Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the United Nations to Wall Street to the Inner City

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 5, more here -- Within the French diplomatic service, Jacques Audibert was to come to New York in July to belatedly replace Gerard Araud as Ambassador.

  Then it was not to be: Audibert is leaving his Quay d'Orsay post, including on the Iran P5+1, to become Francois Hollande's “G7 and G8 sherpa.” This will leave Araud in place, at least for now.

  And for the P5+1 post, who did France choose? None other than Nicolas de Riviere, or Flippy Nic, previously at the UN. h/t LRozen.

  Nic was, like Herve Ladsous before him, a French Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN. Then in 2012 he served -- rudely, South Asian said -- on Ban Ki-moon's Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations, with controversial Sri Lankan military figure Shavendra Silva.

   Flippy Nic was France's Deputy before Martin Briens, who was deputy before Alexis Lamek. Holding over all this time is Gerard Araud.

   Sycophants, those who have watched but said nothing as Ladsous and then Araud as an echo started refusing particular journalists' questions, are sure to find or re-find a friend in Flippy Nic.
 
  Flippy was actually significantly more decent than Araud, in his time at the UN. There are others at the French mission who seem different than Araud, but who go along, controlling the what are ostensibly the UN's microphones, wincing. And wince they should.