At UN, Inner City Press Asks of Obama Administration Position on CIA and Torture Treaty, Mendez Banned from Bahrain, Western Sahara Death

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 21 -- When UN torture experts Juan Mendez and Claudio Grossman held a press conference after addressing the General Assembly's Third Committee on October 21, Inner City Press asked about the Obama administration mulling arguing that the torture treaty does not apply to the CIA or overseas military jails, as well as about Bahrain and Western Sahara. Video here.

Mendez, the UN's Special Rapporteur on Torture, confirmed that he has still not gotten to visit Bahrain, after having two invitations canceled at the last minute. He said he recently asked Bahrain's foreign minister to name another date, but it has still not happened.

Other countries that have canceled invitations, Mendez went on to say, include Guatemala and Thailand (which, along with Costa Rica, lost in the UN Human Rights Council elections earlier on October 21).

The US imposed conditions on a visit to Guantanamo Bay which Mendez could not accept. Mendez did not answer the Obama administration / extra-territoriality question, leaving it for Grossman, the chair of the UN Committee Against Torture. Video here. He gave a long answer, repeatedly saying his answer was NOT about the United States. Talk about deference.

On Western Sahara, Inner City Press asked Mendez about the death in Moroccan detention of Hassan El Wahi in Dakhla. Mendez confirmed he has been asked to look into it, and said that he is but can't speak about it at this juncture. Watch this site.

   

At UN, Ban Ki-moon Meets Burundi for 8 Minutes, France for 19, Poland and Panama 12 Minutes Each; Egypt on Journalists?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 4 -- When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held six photo-ops and meetings with new Ambassadors to the UN on September 4, the shortest meeting at a mere eight minutes was with Burundi's Albert Shingiro.

  To Inner City Press, which throughout this year has here and elsewhere covered the UN's belated inquiry into complaints to Ban that Burundi's ruling party was arming its youth wing, and then the expulsion of a UN staffer from the country, that the meeting with Burundi would be shortest seemed strange. Shouldn't Ban have something to say or ask about?

  With France's new Ambassador Francois Delattre, by contrast, Ban met for 19 minutes. Delattre was accompanied by his spouse, so that might be some explanation. But Ban met with both Boguslaw Winid of Poland and Laura Elena Flores Herrera of Panama for 12 minutes; Costa Rica's Juan Carlos Mendoza Garcia also had a longer meeting than Burundi. Why?

  With Egypt's new Ambassador Amr Abde-latif Aboulatta, the Free UN Coalition for Access wonders whether the plight of jailed journalists, including but not limited to #FreeAJstaff, was raised. Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric was spotted on the 38th floor at the end of the photo ops, but was not present during the meetings.

   Instead it was Ban's outgoing Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez Taranco (he is only shifting to Peacebuilding, under Ban's so-called Five Year rule of mobility). So what could be discussed for 19 minutes with Gerard Araud's successor Francois Delattre, from whom we hope to hear more soon, or for eight minutes with Burundi's Albert Shingiro?

  At the September 4 UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Dujarric's deputy Farhan Haq:

Inner City Press: in Burundi, a coalition of opposition parties wrote to the Secretary-General in February with the allegation that the ruling party was arming its youth wing. And I know there have been developments since then, but the new development is that the head of the opposition parties is being… faces five years in jail for having written a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about these troubling obligations. And I wanted to know what — almost in the context of kind of witness protection or whistleblower rights — what is the UN's response to someone facing jail time for raising an allegation like this to the Secretary-General?

Deputy Spokesman Haq: I will check on that and we will try to get back to you.

  Five hours later, including after Ban's meeting with Burundi's Albert Shingiro, there was no answer. Watch this video - and watch this site.

   

Sri Lanka Arises in UN Genocide Convention Meeting, as Jordan Enters UN Security Council, Shavendra Silva Echoes, Rights Up Front?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 9 -- When the UN sponsored an event about the Genocide Convention on Monday, amid talk of the Holocaust, Rwanda and Srebrenica there was an obvious question: what about Sri Lanka, where the UN stayed silent as 40,000 civilians were slaughtered in 2009?

Inner City Press from in front of the UN Security Council raised the question; inside the event the Security Council was blamed. But in 2009, unlike say on Syria, the Western Permanent Three barely tried to raise Sri Lanka. These moves were by Elected Ten members Mexico and Costa Rica. The P3 never put forward a resolution, as they did three times on Syria.

  Now, Inner City Press can exclusively report, supporters of Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa government are concerned about Jordan as last minute replacement for Saudi Arabia on the Security Council. 

  As Inner City Press also exclusively reported, Jordanian Permanent Representative Prince Zaid as a member of the Asia Pacific Group took a principled stand against Sri Lankan military figure Shavendra Silva serving with him on the UN Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations, something that UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous never spoke against. We'll have more on this.

  In Monday's session, Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson made reference to the UN's new "Rights Up Front" plan, which Inner City Press obtained and exclusively published (and was then told that the document "may or not not exist").

  Inner City Press asked about it again at Monday's UN noon briefing, and was later directed this UN web page with Ban's November 22 speech to staff, saying that after the "failure" in Sri Lanka,

We will be vigilant in identifying emerging risks and will ensure that our actions are guided by more effective use of the information that is available to us from UN human rights and humanitarian mechanisms and other entities.

We will inform national authorities of violations and support them in taking essential early action.

We will bring violations to the attention of the appropriate United Nations organs and regional organizations when national authorities are unable or unwilling to respond.

We will work to help Member States reach agreement on early actions and play our role in implementing their decisions.

We will speak out publicly where violations are ongoing.

But will they? Did they, during the crackdown surrounding the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka last month, when media was blocked from traveling North, and families of the disappeared were banned from traveling south to testify? Watch this site.

   

At UN, Nuclear Free Latin America Gets Disarmament Policy Award, No Questions Allowed on UK and Malvinas, UN Censorship Alliance

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 23 -- On Wednesday the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, the World Future Council and the Inter-Parliamentary Union invited the media to a 30 minute UN press conference "to announce the Future Policy Award 2013 for the world’s best disarmament policies."

  Seeing in the front row an official associated with the "Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean," it seemed that at least some had been told in advance of the winner.

  But Inner City Press live-tweeted the naming of honorable mentions from Belgium, Costa Rica, Mozambique / South Africa and Mongolia, and Silver awards to Argentina and New Zealand. (The description of each policy provided in advance is below.)

  The UNODA moderator said there would be time for questions, and Inner City Press had one, even tweeted it to UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant in advance for comment: what about the nuclear protests of the UK and Malvinas / Falkland Islands?

  The prepared statement giving the award mentioned Cuba hosting nuclear weapons. But what about the UK?

  But the prepared statements were allowed to take up the full 30 minutes. Inner City Press raised its hand, and prepared toprotest on behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access@FUNCA_info. A press briefing must allow questions; otherwise journalists are being used as "extras" in a made for video production.

  But grabbing the first question as has become an untenable routine, the president of the UN Correspondents Association, Pamela Falk of CBS, proceeded to THANK those who gave the questionless press conference. Then she used the privilege to ask her own question.

Her sidekick, too, wanted to ask a question, about the IAEA. But the main question had to be: how could this be organized this way? 

  And if about Latin America and nuclear weapons, how could the UK and Malvinas not be mentioned? Inner City Press asked, and the panelist agreed it should be raised, the UK cuts its budget but not nuclear.

We have yet to hear back from the normally responsive Ambassador Lyall Grant on this. Here were the seven short listed finalists:

1. Argentina – National Programme for the Voluntary Surrender of Firearms, 2006 [Silver]

2. Belgium – Law on Anti-personnel Mines, 1995 and the Law regulating Economic and Individual Activities with Weapons, 2006.

3. Costa Rica – Abolition of the Army, Article 12 of the Constitution, 1949.

4. Mongolia – Law of Mongolia on its nuclear-weapon-free status, 2000.

5. Mozambique and South Africa – Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Mozambique and the Government of the Republic of South Africa in Respect of Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in the field of Crime Combating, 1995.

6. New Zealand – New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act, 1987 [Silver]

7. Latin America and the Caribbean– Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, Treaty of Tlatelolco, 1967 [Winner - Malvinas not shown]

This evening the awards will be given out, alongside a UN First (Disarmament) Committee reception. Watch this site.

Footnotes: At the noon briefing, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky announced there would only only five minutes of questions. For FUNCA, Inner City Press asked why this was, how the questionless press conference before was permissible. 

  Nesirky replied not to waste what little time he granted on a "technical" question -- Inner City Press also asked about Sudan's statement of what the UN's Herve Ladsous, who dodges questions, heard about visas -- then said tomorrow's another day.

It is, but the shrinking of media / question access remains a pattern, one not being confronted (in fact, being allowed and encouraged) by the Gulf and Western media on the Executive Committee of the UN Correspondents Association, now known as Ban's UN Censorship Alliance. 

 The point here, at a minimum, is that the UN must allow another press group to exist, rather than trying to threaten the withdrawal or suspension of accreditation for hanging the sign of the Free UN Coalition for Access while its UNCA has five signs.

 Before the disarmament briefing, a UN staffer had put a rain coat over the "UNCA chair," so Falk could occupy it when arriving late. But occupy it for what? Watch this site.

   

Ban Ki-Moon's Meeting With Saudi-Sponsored Syria Rebel Jarba Was Not in UN Media Alert, But UN Photo Was At Ban's Residence

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 1 -- After UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met Saturday at his UN-provided home on Sutton Place with Saudi-sponsored Syria rebel Ahmad al Jarba, Inner City Press at Monday's noon briefing asked about the lack of disclosure. 

   Among other questions, Inner City Press asked why the meeting had not been listed in the UN Media Alert.

  Ban's spokesperson Martin Nesirky on this replied, "the meeting that took place at the Secretary-General’s residence on Saturday evening. This was arranged at relatively short notice, and therefore, it did not figure in the Media Alert. Another reason for it not being in the Media Alert is precisely because it took place at the Secretary-General’s residence. That is his home. I think you will understand."

  But now Inner City Press does not understand. Because accompanying Ban up to his residence at the end of the (UN) workday on Saturday, September 28 were not only at least two bodyguards but also a staffer from UN Photo.

How do we know this? Because UN Photo has published a photograph of Ban going into his residence, "at the end of an intense week of the General Assembly's sixty-eighth general debate and numerous other high-level meetings." Click here to view.

And, we surmise subsequent to Ban's entrance, there is another UN Photo of Ban sitting on his couch reading papers, captioned "Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at his residence at the end of an intense week of the General Assembly's sixty-eighth general debate and numerous other high-level meetings." Click here to view.

Clearly, UN Photo needs some work on captions. But our point is, if his residence is as private as Nesirky's arch answer made it out to be, why did Ban take a UN-paid photographer there with him, to document himself in his house?

And when, in comparison to this photo-shoot, did Ahmad al Jarba arrive? Why was there no photograph of that?

The new Free UN Coalition for Access @FUNCA_info has repeatedly asked the UN, through its Department of Public Information, to ensure that newsworthy items and meeting outside of the UN compound be put in the UN Media Alert, and assurances were given (but not followed through). But this meeting with a Saudi sponsored rebel, not put in the UN Media Alert, was clearly newsworthy.

  There was, "to feed the beast" as one observer put it, a 106 word read-out of Ban's meeting with Jarba, longer this his read-outs with many Presidents including those of Bolivia, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Brazil (and that's only on "Light on Latin America").

  But why was no photograph taken, or at least, why was no photograph published? Why was it no update made to the UN Media Alert, as was done Monday afternoon to alert reports that Ban would be accepting Four Chairs from Oman? Click here for that UN Photo. And, watch this site.

   

At UN, Ban Ki-moon's Read-Out With Syria Rebel Jarba Trumps Presidents of Chile, Bolivia and Costa Rica; UNable to Update As for Oman Chairs?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 1 -- When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Saudi-sponsored Syria rebel boss Ahmad al Jarba on September 28 at his (UN-provided) residence, it was not on the UN Media Alert. But afterward his spokesperson Martin Nesirky issued a 106 word read-out of the meeting.

  On September 30, Inner City Press asked Nesirky about al Jarba's meetings in and with the UN, and why Ban's meeting with this rebel (while not only rejecting but even targeting other rebels) was not in the UN Media Alert.

  After saying, "I don’t think you expect me to consider a copy of a letter that you send me to be my way of figuring out whether the Secretary-General received a letter or not," on this Nesirky replied "This was arranged at relatively short notice, and therefore, it did not figure in the Media Alert."

  But later on September 30 the UN sent out an update to that day's schedule, a Ban Ki-moon event opened at short notice: the donation by Oman of Four Chairs. So, it can be done.

  The pomp given to Jarba stands in contrast, for example, to the UN's approach to Tamils who came to the UN to deliver a letter to Ban Ki-moon about the killing of 40,000 of their people by Sri Lanka. In that case, a lower level Department of Political Affairs staffer was sent down to the lobby to take the letter. Inner City Press was told not to cover it, or the UN wouldn't even take the letter this way.

  Ban Ki-moon's read-out with Saudi-sponsored rebel Jarba was longer than those for a number of Presidents. Looking from September 24 forward with a focus on Latin America, consider:

For the President of Bolivia Evo Morales on September 24, Ban Ki-moon's Office of the Spokesperson issues a read-out of 60 words -- compared to 106 words for the Saudi sponsored Syria rebel boss Jarba.

For the President of Chile Sebastian Piñera Echeñique on September 25, Ban's Office issued a read-out of 64 words.

On September 27 for the President of Costa Rica Laura Chinchilla Miranda, Ban's Office of the Spokesperson issued a read out of 61 words.

By contrast, for Ban's September 26 meeting with Yun Byung-se, the foreign minister not president of South Korea, Ban's read out is over 200 words.

As noted, for Ban's September 20 meeting with Amama Mbabazi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda, the read out was only 54 words, despite the upcoming UN Security Council trip to Uganda as well as the DRC, Rwanda and Ethiopia. 

 For that, Ban's Office solicited journalists' request to go -- but then allowed colonial powerhouse France to handpick which correspondents could go. (Nesirky diplomatically referred to France at the September 30 noon briefing as the mission on the lead for the whole trip -- now, French Permanent Representative Gerard Araud is not even going on the trip. Some leader.)

And so, some wonder, particularly after his Saturday night meeting with Jarba, for whom does Ban Ki-moon work? Watch this site.

   

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.