As Jordan Mulls Closing Syria Border, UNHCR Says "Bad Idea," Srebrenica Cite

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 17 -- After Jordan's prime minster Abdullah Ensour said that his country will close its border with Syria when (or really, if) Bashar al Assad falls, Inner City Press asked the UN Refugee Agency's regional coordinator Panos Moumtzis if UNHCR thinks this is a good idea.

  No, Moumtzis told Inner City Press, it is a bad idea, we've not had a positive experience with safe havens. He cited Srebrenica, saying the UN is "not proud."

  But, Inner City Press asked Moumtzis, will UNHCR convey this experience and advice to Jordan?

  "We have a good relationship with Jordan," Moumtzis answered. He went on to say that the countries hosting refugees are wondering if they are being "taken for granted."

  It seems UNHCR is already walking on eggshells with Jordan, or estimating their costs at double that of Lebanon, per refugee. The reason, Moumtzis said in another answer, is that Jordan decreed that all refugees must be in camps, in part to prevent "radicalization."

  Moumtzis also described five hospitals right next to each other in Zaatari camp in Jordan, built by and to show the beneficence of, among others, Morocco, France and Jordan itself. Five hospitals there but few elsewhere; few other services in the camp.

  As to Iraq, Moumtzis said most of those coming in from Syria are Kurds. One of Iraq's border crossings has been closed. Moumtzis described the delicate ethnic and religious politics.

  Inner City Press wanted to ask about the reported policy of NOT letting Sunni refugees in Turkey's Hatay region, with its Alawite population. But the event, one in a new "brown bag" series by the UN Department of Public Information, was strangely run when it came to questions, as was the first in the series with outgoing Security chief Gregory Starr.

  The series is one welcome reform by DPI. But will there be more, from those already raised? Watch this site.

Footnote: Panos Moumtzis mentioned UNRWA, where he previously worked. He's also served as humanitarian coordinator in Libya, as (speaking of Srebrenica and UN failures) in Rwanda. 

  His candor was appreciated, and his dedication as reflected (or recounted) by a recent 2 am visit to a camp. So much so one wanted to ask his views on the treatment of refugees and immigrants in his native Greece. He is "doing the circuit" in New York, including the International Peace Institute if only via webcast. We'll see.

Amid Evacuations from Bangui, Politics But No UNSC Meetings, Echoes of Rwanda?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 31 -- As the Seleka rebels have closed in for the past week on Bangui, those fleeing from the Central African Republic have included nationals of the US, China, France as well as 100% of the UN's international staff in the country.

  But the UN Security Council has not had a meeting on the subject, since December 19, despite having maintained a political mission there.

  While notably smaller in scale, some have asked, how is this different in structure from Rwanda in 1994, where after having a Chapter 6 mission in Kigali it was mostly pulled out as violence escalated?

  (In the case of the US, the evacuation of the American Ambassador is seen as more triggered by the killings in Benghazi.)

  As to the UN, in a recent Q&A session across the street from the UN, outgoing UN Security chief Gregory Starr said that the UN shouldn't just flee places, that there are times were remaining in order to do the work, including mediation, is more important.

  Apparently someone in the UN, presumably not Starr, does not believe that applies to CAR.

  Inner City Press asked Starr about the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the M23 rebels -- about which the Security Council has repeatedly met, and where UN Security in fact brought UN officials in, rather than only evacuating them.

  So what is the UN system's interest in CAR? As Inner City Press reported before Christmas from sourcing at the top of the UN Peacebuilding Commission, some were troubled to conclude that the European Union wanted to use CAR as its first change to head a Peacebuilding Configuration in its own name.

  Given the controversy about the EU trying to have a bigger role in the UN than other non-states -- one African Ambassador told Inner City Press flatly that the EU should NOT chair the Peacebuilding Configuration for CAR or any other country -- there has been delay. Has it helped?

  Inner City Press asked Gerard Araud the Permanent Representative of France, which "holds the pen" on CARand has not called a meeting on it in the past ten days, about the EU's bid. He replied on camera that the EU is not a candidate. Others in the EU quickly told Inner City Press difference, expressing surprise at Araud's answer.

  Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's three top spokesman, three separate times, and finally received in response a statement* including that "A number of candidate countries are under consideration by the Government. We are awaiting the Government’s decision, consistent with the principle of national ownership in PBC's peacebuilding efforts." 

  Does the use of the word candidate "countries" then confirm Araud's response to Inner City Press, that the EU is NOT a candidate?

   More to the point, why hasn't France -- or any of the other Council members, particularly though which have pulled out their nationals -- called a Security Council meeting on the collapse of a country in which the UN Security Council had a political mission? Watch this site.

* -- UN's response to Inner City Press:

From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Subject: Questions
To: Matthew Russell Lee [at] innercitypress.com

On the Peacebuilding Commission's Central African Republic configuration:

H.E. Mr. Jan Grauls, Permanent Representative of Belgium, resigned his Chairmanship of the Peacebuilding Commission's (PBC) Central African Republic configuration effective 1st April 2012.

Subsequently and in accordance with established practice, the Chair of the PBC, H.E. Mr. Abdulkalam Abdul Momen, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, with the support of the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), has been engaged in consultations with the Government of CAR, through its Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, on finding a new Chair for the configuration.

A number of candidate countries are under consideration by the Government. We are awaiting the Government’s decision, consistent with the principle of national ownership in PBC’s peacebuilding efforts.

On Monday, 24 December the Chair of the PBC issued a statement on behalf of PBC on the current disturbing developments in CAR. This is an indication that the absence of a Chair has not stopped the PBC from following closely and responding to developments in CAR.

Watch this site.

On Budget, US Puts a Ham-Hand on Scale, Oman Rejects, Jane Holl Lute in Hall

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, December 21 -- With US President Obama flying to Hawaii as the fiscal cliff approaches, at the UN in New York US representative Joe Torsella is described by multiple sources as playing ham-handed fiscal hardball with Oman on the UN's scales of assessment.

  Much earlier today Inner City Press reported on "some attempts by the United States to split the Group of 77 irritated the Group of 77 and made progress stop."

  Now we can report more. A finely tuned proposal was on the table, balancing a 7.5% discount in the peacekeeping scales of assessment and the change of category of Oman (like the change of Bahrain two years ago)/ Oman agreed to forgo a one-time windfall, and the deal seemed ready to seal.

  But then US ambassador for management Torsella, the sources say, gave a so called "non paper" to Oman's representative. This document argued clumsily that the coordinator of the proposal Singapore would be making Oman pay more. This was shown to countries including Singapore, not a source for this, and was rejected by Oman.

  Then Torsella compounded matters by demanding to know why Oman had shared his "non-paper." It's called transparency, Joe, said one close observer.

  Another well placed Fifth Committee source told Inner City Press that Torsella's "attempt with Oman threw things off and [angered] both EU and Oman. Oman got so angry it almost made G77 take its proposal off the table, and EU then made effort to finalize quick before things spiralled out of control." The genial chairman had no comment. Ah, diplomacy.

  As noted, Torsella was at Morocco's End of Security Council Presidency reception in the UN Tent Thursday night, just behind the North Lawn building where the talks are talking place. Man's got to eat. But how will re-costing play out? 

  The General Assembly hall was been booked for 10 am on Monday, Christmas Eve. Still time for seven fishes? (Click here for that story from last year). We jibe because he can more than take it.

   Thinner skinned, on Lockheed Martin, spotted at the UN on Friday by Inner City Press sources was Jane Holl Lute, previously an Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping and now a top official in the US Department of Homeland Security. 

  Why was she at the UN? 

   Sources exclusively tell Inner City Press it is in connection with the Under Secretary General for Safety and Security position being vacated by fellow American Gregg Starr. Click here for Inner City Press' exit Q&A with Starr.

 On the upside, if she looked beyond DSS, Holl Lute could do more to make the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy credible after the 126 FARDC raped in Minova than has USG Ladsous, click here for that.

Footnote: Inner City Press also report that on a $8.7 million budget proposal to "implement Rio+20," on Thursday the European Union and Japan proposed to cut that budget to zero. This gave rise to howls among the Group of 77 and China, and accusations that the EU and Japan are hypocrites on sustainable development and the environment.

Inner City Press went to Friday's noon briefing and asked, "given how important sustainable development is to the Secretary-General and his statements, it’s been proposed by Japan and the European Union to cut funding for the implementation of Rio+20 to zero. This was a proposal made by the two, by Japan and the EU, yesterday and it seems to me… what is… does the Secretariat think about no implementation of Rio+20?"

Deputy Spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey: Well, Matthew, I am not going to get into a budget discussion until we find out what the General Assembly decides.

Inner City Press: But can you say that there will be a Secretariat statement on the budget when it comes up?

Deputy Spokesperson: If the Secretariat believes that the… that a statement is warranted, one may be issued, but I can’t promise you anything on that.

  Now we can report that they also proposed that, not to be "absorbed" like Rio+20, the budget should including $40,000 for a consultant on the arms trade treaty. More screams of hypocrisy. And so it goes at the UN.

After Sandy, UN Left in Cold, Three Hour Dispute of Power Cut Off Questioned

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

 

UNITED NATIONS, November 8 -- Impacts on the UN of its "flawed" response to Hurricane Sandy are not confined to the water-logged third sub-basement, from which many staff offices have had to be evacuated.

  On Thursday morning, the UN Security Council moved its consultations from their normal room into the big Chamber -- explicitly due to a lack of heat, Council sources exclusively told Inner City Press.

   Beyond the Budget Committee session Monday which slammed the Department of Management chief Yukio Takasu and Security chief Gregory Starr, on issues ranging from lack of communications to member states to ineffective use of $50 million spent on a data backup center in New Jersey, other questions have arisen.

   Sources exclusive tell Inner City Press of a three hour delay on the Monday of Super Storm Sandy in which "no one could decide who has the authority to turn off electrical power at the UN." Some say this was the clearest, though still little known, impact of absence of leadership.

   The Security locker room in 3B, which Inner City Press asked about, is being moved across First Avenue into the DC2 building. Other 3B staff were told to only pick up items of sentimental value, and to disinfect their clothes. But will there be any OSHA certified inspection?

   Meanwhile UN staff in publishing are telling the Fifth (Budget) Committee their fears that management will use the water damage to equipment in their unit as an excuse for further outsourcing (similar to the way claims processing for the UN Medical Insurance Plan is not being bid out.)

  The publishing issues may be raised by the Group of 77 and China. Watch this site.

After Sandy, UN Slammed by States For Broken Email, Flooded Cars

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 5 -- The UN's own response to Super Storm Sandy was slammed by many of its member states on Monday, in a session of the UN's Fifth (Budget) Committee. 

  New chairman Miguel Berger, Germany's Deputy Permanent Representative, had told Inner City Press about the session late last week; other Ambassadors were already mocking the UN's claims of preparedness and its "overly rosy" November 2 press conference.

   On November 5, Berger began by noting the breakdown in UN communications, such that states' Missions heard almost nothing from the UN. The next state, Algeria, said the only e-mail it got was from New York City Commissioner Marjorie Tivens, Mayor Bloomberg's sister, who covers diplomat and consular affairs. If she could e-mail, why not the UN?

   Cote d'Ivoire noted that $50 million was spend on the computer back-up center, in New Jersey. Should it stay there?

   Denmark, which rarely publicly criticizes the UN, said that the failed response was "a blow to the UN's authority" in the field of disaster preparedness.

    Other diplomats complained they were told to move their cars in the UN garage from the first basement to the third, then told only on Monday, when they could not reach the UN, to move them up. (Inner City Press on Monday afternoon witnessed some staff and diplomats nevertheless moving their cars). Those cars on 3B have been damaged.

   Under Secretary General for Management Yukio Takasu was left to fend off these questions. He pointed out that he had said the damage was "relatively contained," not "minor." Neither Secretary General Ban Ki-moon nor his chief of staff Susana Malcorra attended -- although Malcorra will be in the Committee later in the week, Berger said.

  At Monday's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky a question posed by Brazil: will there be any outside review of the UN's response? Nesirky referred to an internal review, the one being led by Susana Malcorra.

  Nesirky's Deputy Eduardo Del Buey was asked by Inner City Press on Friday if there will be any OSHA certified inspection of the areas of the third sub-basement being are being sent to work in, armed only with dust masks and Windex.

  Still no word on that. But Inner City Press is informed that other 3B workers were told they could only go to retrieve items with sentimental value if they wear boots and disinfect their clothes; no pregnant women allowed. 

 Does this sound like a safe place to work, or an Organization that should be allowed to muddle through this without outside inspection or review? Watch this site.

Footnote: also at Monday's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked UN deputy chief humanitarian John Ging about cholera in Haiti. He said it's a concern, that it could spread. There was word Friday that Ban would be announcing a program with that country's government. But Nesirky had nothing on this on Monday. 

  A skeptic mused that while member states said virtually nothing publicly when the UN brought cholera to Haiti, some are speaking vehemently about damage to their cars. But oversight has to begin somewhere.

After UN Breakdowns in Hurricane Sandy, Going Blue at Home, What Response to Haiti?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 1 -- After Hurricane Sandy knocked out the UN's chiller unit and turned off its email and servers, and before a "manual migration" to a backup center kicked up, UN Security Council Affairs had a duty stretching to the Horn of Africa.

  The mandate of the AMISOM mission in Somalia would expire on October 31, and unlike tax filings or other deadlines of national bureaucracies, it could not be automatically extended by fiat. The Security Council had to meet in person and at least "roll over" or extend the mandate.

  But the Security Council itself is bureaucratic. A resolution, even one for a roll-over, must be put in blue or finalized before it is voted on. In this case, the "putting into blue" was done by Security Council Affairs staff from their homes, outside even the UN's (broken) e-mail system.

  The Somalia resolution was voted on in a special Council meeting held in the North Lawn building on October 31. (Inner City Press, after some blockage, managed to cover the meeting in person; click here for that, and see footnote below. Click here for Inner City Press' November 1, 1pm story on the chiller unit.)

  In a post-Sandy press conference on at 2pm on November 1, three Under Secretaries General each thanked UN staff for what they'd done during the storm. Inner City Press decided to report on one such story, that would not necessarily be told on the UN's in-house News Service.

  Inner City Press asked USG Takasu why it took so close to switch to the UN's backup data center in New Jersey. He acknowledged it was slow, blaming it on the need to "manually migrate."

  After complaints to Inner City Press that facilities in the UN's third sub-basement were flooded by up to four feet of water and now "stink," it asked USG Starr if the Security locker room would be relocated. He said it would, at least until the locker room is fully fixed and cleaned up.

  Inner City Press asked "Chef de Cabinet" Susana Malcorra about Haiti, where the health minister has warned of increases after Hurricane Sandy (and Isaac) of cases of cholera, a disease the UN is said to have brought into the country.

  She extended the question to Cuba as well -- later in the North Lawn, a Caribbean diplomat told Inner City Press, "Jamaica too" -- and on Haiti said that the Secretary General will be announcing a program with the government later this year. We'll see. Watch this site.

Footnote: on Somalia, the Permanent Representative of another African country on November 1 told Inner City Press that European cheapness was killing the Somalia mission. A comparison is to the over-compensation to the naval component of UNIFIL off Lebanon. We'll have more on this.

Travel Danger Makes Yemen Unlikely for UNSC, Kabul Pushed by Germans

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 2, updated -- After outgoing UN Security chief Gregory Starr briefed the Security Council Tuesday about safety in Afghanistan and Yemen, both of which the Council has considered visiting, several Council members emerged expressing concern.

  "Both are very dangerous," one told Inner City Press. "But at least in Afghanistan there is a presence and some security. Yemen? No way."

  The UN's envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar also attended; members told Inner City Press he recounted the many times he's been in and out of the country without incident. Some were not convinced.

  "The Germans are really pushing to get us to Afghanistan," another member said. Germany leaves the Security Council in three months, and Afghanistan has been one of their focuses. The UK has the lead on Yemen, and has a Permanent seat on the Council.

  The decision on both trips was not taken at Tuesday's meeting, which broken up past 5 pm; it was postponed. "We got new information," a Council member told Inner City Press. "We have to check it out." Yemen looks unlikely, Afghanistan more possible.

  Since June Inner City Press has published a series of internal audits of irregularities in the UN Development Program's Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan; top UN envoy Jan Kubis recent told Inner City Press there will be a "public accounting." 

  Now this afternoon, Inner City Press has exclusively reported on another audit showing that the problems are myriad: money paid to the wrong Afghan ministry (in one case, to the Institute of Music instead of to the Ministry of Education); contracts on blank paper without letterhead at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; no oversight, no required audits. Click here for Page 1 of this audit; click here for Page 2. Watch this site.

At UN, Selective Banning of Press, No Answer to NY Civil Liberties Union

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 10 -- Although inept, the UN at times tries its best to mimic some of its police state members.

 Not only does the UN hold itself immune from any freedom of the press protections -- it has yet to respond to the New York Civil Liberties Union questions about Voice of America's and now it is clear others' attempts to get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN -- but some in its Security unit make up arbitrary rules against particular journalists, hoping it seems to trigger a reaction as a pretext for further action.

  Last month as Colombia's presidency of the Security Council began, a UN Security Lieutenant suddenly announced that a storage room next to the Security Council stakeout could no longer be used, should be locked. Inner City Press asked for the Lieutenant's name, but he refused to give it. Other Security officers shrugged, and later the storage room was unlocked again.

  Soon thereafter, a UN Security officer at the 47th Street gate suddenly told Inner City Press that it could not enter through that gate, either at all or with a backpack. It was the first time this "order" was given, but Inner City Press obeyed, went around and in.

  During a lull Inner City Press fit the encourage into a 140 character tweet. UN Security responded that having blocked entry was a mistake, or "b.s." as one official put it.

But the next time Inner City Press came in through 47th Street and the same officer was there, he again said "you can't enter." The female officer with him, seemingly high ranked, told him to stand down and waved Inner City Press in. And so the rogue operations seemed to be over.

  But on the morning of Friday, August 10 as Inner City Press entered the 47th Street gate to cover a 10 am meeting in the North Lawn building, the same officer blocked Inner City Press, this time saying that journalists as a group cannot enter through 47th Street.

  Inner City Press said this is not the case, this is b.s. as it had previously been told, journalists enter this way all the time, and reminded him that he had previously been overruled. But the officer, Richard Johnson, insisted.

  A Security Council Deputy Permanent Representative who came in monents later and witnessed the encounter asked Inner City Press, "why are they doing this to you? You are in front of the Security Council all the time. Now you can't come in through this gate?" Why indeed.

  But the UN doesn't feel a need to answer questions. It has not answered the NYCLU's July 5 letter; the officer could not cite any rule or who had given him this instruction; the UN lieutenant would not even give his name. How can the UN purport to teach "rule of law" policing under these conditions? Watch this site.

Footnote: The previous day, August 9, at the UN's noon briefing Inner City Press asked:

Inner City Press: This is the UN dispute tribunal. So there was a decision after a long delay in the case of a UN Security Officer, DSS, a matter of promotion and exams. It’s a pretty long decision and it’s very critical of DSS management. Some even tied it to Mr. Starr leaving. I’m not sure if that’s the case or not. But I’m wondering what is the UN’s response to this, are they going to appeal? Did they think the decision was wrong and the criticism made in it, including of relations with the staff union and other things? Will there be a response to it?

Spokesperson Nesirky: Well, my immediate response to the little aside in the middle about Mr. Starr, that is absolutely unfounded and gratuitous, not necessary. And on the broader question you’ve raised, I will see if there is a response.

Inner City Press: Sure. I wasn’t trying to, I was just saying that people say it. I wanted you to deny it and I’m glad to hear you.

Spokesperson Nesirky: I do emphatically.

Watch this site.

After UN Cocaine Exclusive Press Asks of Bomb Squad Inaction, "Noose Cover Up"

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 30, updated Jan 31, 10:40 am -- With the UN yet to answer the questions of Inner City Press, which exclusively broke last week's story about 14 kilograms of cocaine in the UN mail room, other UN Security whisteblowers have come forward with troubling tales, of racism and what they call lax response to packages identified by bomb sniffing dogs.

Inner City Press was informed, and at Monday's UN noon briefing asked, about an incident this month in which three separate UN bomb sniffing dogs "sat down" -- conveying suspicious -- about a package brought in by a courier service by the name of TNT.

But, the UN Security whistleblowers say, "the bomb squad was never called by the command." Rather, the TNT courier was allowed or told to take the suspicious package out of the UN, out onto the streets of New York.

Last week after breaking the cocaine story on the morning of January 26, Inner City Press asked the UN why instead of waiting to see who might come and pick up the 14 kilograms of cocaine in the UN mail room, it was spirited so quickly out of the building with the UN claiming it had "no UN connection."

That question, and follow up or even admission of the arrest in 2006 of an employee in the UN mail room after an indictment for drug trafficking, has still not been answered.

In light of the UN's failure to provide any answers about the bomb threat, five hours and counting after the Q&A transcribed below, Inner City Press now posts as a matter of public concern another complain received from inside the UN:

"In the month of January 2012 a Security officer in the UN in New York discovered a 'hangman's noose'... in an office in the North Lawn Building... in view of other staff members and visitors to the UN. The UN.... is trying to keep it out of the media. Is this the respect for diversity and human rights the UN is practicing at headquarters? They why should the world listen to them?"

We'd like to have Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson's office's (or DSS') answer to these charges, but there seems to be a back-up in answers, or the patterns of cover-ups alleged in the complaint above.

DSS Greg Starr & bags: bomb dogs etc not shown (c) MRLee

As background, in 2006 a UN staffer was said to have drawn swastikas but, UN insiders say, was "protected by Bruno Henn" of UN Security, and only given sensitivity training.

From the UN's transcription of its January 30 noon briefing:

Inner City Press: I want to ask a security question, it’s following up on last week’s 14 kilograms of cocaine story. First, some other security individuals have stepped forward and said that this month, January, there was three separate UN bomb sniffing dogs sat down, i.e., identified a package that arrived in the mail room as being problematic and asked that the bomb squad be called, and rather than that happen, the package was allowed to drive off to parts unknown. They have a deep concern that there is something wrong with the way in which security is dealing with the mail thing, it is the same question of why the 14 kilograms of cocaine were spirited out of the building before waiting to see who would pick them up... The final thing is I got the answer, there is a 2006 indictment of a UN mail room employee, it was a pretty big case in which he was distributing khat from Somalia throughout the United States, it’s a federal indictment. So I wondered, you said that they were unaware of any arrests, maybe they didn’t understand, was there some limited time frame they were looking at or are they unaware that that took place?

Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: Do you recall what was the outcome of that case, Matthew?

Inner City Press: No, he was arrested; my question was [about arrests,] you wrote back and said they are unaware of any arrests.

Spokesperson: As I said, I would like to ask further about that, and that’s what I did. When I have something, I will let you know.

Inner City Press: On this other one, they have a concern and apparently they are not able to address it internally for whatever reason. And it seems [it could impact] all of us. I am saying this idea that if a package identified as potentially containing explosives is identified by UN security, is the protocol to actually check the package or just let it go, you know, continue on freely on the streets of New York?

Spokesperson: Let me check, Matthew. Okay, thanks very much.

But after nine hours and counting, there was no answer at all. Watch this site.

Update of January 31, 2012, 10:45 am -- more than twenty hours after the questions were asked, this came in which we publish in full:

Date: Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 10:05 AM
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] @un.org
Subject: Your question on security
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

On your questions yesterday on security:

- We do not discuss the specifics of security screening for rather obvious reasons.

- The Security and Safety Service has made it clear that no package that is identified as potentially hazardous by dogs or other screening methods is allowed into the premises or to proceed without further investigation. In all such cases action is taken.

We'll have more on all this.