UN Spins Gambari Greeting ICC Indictee Bashir at Reception As "African Tradition"

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 27 -- After publishing photographs of UN - African Union envoy to Darfur Ibrahim Gambari with Omar al-Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes, Inner City Press three times this week asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman to state UN policy for dealing with ICC indictees, and if Gambari's actions complied with UN policy.

The UN has said it only deals with ICC indictees when "necessary," for example when Inner City Press asked the UN about having twice provided air transportation to Ahmed Harun, also indicted by the ICC for war crimes.

But was attending a reception for the wedding of the daughter of Darfur janjaweed militia leader Musa Hilal and Idriss Deby "necessary"?

After twice saying he hadn't seen the photos, on January 26 Nesirky said that "the ICC is an independent judicial institution. And it needs to be able to carry out its work in an independent fashion. And so I don’t think that it is appropriate to comment further on cases that are being looked at and in the judicial process already."

Inner City Press asked, "can you see why the Gambari photo creates some confusion? Attending a wedding ceremony is hard to describe as a humanitarian gesture."

Later, Nesirky's office sent Inner City Press the following:

Subject: Your question on JSR Gambari
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 1:02 PM
To: Matthew Russell Lee [at] innercitypress.com

The Departement for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) advises the following: JSR Gambari attended the wedding at the invitation of President Deby of Chad, who is an important regional partner in the peace process. JSR Gambari had no control over the guest list and it is contrary to basic diplomatic courtesy and African traditions to ignore greeting other invited guests.

So apparently the UN system's policy on engagement with individuals indicted by the ICC for genocide has a "wedding reception" or even "African traditions" exception.

Gambari greets Bashir, UN policy on ICC not shown: non-existent?

It's worth noting, as the Sudanese Mission to the UN confirmed to Inner City Press apparently proudly, that Idriss Deby wasn't even AT the reception. But Gambari went anyway, and greeted Bashir.

The UN's policy on dealing with ICC indicted individuals is in the purview of Ban's head of Legal Affairs Patricia O'Brien, who has repeatedly refused to answer press questions. This is Ban's UN - watch this site.

As Ban's Spokesman Claims Cocaine Was "Not Intended" for UN, It Was Delivered; Past UN Mail Room Arrest

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 27 -- After Inner City Press yesterday morning exclusively published, and at noon asked, about 14 kilograms of cocaine brought into the UN's mail room, 24 hours later Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky argued that the bags were "never intended for the UN."

UN Security sources tell Inner City Press there is no way to know that. The courier, DHL, obviously has a policy or practice of bringing items with the UN logo on them into the UN, as happened here.

Why, these sources asked Inner City Press which in turn today asked Nesirky, were the bags spirited out of the UN before there was any chance to see who might come to try to collect them?

Nesirky argued that the Thursday evening press encounter by Gregory Starr of the UN Department of Safety and Security had answered all questions. Inner City Press asked Nesirky on Friday to confirm that under Starr, DSS disbanded its Special Investigations Unit.

When Inner City Press broke this story, it asked "what is ID/OIOS" -- the Investigations division of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, from which Ban Ki-moon removed his critic Inga Britt Ahlenius - "doing about drug trafficking in the UN?"

The OIOS investigative division ostensibly took over for the DSS Special Investigations Unit which Starr disbanded. Security source tell Inner City Press about a "covered up" probe by this DSS unit of drug trafficking using UN bags in Haiti, where the UN has a peacekeeping mission.

Inner City Press on Friday also asked Nesirky to confirm previous arrest(s) of UN personnel specifically in the UN mail room for being involved in drug smuggling. Nesirky said he would check. Video here, from Minute 8:46.

Well, here's one, from a publicly available indictment in US Federal court: 29-year UN employee Osman Osman was charged in 2006 with facilitating the import of 25 tons of illegal drugs using his position in the UN mail room.

Gregg Starr shows UN bags: DSS Special Investigations Unit not shown (c) MRLee

Given this history, current UN Security sources and now Inner City Press ask, why were the bags spirited out of the UN before there was any chance to see who might come to try to collect them? Who might have been protected? Watch this site.

Sri Lankan Alleged War Criminal Silva "Selected" as Ban Adviser on Peacekeeping?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 27 -- In an example of UN "bluewashing" of an alleged war criminal, Sri Lanka is bragging that its Major General Shavendra Silva has been selected for the "UN Secretary General's special Advisory group on Peace Keeping Operations," along with former Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette and former head of UN Peacekeeping Jean Marie Guehenno.

Acts of Shavendra Silva's battalion in 2009 are described in the UN's own Panel of Experts report on Sri Lanka, and lawsuits have been filed against Silva for war crimes.

So how can he be put on a UN "special advisory group on Peacekeeping Operations"?

Ban's Under Secretary General for Field Support Susana Malcorra, who Inner City Press has reported stands to replace Asha-Rose Migiro as Ban's Deputy Secretary General, on October 24 told the UN General Assembly's committee covering peacekeeping that Ban would

"create a Senior Advisory Group comprising five eminent persons of relevant experience; five representatives from major troop countries; five representatives from major financial contributors; and one member from each regional group."

It appears that that Sri Lanka, in order to bluewash Silva, slipped him in as representative of the Asia Pacific group.

In other circumstances, such as Syria's bid to be its regional group's representative on the UN Human Rights Council, efforts have been made at the UN including by the Secretariat to avoid or reverse nominations like this one which would be an embarrassment and make a mockery of the UN's stated principles.

Ban shakes with Silva as Kohona looks on, Feb 23 2011 (c) MRLee

But will Ban do that here, or put an alleged war criminal on his Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations? Watch this site.

UN Starr Spins Media, After ICP Exclusive, Of DEA & Mexican Police: UN Recipient?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 26 -- After Inner City Press this morning exclusively published, and at noon asked, about cocaine found inside the UN, six hours later the UN produced for a dozen reporters Security chief Gregory Starr, with photographs of two "UN" bags he said the "controlled substance" arrived in.

Starr confirmed the incident occurred on January 16. Inner City Press' law enforcement sources say the NY Police Department and Drug Enforcement Agency arrived at the UN that day at 12:30 in the afternoon.

Inner City Press asked Starr why the UN had not disclosed the find of 14 kilos of cocaine ten days ago, until its exclusive story and question. Starr insisted it is a US law enforcement matter, and later implied the UN would never have made it public absent Inner City Press' exclusive expose.

The hole in Starr's and the UN's spin is to say that 14 kilos of cocaine showing up inside the UN, in bags marked "UN," is "not a UN matter." Several security sources asked Inner City Press why a pick-up of the bags had not been awaited.

"If a bag marked 'UN' is automatically brought by DHL inside the UN, sure the person intending to go pick up the 'lost' package could be in the UN," one source told Inner City Press. "But now the way they've done it, we'll never know. Someone may be breathing easy."

While Starr said the packages originated in Central or South America, he never refused to rule out Mexico, which is in neither. But US law enforcement tells the Press that the Mexican Federal Police are now involved. "We want to know who gave the package to DHL, they'd have to a so-called 'Reliable Shipper,'" as one source put it.

(c) MRLee
UN's Starr shows photo of "UN" bags: how not a UN story?

Local law enforcement was critical of errors in derivative reports, which misquoted the estimate street value as $2 million instead of $440,000, and alleged "cartel" involvement without any proof.

Starr showed the convened media photos of the bags, while his colleague David Bongi, about whom Inner City Press has previously reported, held up actual Diplomatic Mail bags, which Starr then implied should not be photographed or published.

But the immediate turn over -- Starr said to NYPD, but other sources say the DEA took possession -- had the effect of making it impossible to know if a person with access to the UN mail room was going to try to pick up the bags. "So someone's being protected," as a source put it.

Inner City Press asked Starr if, for example, all entries into the UN connected to general contractor Skanska and the UN's Capital Master Plan rehabilitation are screened. Starr claimed they are, but even other UN Security sources say different.

Absent this morning's story, Inner City Press asked Starr, would you ever have made this public? The answer was not yes. Watch this site.

Inner City Press also asked Starr if there is any update on his commitment to ensure an investigation of the murder of UN Security officer Louis Maxwell by Afghan National forces in Kabul. "No," Starr said. For shame.

(c) MRLee
UN's Bongi and Diplomatic Mail bags: Erdogan not shown

From the UN's January 26 transcript of its noon briefing, at which Inner City Press asked about the drugs after already publishing its first story:

Inner City Press: I have heard now from multiple sources within Security and elsewhere that a suspicious package containing cocaine was found in the UN scanner recently and was… the host country was called. They are saying that it was up to 40 pounds of cocaine, and people have asked me within Security, why wasn’t the FBI called? Why wasn’t the package actually picked up so they could find out who was getting it? I’d like to know if either now or as soon as possible today, can you, will you confirm this find of cocaine in the scanner and why were… why was only the NYPD apparently called and what’s OIOS doing about the possibility of drug trafficking inside the United Nations?

Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: Well, first of all, I will need to come back to you with some more details. But the most important thing here is that this was not connected to the United Nations, and that’s why the host Government, the city authorities in the shape of the NYPD were brought in to assist and they have taken over. Once I have a few more details, I will let you know.

Inner City Press: But just, and thanks again, I appreciate that, it just… I am just wondering because it is said that it was found inside the UN in a diplomatic pouch by the UN scanners, so how is the UN not…?

Spokesperson: Because it was not a diplomatic pouch. That I can say categorically, it was not a diplomatic pouch.

Inner City Press: But how did it get into the UN?

Spokesperson: Matthew, I said I am going to get, give you more details, and you can play 20 questions with me now or you can let me get some details for you later. Okay?

[The Spokesperson later issued the following note to correspondents:

Last week, two suspicious mail bags were intercepted by the Security and Safety Service at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Neither the United Nations nor anyone located in the United Nations was the intended recipient of this delivery and the bags were not UN bags, diplomatic or other.

The relevant host country authorities — the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the New York Police Department (NYPD) — were notified about the discovery of the suspicious bags and the material handed over to their custody. The United States Mission to the United Nations was also kept informed.

As the host country authorities are investigating, we would refer you to the DEA or NYPD for any further details.]

Inner City Press: No, I mean, exactly, just what, a detailed explanation of how it came in and who, to whom it was addressed, things like that.

Spokesperson: Yeah.