Two Masters: UN Tells Inner City Press That Ray Chambers Can Serve Ban Ki-moon and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie - But Was UN Ethics Office Told? When?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 11 -- The UN Charter is clear: a person cannot serve both the UN and their own government. But does that also mean “local government”? Or, as the UN today told Inner City Press, it is fine to serve both Ban Ki-moon and Chris Christie?

At the August 11 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric:

Inner City Press: on Ray Chambers. He was recently named to a panel by Chris Christie of New Jersey and the article reporting that said that he’s a former UN official. But, the website says that he’s the current, you know, adviser to the Secretary-General on…

Spokesman Dujarric: I’m not aware of any changes to Mr. Chambers.

Inner City Press: Can he do both? Can he serve the State of New Jersey and the UN at the same time?

Spokesman Dujarric: Let me check what his exact status is.

Five hours later, Dujarric has still not answered. So Inner City Press asked (on this) in writing:

On Ray Chambers and his new New Jersey post, here is a citation[calling Chambers a "former" UN official - misleading?]

Again: can he do both, UN and NJ? Any ethics office ruling?

And any answer on the UNDP audit I sent you?

Finally: does SG's “press availability” at noon tomorrow mean no noon briefing? Is so, why? As you know, there are questions about the full range of the UN system and missions. Please explain.

Dujarric said, no UN noon briefing on August 12 -- the Free UN Coalition for Access objects -- and on Chambers, he then replied:

“On Ray Chambers, he remains the UN SG’s Special Envoy for Financing the Health Millennium Development Goals and for Malaria. His post is on a $1 a year. We see no conflict with his serving on New Jersey-focused commission.”

Is that consistent with the UN charter? And why not answer on if the UN Ethics Office was asked? Recently Dujarric's office refused to say if the UN Ethics Office was asked about Ban accepting free private jet travel to the Middle East paid for by Qatar, with its own interests in the region.

In the past, Ban's spokesperson's office dodged Inner City Press questions about then UN envoy on the Sahel Romano Prodi simultaneously running for office in Italy (more recently he called Egypt's Sisi about Libya and was identified, still, as a UN official).

But can Chambers serve Ban Ki-moon and Chris Christie at the same time?

Ban's previous “good offices” envoy on Cyprus Alexander Downer was vying for political roles and then Australian Ambassadorship(s) while serving the UN, and working for consultancy Bespoke Approach. Now Inner City Press is told the UN is being lobbied to name as Downer's successor a former UN (and US) official, B. Lynn Pascoe. We'll have more on this.

   

In Ukraine Presser, Kosovo & TRNC Cited, Right Sector Denied, Journalists Profiled

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 8 -- On and for Ukraine it seemed a strange UN press conference from the beginning, and it only got more circus-like as it went along.

  A group called the Ukrainian-American Human Rights organization (RAZOM) was scheduled at 1:15 pm on May 8 to present their report entitled "Crisis in Ukraine and its legal aspects.” 

  But the moderator quickly denied that the report online WAS their report. She repeatedly insisted that some questions were outside of the “legal” scope of the briefing, then speechified about her upbringing in Ukraine and how bad Russia is.

  Another panelist, calmer and more legalistic, spoke about possible Kyiv deals with Chevron and Exxon.

  Inner City Press speed-read the report and asked about a line on page 27, that “What happened in Northern Cyprus seems to be the closest precedent situation to Crimea today.” Inner City Press asked if what the panelists have in mind is a decades long process with a UN “good offices” envoy like Alexander Downer. The calmest of the panelist said the analogy was to a military intervention not preceded by calls for independence.

  Inner City Press also asked about Kosovo; the panelist referred to a UN-run referendum, which in fact there never was. The other panelists insisted the Right Sector is not in the government in Kyiv. One said that the burning of the building in Odessa was the work of outside agents.

  In this same UN briefing room on April 15, French Ambassador Gerard Araud told a correspondent from Lebanon, “You are not a journalist, you are an agent.” TheFree UN Coalition for Access has asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric to convey to Araud the stated UN position, that correspondents should be treated with respect. But this has not happened. The old UN Correspondents Association, the attacked journalist says, has “dragged its feet.”

  The UNCA representative at this Ukraine press conference approached the panelist before it began, and offered them her description of who each journalist in attendance was: politicized correspondents. She took the first question - not having read the report - and also the last one. 

   It was not possible to ask why the report does not address one of the precedent raised, in the Security Council: that of France's unilateral referendum to split Mayotte from Comoros. But, despite the disclaimers, the press conference was not really about the law or precedents. Watch this site.

   

After Cyprus Demarches UN on Downer, UN Has Vague Happy Talk, Conflicted Censorship Alliance

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 17 -- When a country complains to and about the UN, and a journalist asks for the response to the criticism, one would expect one. But not at this UN.

  On December 17, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-mon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky about Cyprus' criticism of Ban's envoy Alexander Downer and his meeting(s) in Northern Cyprus:

President Nicos Anastasiades instructed the foreign ministry to issue the demarche to the UN both here in Nicosia and at headquarters in New York after it transpired that Downer met with Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the Turkish ‘embassy’ in the north.

Deputy permanent secretary at the foreign ministry, Tasos Tzionis, yesterday issued the demarche to UN Special Representative in Cyprus Lisa Buttenheim regarding Downer’s visit to the Turkish ‘embassy’.

Anastasiades also instructed Cyprus’ permanent representative at the UN in New York to do the same at the UN Secretariat.

  In the briefing, Nesirky said he would provide Inner City Press and others with a response later in the day. And he did:

Subject: Your question on Cyprus
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 4:14 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

Please see below in response to your question today concerning Cyprus:

During his visit to Cyprus last week, Alexander Downer, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser, held intensive discussions with the sides to move forward the conclusion of a joint statement that has been under negotiation over the past weeks. Through these discussions and through constructive engagement by the Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Greece and Turkey, important progress was achieved on the joint statement. Although this work has not yet concluded, the Secretary-General is hopeful that it will lead to a successful outcome soon.

  The problem is, this is not responsive to Cyprus' criticism, or to Inner City Press' question.

  Back in September when Cyprus president Anastasiades took questions at the UN, Inner City Press asked him about his dispute with country's Central Bank chief, and if his speech had been coordinated in any way with Turkey, since it was so upbeat. Video here, from Minute 6:13.

Anastasiades said while he tries not to speak about things in Cyprus when he is out of the country, he respects its constitution and the rules and regulations of the Euro system and of the ECB.

On Cyprus we try to open new avenues, he said, "I have a vision to see that my country is going to be reunited... we are not ignoring the rights of Turkish Cypriots.

On Famagusta, he said we are in the process of negotiating: for the port to be open, under EU, Turkey to open airports and ports to ships and planes with Cyprus [flags], then Cyprus would raise veto [threat] on accession process of Turkey.

In that press conference, Inner City Press got the first question, but instead of thanking Anastasiades on behalf of the new Free UN Coalition for Access (which it does when the old UN Correspondents Association insists on pretending it represents all journalists at the UN), thanks was given for "the journalists here."

That's how it should and could be done. But later that day, not only did UNCA's 2013 president Pamela Falk of CBS re-appear for the UNFCCC -- a person who'd lost election for the UNCA board again insisted on getting the first question at an ICC press conference. This means: first questions for sale. UNreal. 

 Since then, UNCA has moved to accept donated television equipment from Samsung while claiming no mission was involved. (Even the UN admits the equipment went from Samsung to the South Korean Mission to the UN to UNCA.)

   Now, amid doubts whether given UNCA leaders' past financial links with and censorship for Sri Lankan government officials -- click here for that -- Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa might attend their $250 a plate event, a new question arises.  Will UNCA, a grouping of correspondents, disclose who is attending, and who paid, and how much? Watch this site.

   

Christofias Say Cyprus Would Share Gas, No Answer on UNSC Abstentions

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 26 -- After Cyprus President Christofias' last UN General Assembly speech, he told the press that he had met with and thanked the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. 

 What about the Elected Ten members of the UNSC, Inner City Press asked him, particularly the two of them which abstained on the Cyprus resolution in July, Azerbaijan and Pakistan?

  Inner City Press also asked about the stated intention of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus leader Dervis Eroglu, in his meeting with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon this Saturday, to present a plan for gas exploration and hydrocarbon exploitation?

  Christofias never answered the Security Council question about Pakistan and Azerbaijan. But on gas and oil, he said he made it clear he was willing to share this natural bounty, but Eroglu wouldn't negotiate.

Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky what Ban thinks of the issue. Nesirky said to wait until Saturday, but until then to look at the statements of Ban's envoy Alexander Downer.

  Eroglu will be at the event this evening at the Roger Smith Hotel. Watch this site.