At
UN
on Sexual
Abuse, Ban
Leaves Before
Questions, for
5th Ave &
Switzerland
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 14 --
It had been
said that UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon was
surprised and
distressed by
the film "The
Whistleblower,"
that he would
screen and
take part in a
question
and answer
about it.
The
day of the
screening,
October 14,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Martin
Nesirky, after
he had denied
a journalist's
complaint that
Ban's
"handlers"
pushed him to
avoid
questions, if
there would be
a chance to
ask Ban
questions
after the
film.
Nesirky
checked
his papers and
said,
"yes, there is
a
question-and-answer
session."
And
so Inner City
Press went. On
stage was Ban
Ki-moon,
delivering
remarks about
his
so-called
"zero
tolerance"
policy on
sexual abuse
by UN
peacekeepers,
then listening
as the film's
director Ms.
Kondracki
and one of its
subjects,
Madeleine
Rees,
critiqued and
mocked the
policy's (non)
implementation.
But
before the
time for
questions
came, it was
announced that
Ban had to
leave for
another
engagement.
His spokesman
was there, and
then he
wasn't.
A
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
spokesman
remained
there, and
used his
presence as an
excuse to not
answer a
question from
Inner
City Press
about UN
inaction
during murder
in Sudan.
And
where did
Ban
have to go,
avoiding the
promised
question and
answer session
on this
issue that
supposedly
troubled him
so? A
reception at a
swank
apartment on
Fifth Avenue.
In full
disclosure,
Inner City
Press went
there too,
after Ban had
come and gone
leaving only
his chief of
staff Vijay
Nambiar in his
place. Another
event must
have called.
But
when WILL Ban
Ki-moon answer
questions? He
only returned
from Sweden
on Wednesday,
went to the
South Korean
state dinner
in Washington
Thursday
night, and now
leaves for
Switzerland.
Troubling
indeed.
Ban and
Kiyo Akasaka
on Oct 14,
before Ban
left before
Qs, (c) MRLee
Footnote:
the
UN sexual
abuse
questions
unanswered
include what
happened with
peacekeepers
changed with
sex abuse in
Cote d'Ivoire
(from Benin
and
Morocco) and
in Haiti (from
Sri Lanka and
now from
Uruguay, whose
Permanent
Representative
to the UN to
his credit
remained at
the
Whistleblower
Q&A after
Ban Ki-moon
was gone).
Of the Fifth
Avenue
reception we
have have
more,
including the
passionate
anger
expressed by
Bosnia's
Permanent
Representative
about what was
shown
in the film.
But the
non-responsiveness
of Ban Ki-moon
and his
spokesperson's
office
continue to
amaze. Watch
this site.
From
the
UN's
noon briefing
transcript of
October 14:
Inner
City
Press: in this
whistleblower
thing, is it a
panel
discussion, is
there any
[inaudible] to
ask questions?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Correct. There
is a panel
discussion. I
am not
absolutely
aware of the
full logistics
for it, the
mechanics, I
can
find out and
let you know.
But, ah yes,
there is a
question-and-answer
session. Yes,
there is. Yes.
Then
Ban, and his
spokesman,
left any
questions
could be
asked.
, 
