On South Sudan, Does US President Obama's Executive Order's Threat of Sanctions Apply to Uganda?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 3 -- With the South Sudan talks stalled in Addis Ababa, US President Obama on April 3 issued an Executive Order threatening sanctions. The Executive Order has been put online here, by Inner City Press.

  Obama's Press Secretary Jay Carney said "both the Government of South Sudan and Riek Machar’s rebels must immediately engage in and follow through on the inclusive peace process led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development."

   One issue has been that while Uganda intervened on the side of the government, it is also part of the ostensible mediator, IGAD. Obama's Executive Order refers to"international security presences" and "other peacekeeping operations" - does either term encompass the Uganda forces?

  Back on March 25, returning from South Sudan and Darfur John Ging, the Operations Director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and his Emergencies colleague Yasmin Haque spoke movingly of the need to reduce the number of checkpoints on aid convoys in South Sudan.

Inner City Press asked Ging if this increased checking wasn't a result of what even the UN has said was a mistake, thetrucking rather than flying of weapons to the Ghanian peacekeepers in Bentiu.

  Ging acknowledged that this was the government's rationale for the checks but said, "We do not accept it."

  Time did not permit but there is an obvious follow up question: if the UN wants to put the arms-shipment scandal behind it, shouldn't it be more transparent? It has said its probe is finished, but no written report has been made public.

UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous, speaking to the Security Council on March 19, chose instead to complain of a "vilification of the UN" including in "media articles."

  Inner City Press asked Ging and Haque if they had witnessed such vilification during their trip to South Sudan. No, Ging said, this was not directed at the UN's humanitarian side. So it's either limited to UN Peacekeeping of Ladsous and Hilde Johnson, or Ladsous has a lower threshold of getting angry at media coverage.

  At the third question, Inner City Press on behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access thanked Ging for doing Q&A when he comes back from trips, and expressed hope that this becomes a trend or expectation. Ladsous refuses to answer Press questions, video here - but even Jeff Feltman, back today from Ukraine, is said not to plan any press availability. Why not?

  The first question was given to Pamela Falk of CBS as head of the old UN Correspondents Association, which rather than push for example for Ladsous to have to answer has in fact come to his defense, grilling Inner City Press about an article about Ladsous until Inner City Press quit UNCA (and co-founded FUNCA).

  Now, will Falk with this automatic first question get a story about South Sudan onto CBS? If not, and even leaving aside UNCA becoming the UN's Censorship Alliance, how is this automatic first question justified?

  Having been given the first question, she left the briefing room while others were still waiting to ask. There wa a scheduled stakeout by the UN's Lebanon envoy Plumbley, which Inner City Press and others interested had to miss. UNmiss.

  Inner City Press also asked Ging about Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile; he said the UN still has no access to opposition held areas. He cited Jebel Marra in Darfur. Ladsous, in Pakistan, was quoted that the UNAMID mission in Darfur will shrink.

  Inner City Press asked UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq about it and was told that if Pakistan's number of troops goes does, something will be said. But that wasn't the question. And while Ladsous was reportedly seeking women police and peacekeepers in Pakistan, when a woman who served in UNAMID in Darfur was disciplined for it, UN Peacekeeping has no comment, and has it seemed done nothing. UNmiss.

  The briefing ended with Ms Haque saying that more important than "donor fatigue" is the fatigue of children without food in South Sudan. Now that, is true. Watch this site.

   

On Ukraine, IMF Announces $14-18 Billion Preliminary Deal As Gas Prices Rise 50%, Press Qs

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 27 -- It was 4:25 am in New York and Washington when the International Monetary Fund announced its preliminary agreement for a $14 - $18 billion loan program with Ukraine. 

  Twelve hours before, Inner City Press asked a number of IMF spokespeople to confirm or comment on reports that the Ukrainian "increase the price of natural gas for household consumers by an average of 50%" is attributable to the IMF. 

 Receipt of the question was acknowledged; perhaps it will be answered at the IMF's 9:30 am briefing, embargoed until 10:30 am (when the UN General Assembly will be considering a resolution on Ukraine).

  Later on March 27 the US Congress is expected to act on a $1 billion loan guarantee to Ukraine, but not on the IMF changes the Obama administration requested. Obama Press Secretary Jay Carney issued a statement welcoming the IMF preliminary deal, concluding that "We also remain committed to providing the IMF with the resources it needs – in partnership with Congress – to provide strong support to countries like Ukraine as well as reinforcing the Fund’s governance to reflect the global economy."
  
  Two weeks ago on March 13, the day after several US Senators argued that International Monetary Fund quota reform would have to be approved by Congress to enable the IMF to meaningfully assist Ukraine, Inner City Press asked IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice if this is true. Video here, from Minute 12:05.

  Rice genially said several times that the question couldn't or wouldn't be answered while the IMF mission is “in the field” in Ukraine. He initially gave the same answer to Inner City Press' question that had nothing to do with Ukraine: is it true, as Russia reportedly argued at the most recent G-20 meeting, that quota reform could be accomplished without US approval, under some set of rule changes?

  Rice during the briefing repeated this could not be answered while the mission is in Ukraine. Later it was conveyed that the reform is not possible without US approval. The answer is appreciated: a benefit of asking in person. But Inner City Press (and the Free UN Coalition for Access) hope to make the online asking of questions work better from now on. We'll see.

  In another non-Ukraine question, Inner City Press asked Rice about a book published earlier this week in Hungary, that the then-economy minister in 2011 told Goldman Sachs that the government would be going to the IMF for a program. Since much currency trading ensued, Inner City Press asked if the IMF has any rules limiting its government interlocutors from trading on or sharing insider information. Video here, from Minute 31:12.

  Rice said there are confidential provisions. But are those only for the contents of communication and not the existence of communications or negotiations? We'll see.

  

On Somalia, UN Walks Back from Eliasson's Estimate of 3000 AMISOM Deaths, Gentler Than on Del Ponte on Syria

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 10 -- Returning from the Somalia conference in London, UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson on May 9 told the press, "You would be shocked to learn that maybe it is up to 3,000 AMISOM soldiers that have been killed during these years that AMISOM has been there. Uganda, Burundi, have paid a tremendous price... the Kenyan troops are, of course, also a large part of AMISOM."

  The number seemed high. And lo and behold, on Friday afternoon the UN walked back, ever so gently, from Eliasson's estimate:

"we would like to clarify the following: The casualty figures used by the Deputy Secretary General were an estimate based on information from informal sources; dissemination of exact casualty statistics is solely the responsibility of the African Union and the individual troop contributing countries."

Compare that to what happened to Carla Del Ponte after she spoke of evidence leading to strong suspicions that sarin gas was used in Syria -- by the rebels, not the government.

   Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky if Ban's prober Ake Sellstrom had got or sought Del Ponte's information. Video here.

  The UN pointed out that Del Ponte's co-paneled Paulo Pinheiro had immediately undercut Del Ponte, as did White House spokesman Jay Carney (who spun insider journalists off the record about Benghazi on Friday) and then the spokesperson from the UK's David Cameron.

  Will others jump in on Eliasson's statement? We doubt it. Watch this site.

On Syria Rebels' Sarin Gas Use, Carla Del Ponte Undercut by US & UN Panel, Ban Ki-moon's Sellstrom Team Not Interested?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 6 -- As we predicted this morning, but even faster, the UN and the US distanced themselves from the statement of UN Human Rights Council appointee Carla Del Ponte of strong suspicions of the use of sarin gas by the Syrian opposition, not the government.

  At Monday's UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky if Ban's prober Ake Sellstrom would at least look at the evidence Del Ponte cited from "victims, doctors and field hospitals" in neighboring countries.

  Nesirky told Inner City Press, " I would simply refer you to what the Commission of Inquiry said in its press release," which he summarized as "clarifying that it has not reached conclusive findings about the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict. And, as a result, the Commission said it is not in a position to further comment on the allegations at this time."

It's one thing for this UN "Independent International Commission of Inquiry" to not have public comment -- but shouldn't two arms of the UN, the Commission and Sellstrom's team, as least share evidence?

  In Washington, Obama administration spokesman Jay Carney said, "We are highly skeptical of any suggestions that the opposition used chemical weapons. We think it highly likely that Assad regime was responsible but we have to be sure about the facts before we make any decisions about a response."

  In terms of US public opinion, and a survey as scientific as Sellstrom's has been to date, Inner City Press was a guest on several radio shows on Monday, ranging across the US from Chicago to the Arizona, Nevada and California tri-state area up to Pacifica's Flashpoints in San Francisco.

  These stations, including the one covering Arizona, wanted to question Senator John McCain; the Chicago station was a defender of President Barack Obama. 

  But it's strange, about the Obama administration: they were fast Monday to criticize or disbelieve UN official Carla Del Ponte, but they have been slow to criticize the UN for, as simple one example exposed by Inner City Press, allowing a UN-accredited NGO to auction off an internship "in the UN" for $26,000. Watch this site.

On Syria, China Tells ICP of "Showdown," Rice Unsure if Annan Continues

By Matthew Russell Lee, Partial exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, July 19 -- The US does not support any "technical rollover" for 45 days of the UN Mission in Syria, as proposed in a Pakistani draft resolution, and Russia opposes any "ideological" conditions attached to extending the UNSMIS mission for 30 days, as proposed Thursday morning by the UK.

  Inner City Press asked China's Permanent Represntative Li Baodong late Thursday, thirty or forty five days?

  "Showdown," Li Baodong exclusively told Inner City Press.

  Inner City Press asked Pakistan's Deputy Permanent Representative if his draft has the nine required votes.

  "Just trying to help," he exclusively told Inner City Press.

  When US Permanent Representative Susan Rice emerged, she said as President Barack Obama's spokesman Jay Carney had on Air Force One that the US does not support any technical rollover of the mission.

  On Air Force One, Carney was asked, did the Annan plan fail? Carney replied, "It has failed thus far, yes. And the failure of the Security Council to support this resolution means that it can't go forward."

  So Inner City Press asked Ambassador Rice, does Kofi Annan's mission continue?

  "Good question," Ambassador Rice replied.
 
 Later another Security Council source present in the consultations told Inner City Press that when Ambassador Rice was asked if the US wants to keep the mission in Syria, she said no.

   Russian Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin was the most detailed, on this and other matters. "It was a funny discussion," he began. "They keep coming back to their ideological position. There is a good Pakistan text that I know I am going to support."

Referring to the UK draft and its supporters, Churkin said "our colleagues want to replay individual elements from the Kofi Annan plan. It's too late in the day to do it."

Churkin was asked, so UNSMIS will be withdrawn? He said, "If there are not nine votes on one of the drafts, then I suppose so." He returned to say, "some colleagues were saying they want them to withdraw, [as] too dangerous... but they are prepared to vote for the UK draft. It is confusing. I told them, put down a text that you want them to withdraw."

French Ambassador Gerard Araud said "we will vote at 10 am on our text," meaning the UK draft. Churkin says he opposes it, and China says showdown. If either vetoes, the Pakistani draft could be voted on. Would the US or others veto that? Watch this site.