Amid
DSK Case, Theory of Replacing Ban & US Taking IMF, China WB Revived
By
Matthew
Russell Lee, News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 18 -- The arrest for sex
crimes of International
Monetary Fund managing director Dominique Strauss Kahn, and his
interim replacement by his American deputy John Lipsky, have
together revived
a story exclusively reported by Inner City Press in
2009.
Then,
two senior
advisers to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told Inner City Press of
worries
that the US would take over the top spot at the IMF and give
the World Bank to China, which in turn would not insist that the UN
Secretary General term beginning in 2012 go to an Asian.
Under
that theory,
if Europe lost the IMF -- as seems even more possible now -- and
China got a top Bretton Woods institution spot, the Europeans could
make a play for the 2012 UN term.
Until
Strauss
Kahn's arrest, and now US Treasury Secretary Geithner's call that a
formal “interim” replacement be named, quite possibly Lipsky,
those close to Ban like South
Korea's Permanent Representative to the
UN were bragging that a second term for Ban was in the bag.
Now,
at least
until the IMF situation is resolved, Team Ban's 2009 nightmare
scenario is suddenly closer to coming into play.
Ban with Zoellick & DSK: Lipsky & musical chairs not shown
Eastern
Europeans
candidates were already circling to succeed Ban, albeit in 2016,
among them Srgjan Kerim, Jan Kubis and even Navi Pillay's deputy Ivan
Simonovic.
Now
Western
Europeans may renew interest, if Europe loses the IMF. Staffan de
Mistura is said by his staff to be interested. But surely there are
others. Watch this site.
* * *
Strauss-Kahn
Air France Upgrades & Sofitel Discounts Afoul of IMF Policy
By
Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 18 -- With International
Monetary Fund managing director
Dominique Strauss-Kahn again requesting release on bail from sex
crimes charges, the IMF on Wednesday told Inner City Press that
“Mr.
Strauss-Kahn's
flight, which was booked before he left Washington,
was a business class seat. He was apparently upgraded by the airline.
This is not unusual given he is the head of the International
Monetary Fund.”
But
when Inner
City Press asked IMF spokesman William Murray if the Fund's policy
against its officials receiving such gifts applied in this case, he
did not answer the question. Rather, he again told Inner City Press
to “ask Air France” -- while how they are in charge of enforcing
the IMF's policy on gifts is not clear.
Murray
also stated
that “Sofitel is not a hotel on the official IMF staff list. As
noted by us previously, this was a private visit to NY, and a
personal expense.”
Still, if
Sofitel lowered the rate on Strauss
Kahn's room it was a gift, generally to be rejected but certainly to
be disclosed if the discount was -- as reported -- more than $100.
Strauss-Kahn with Ben Ali of Tunisia: one fell, now
will the other?
The
IMF's policy,
not provided by Mr. Murray but found online, is that
Acceptance
of
gifts, decorations and honors
32.
You
should never solicit gifts or favors in connection with your IMF
duties. Gifts that are offered should normally be declined. However,
you may accept a small gift when it would create an embarrassment to
refuse it. Under current rules, if its value is clearly less than
$100, you may keep it and need not report it. If the value of the
gift could exceed $100, you should report it, along with your
estimate of its value.
An
upgrade from
business class to first class on a flight from New York to Paris is
presumptively worth more than $100. And the IMF spokesman tells the
Press that such upgrades to Strauss Kahn are “not unusual given he
is the head of the International Monetary Fund.” So where are the
answers, and disclosures?
One
of two IMF
belated responses to Inner City Press on May 18:
From:
Murray,
William [at] imf.org
Date: Wed, May 18, 2011 at 5:59
AM
Subject: Air France
To: Matthew Russell Lee [at]
InnerCityPress.com
The
IMF
has contracts with various intercontinental air carriers due to
heavy travel requirements from Washington. Air France is among the
carriers.
Mr.
Strauss-Kahn's
flight, which was booked before he left Washington,
was a business class seat. He was apparently upgraded by the airline.
This is not unusual given he is the head of the International
Monetary Fund.
Watch
this site.
, 
