismissive -- Wilson wondered aloud at the disparity between the Minister's denials on the youth wing and all other available information -- and on press freedom, troubling. Media is political, the minister said, justifying the crackdown.
But what will come next? Later on May 11, the US issued a travel warning on Burundi saying among other things that "Armed groups operate in Burundi... Exchanges of gunfire and grenade attacks have increased but are usually not directed at foreigners." It's that kind of thinking that the ruling party seems to be counting on. Watch this site.
Inner City Press on May 8 asked Tanzanian President Kikwete what his country and the East African Community are trying to do. Video here.
Kikwete, at the UN for a press conference about the High Level Panel on Global Response to Health Crises, told Inner City Press to ask him about Burundi after the press conference. Inner City Press did, specifically if the EAC will be opining on if a third term would violate the Arusha Agreements or pose regional threats.
"Be patient," was Kikwete's response, saying that the foreign ministers who visited Burundi will report back on May 13. We will cover that at that time.
During the press conference, Kikwete dealt with aplomb when UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq called him the "former president" of Tanzania. There were a number of "formers" (and "futures") on the panel, but Kikwete is current.
Moments after Kikwete's and the panel's press conference, the UN Security Council issued "elements to the press" which "called upon all parties to refrain from violence and to prioritize Burundi’s peace and stability through the current political dialogue and also to achieve their needs through legal and peaceful means. They stressed the need to hold a credible, transparent, inclusive and peaceful electoral process."
Inner City Press asked the Security Council's president for May Raimonda Murmokaite of Lithuania how the third term was discussed in the Council's closed meeting. She replied that individual members did express their views on the third term but it was not really the essence of the discussion. We'll have more on this.
Inner City Press has asked the UN about Burundi, most recently on May 4 and 5 and now May 6, below. Now it's said the UN's Said Djinnit will belatedly brief the Security Council on May 7 - we'll be there.
On May 6, Inner City Press asked the UN, " I don't know if you have an update on Burundi?"
Moments later, beyond an if-asked, a statement was handed to UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq, who answered Inner City Press with this:
"Regarding Burundi, after a plenary session yesterday, Burundian stakeholders continued the political dialogue. Our Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, Said Djinnit, is facilitating work in smaller committees. The objective of the dialogue remains to seek common grounds for creating conditions for the holding of peaceful, inclusive, and credible elections in Burundi. Meanwhile, we welcome the arrival in Bujumbura of the foreign ministers of the East African community, and we look forward to working closely with the region on this."
The UN is relentlessly upbeat - and marginalized. Watch this site.
On May 4, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric:
Inner City Press: On Burundi, I want to know if you have any statement on the violence in the capital in which at least two people have been killed today protesting the third-term run of the President?
Spokesman Dujurric: Sure, we continue to follow the events in Burundi with great concern and deplore the loss of lives and injuries as well as the destruction of property that we've seen. We reiterate our calls to all the parties to reject violence, exercise maximum restraint, and avoid using inflammatory language, as well as to take the necessary appeasement measures to create conditions for dialogue. In this regard, the UN mission on the ground, MENUB, has been encouraging all stakeholders to seize the opportunities of the dialogue that is organized by the Ministry of Interior with the support of the UN on 5 and 6 May. That is tomorrow and Wednesday. And we trust that stakeholders will see and build on this dialogue as an opportunity to defuse tensions and seek common grounds for creating conditions for the holding of peaceful, inclusive, and credible elections in Burundi.
Later on May 4, Ban Ki-moon met with Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, but no UN read-out was issued. On May 5, Inner City Press asked for this, and about the judge who fled the country amid death threats. Video here.
UNITED NATIONS, July 22 -- The Security Council tables were turned on Monday morning, when the Ambassador of Burundi began his speech with the fact that former colonial powerhouse Belgium was without a government for more than a year.
He then mocked those to whom "good government is so dear," citing a proverb from another colonialist, France: "An empty stomach has no ears."
On the other end of the spectrum, after the chair of the UN Peacebuilding configuration Paul Seger of Switzerland spoke in the open meeting, he like Burundi was not allowed into the Security Council's consultation.
These exclusions are one of the reforms proposed by the new ACT grouping, and the Small Five before it. Seger stopped and told Inner City Press that, along with lines of another saying about Mohamed and the mountain, he had invited Security Council members to consult with him on Friday, and they did. But at what level?
Seger was in Burundi from June 24 to 28, and among other things as regards the International Monetary Fund said, "both the Burundian authorities and the donors consider the socio-economic situation to be difficult, although the two sides do not necessarily have the same interpretation of the causes of this fragility. The recent mission by the International Monetary Fund summed up the main challenges well. I strongly encourage the government to follow its recommendations."
UNITED NATIONS, September 4 -- Switzerland joined the
UN ten years ago, and its UN Mission website presents it as an unmitigated
success. But closer examination finds that some of its claimed impacted, on and
of the UN, are more ambiguous than
presented.
Switzerland makes much of the
Geneva-based Human Rights Council. But just this month, Sudan's candidacy for
the HRC while its president has been indicted for genocide by the ICC has drawn
fire. Word has been, for Sudan to drop out, it will get a quiet commitment for
lighter treatment by the
HRC.
Last week on August 30, Inner City
Press asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Associate Spokesman Farhan Haq
about the efficacy of any challenge to the Secretariat to Sudan's
candidacy:
Inner City Press: there's a letter that was sent to
Patricia O’Brien about Sudan’s candidacy for the Human Rights Council. It’s been
publicly announced; I don’t know if the UN has received it. And also, does the
Secretariat have any role in ruling on the eligibility of countries to run in
elections for the Human Rights
Council?
Associate Spokesperson Farhan Haq: Well, certainly,
Member States can request our expertise, our legal expertise, on points of order
if they choose to do so. In this case, though, the question of membership in the
Human Rights Council is up to the Member States, as it properly is, and we will
leave it in their hands how to handle this
issue.
Now, amid claims by some it
vindicates the HRC, Sudan is backing out. But in exchange for what? Sudan's
National Congress Party's secretary of organizations Adil Awad on September 2
said he now expects Sudan to be relieved of monitoring by a special
rapporteur...
And Joseph Deiss, while he was PGA, was only halting
in disclosing who paid for his housing and travel. For a PGA, it is legal to
take from one's country. But Deiss appeared to deny
it, when Inner City Press first raised it.
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 16 -- Less
than three
hours after he
withdrew
the Small
Five draft
resolution on
Security
Council
working
methods,
Swiss
Ambassador Seger
told Inner
City Press
that the
letter by UN
Legal Adviser
Patricia
O'Brien that
led to the
withdrawal was
"wrong," but
that the
President of
the General
Assembly had
let
it be known
that he would
express
support for
the letter.
In
his withdrawal
speech, both
as prepared
and delivered,
Seger
criticized
"legal
arguments
according to
which our
resolution
should be
submitted to a
qualified
majority of
all member
States under
resolution
53/30 which
we find, with
all due
respect,
utterly wrong
and biased."
At
Wednesday's
noon briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
the spokesman
for Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon if Ban
agrees with
his lawyer's
ruling. The
spokesman,
Martin
Nesirky, said
that since the
resolution was
withdrawn
there was no
reason to
answer.
Inner
City Press
asked again
that Patricia
O'Brien hold a
press
availability
to answer
questions, now
that she had
issued a legal
opinion not
only to Ban
but all 193
member states.
Nesirky said
such a
briefing is
"unlikely,"
for the reason
he previously
said. But now
O'Brien has
impacted a
major UN
reform issue:
is there no
accountability?
Ban
Ki-moon talks
about
transparency,
but O'Brien
never takes
press
questions.
Ban's more
recent hire,
top
Peacekeeper
Herve Ladsous,
never answers
questions,
unlike for
example Kofi
Annan's top
Peacekeeper
Jean-Marie
Guehenno.
Ban
talks about
reform, but
blocks it.
Here his top
lawyer rules
for a
two-third
General
Assembly vote
for a reform
he disfavors,
when for his
half-baked
"Change
Management"
Ban wanted to
proceed
without any GA
vote at all,
until the
Group of 77
slapped him
down.
Some reformer.
Ban
main reform
has
been the five
year mobility
rule, now
renamed the
"rotation"
rule. Inner
City Press
asked on
Wednesday if
it applies to
Patricia
O'Brien and
later this
arrived:
Subject:
Patricia
O'Brien
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at]
un.org
Date: Wed, May
16, 2012
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Regarding
Patricia
O'Brien, her
term started
in 2008.
Please see
below:
6
August 2008
Secretary-General
SG/A/1147
BIO/4002
SECRETARY-GENERAL
APPOINTS
PATRICIA
O’BRIEN OF
IRELAND AS
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL
FOR
LEGAL AFFAIRS
AND UNITED
NATIONS LEGAL
COUNSEL
United
Nations
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
has appointed
Patricia
O’Brien
of Ireland as
Under-Secretary-General
for Legal
Affairs and
United
Nations Legal
Counsel. Ms.
O'Brien, the
first woman in
this position
in the history
of the United
Nations, will
replace
Nicolas
Michel.
Note
that Michel,
whatever other
issues, at
least held
press
conferences.
So, O'Brien
until August
8, 2013? And
now Q&A or
accountability
until then?
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
Ambassador
Seger
recounted how
after he
briefed the
Security
Council
as head of the
Burundi
Peacebuilding
Configuration
he was not
allowed
into
consultations.
Inner City
Press
suggested, ask
for an Arria
formula
meeting, like
was held on
Guinea Bissau.
There,
Brazil's
Ambassador who
heads the PBC
on Guinea
Bissau pressed
to get
admitted. It
shouldn't be
required every
time, fine --
but if it is,
why not press?
UNITED NATIONS, September 6 -- What's at stake if Palestine in the UN General Assembly seeks enhanced Observer State status? One thing is Palestine's possible membership in the International Criminal Court and the ability to refer to the ICC alleged crimes committed by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank.
The legal adviser of a large European state highlighted this to Inner City Press, predicting that once the Palestinians won Observer State status with 130 or so votes, they would file a request to become party to the ICC's Rome Statute with UN Security General's top lawyer, Patricia O'Brien.
It was said that while O'Brien might want otherwise, ICC membership for "States" is straightforward even if they are not members of the UN, as Switzerland until recently was not.
Inner City Press on September 6 asked Switzerland's Permanent Representative to the UN Paul Seger if Palestine would be able to join the ICC if granted Observer State status.
Seger replied with a series of questions: "Does that automatically then allow Palestine to become a member of an international treaty? Each treaty has its own conditions and prerogatives for joining such an instrument. It is up to the member states of each international instrument to decide whether or not the conidtions are met to become a party of that treaty."
Seger turned and asked a Swiss mission staffer, "In case of ICC, who is the depository?"
The Swiss staffer replied, "The Secretary General."
Seger concluded, "So it will be the S-G who will determine whether or not Palestine is qualified to join that."
Ban Ki-moon has not held a sit-down question and answer session with the press at UN headquarters for some time -- despite a commitment to do them at least monthly, the last one appears to be a full three months ago, on June 6.
Ban's top lawyer Patricia O'Brien has denied several requests to come and give a briefing. It is not in substance a hypothetical question: what will Ban's UN do? Watch this site.
