At UN, Moussa Meets Ban Amid Syria Joke and Spin, No Read Out, Campaigning?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 9 -- In what seemed a campaign appearance, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met Wednesday with former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, now a candidate for the Egyptian presidency.

Inner City Press has asked Ban's spokesman about the meeting -- "would Ban Ki-moon meet with other candidates in Egypt?" -- and attended the photo opportunity before Wednesday's meeting. Along with Ban, UN political chief Lynn Pascoe, and senior Ban adviser Kim Won-soo were in attendance.

Pascoe joked that the first talking point should be about Moussa and Syria: he seemed to say, "Mister Secretary General, is your first talking point, 'why haven't you invaded Syria,' or something like that?" -- video here, from 0:26. Downstairs, a long time Moussa watcher called him "close with Assad, father and son... not impartial."

Forty five minutes after the meeting began, Moussa came back downstairs. He said on camera that the Arab League is going to consider "soon and take the necessary decisions vis a vis the sensitive situation pertaining in Syria currently," and added that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan should go along with the Arab League -- "along the same lines with the Arab League." Video here.

Inner City Press asked Moussa, what did you discuss with Ban Ki-moon? "General discussion," Moussa said, then walked away to meet the Qatari former Ambassador, now President of the General Assembly.

Two hours after the meeting, Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson's office had still not issued any read-out. On November 8, Inner City Press had asked:

Inner City Press: Amr Moussa, it is reported, is coming to New York. He is obviously a candidate for the presidency in Egypt. Says that he is meeting with Ban Ki-moon. I wanted to know, is that true, and also whether there is any thought about… would he… would Ban Ki-moon meet with other candidates in Egypt? Is there… in what capacity would he be meeting with Amr Moussa?

Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: I have to check.

[The Spokesperson later said that Amr Moussa would meet the Secretary-General in his capacity as the former Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.]

A number of diplomats at the UN told Inner City Press on November 9 they didn't think the Ban - Moussa meeting was "proper." A Ban insider noted that the presidential elections in Egypt will not be under months after the parliamentary elections and Constitution writing. Still. Watch this site.

Before Congo Vote, UN Dismissive of 120,000 Duplicates, As Ban Meets Moussa

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 8 -- In the run up to November 28 elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Security Council held more than two hours of closed door consultations on Tuesday and emerged with a statement to the Press.

As Permanent Representatives trickled out throughout the afternoon, Inner City Press asked them if the pro-Kabila duplicate voting records scandal detailed in leaked report by Belgian firm Zetes had been discussed. No, most of them said.

The point of the meeting seemed to be to condemn opposition candidate Etienne Tshisekedi for threatening violence and even declaring himself the winner in advance. When top UN envoy to the DRC Roger Meece, formerly the US Ambassador to Kinshasa, came out to take questions, Inner City Press asked him about the Zetes scandal.

Despite detailed media reporting on October 29 quoting long time Congo experts expressing concern about the duplicates, Meece minimized the issue.

Meece told Inner City Press that it only impacted 120,000 registrations out of 32 million. Inner City Press asked if these was a double standard, having in mind the fight over hanging chads in the Bush - Gore fight in Florida.

But worse is that while Meece knew about the Zetes report, apparently the Ambassadors on the Council, and even usually well informed staffers, were not. What is the purpose of such two hour closed door meetings?

The UN has previously told Inner City Press that the US military advisers being sent to help track down Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army are NOT coordinating with MONUSCO.

Inner City Press asked Meece, who said he thinks Kony is in the Central African Republic, where MONUSCO cannot go. Inner City Press asked if any International Criminal Court issues have been discussed.

The US fought to get an ICC exemption in the Libya resolution earlier this year. But the LRA, with Kony and other leaders indicted by the ICC, operates in ICC member states. Would the US be subject to ICC jurisdiction. Ask the US, Meece said.

The UN's Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict expert Margot Wallstrom also came out to take questions. Inner City Press asked her where Serafim, a commander charged with the Walikali rapes with which Meece's tenure began, is now. She said she did not know. She did however describe some of the work of trying to "name and shame" such commanders through the DRC Sanctions Committee. Whether international travel bans will root out the problem is another issue.

An overarching problem is the UN seeming to take sides in elections. Regarding the upcoming elections in Egypt, Inner City Press on November 8 asked the spokesman for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to confirm that Ban is meeting with Egyptian candidate Amre Moussa, and why.

The spokesman Martin Nesirky said he didn't know. When the Security Council ended after six o'clock, Ban's spokeperson's office had still not provided Inner City Press with any answer.

But Moussa is on Ban's schedule for November 9. Will Ban meet with any other Egyptian candidates? A similar critique can be made of the UN's work in Liberia. Watch this site.

Footnote: Inner City Press asked Wallstrom if she thought what happened to Gaddafi after he was captured amounted to sexual violence. She said that it did, but that the ICC (and presumably not her office) will be pursuing the issue. We'll see.