At
UN,
Mixed Messages
on Haiti
Cholera, No
Comment on
Crackdown in
Jeju
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 16 --
While the UN
continues to
say it is
"studying" the
claim filed
with its last
month for
compensation
for having
introduced
cholera into
Haiti, the
messaging
from Nigel
Fisher of the
MINUSTAH
mission in
Port au Prince
and from
New York seems
different.
On
December 16
Inner City
Press asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
Associate
Spokesman
Farhan Haq
about
Inner
City
Press: a quote
from Nigel
Fisher, that
“I don’t think
the UN
has ever
denied the
possibility”,
and then it
goes into
brackets,
“that they
could have
been at
fault”. And
some have said
that
the UN did
deny exactly
that. And I
wanted to
know, again,
one, the
update on how
they are
responding to
this claim for
compensation
for
the cholera,
but two is,
again Mr.
Fisher has
been there a
long time,
but is that
accurate? Is
the UN not
denying that
they may have
been
responsible?
Associate
Spokesperson
Haq: Well,
first of all,
on the claim:
yes, the claim
has been
received and
is currently
being studied.
And at this
stage,
I wouldn’t
have any
further
comment on
that.
Regarding the
second
thing about
responsibility
for cholera,
as you know,
we take that
matter very
seriously. In
January 2011
appointed a
panel of
independent
scientific
experts to
study all
available
evidence in
order to
determine the
cause of the
cholera
outbreak and
epidemic. The
panel
determined
that it was
not possible
to be
conclusive
about
how cholera
was introduced
into Haiti.
So, in other
words what Mr.
Fisher says
does not
necessarily
contradict
that. It is
just that
there was no
conclusive way
of determining
how the
cholera was
introduced,
according to
the panel.
This
exchange after
the UN, a day
after Inner
City Press
asked, provided
an interim
answer on
another report
of abuse, in
Fort Dimanche
in Port au
Prince:
Haq:
I
was asked
yesterday
about
allegations
against
peacekeepers
in Fort
Dimanche,
Haiti. The UN
Mission in
Haiti,
MINUSTAH,
informs us
that
it was made
aware of these
allegations
through the
press,
following a
press
conference by
the Réseau
National de
Défense
des droits
humains.
The Mission is
doing
everything it
can to
establish the
facts as soon
as possible.
It reiterates
its
zero-tolerance
policy
regarding
misconduct by
its personnel
and it will
examine all
allegations
with the
utmost
seriousness.
We'll
see.
(c) UN Photo
Ban in flack
jacket,
response on
cholera &
Jeju not shown
By
contrast, the
UN and Ban
Ki-moon have
repeatedly
refused to
comment in any
way on
authorities in
Ban's native
South Korea
arresting and
detaining
peaceful
protesters
against a
planned
military base
on Jeju Island
there. Also on
the December
16, Inner City
Press asked:
Inner
City
Press: there
is an ongoing
struggle or
stand-off in
Jeju Island
in South
Korea, where
various people
have been
arrested,
including an
elected mayor,
and they seem
to feel that
there is some
UN hook, and
the arrests
were made at a
joint Republic
of Korea-UN
joint
conference on
disarmament.
There are
three UNESCO
[United
Nations
Educational,
Scientific and
Cultural
Organization]
sites, and so
I
just wanted to
know, I heard
the
Secretary-General
had an
extended
answer about
Korea during
his press
conference,
including
saying as a
Korean citizen
he is
concerned. Can
he be asked
again if he
has any
view of
whether this
island that I
know he has
spoken about
should be
turned into a
military base
and the
treatment of
those
protesting the
militarization
of the island?
Associate
Spokesperson
Haq: At this
stage we have
no comment
about the
situation in
Jeju Island.
If that
changes, I’ll
let you know.
But
for now we
have nothing
on that. With
that, have a
good weekend,
everyone.
Watch
this site.
, 
