After
Ban
Apologized to
Turks, UN
Security Hurt,
Offered Pay
for Ban
Reception,
Sources Say
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 5 --
Dissatisfaction
remains at the
UN about
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's fast
apology to
Turkey's prime
minister
Erdogan
after a
September 23
incident that
sent three UN
Security
staff, but no
Turks, to the
hospital.
"Ban
sold us
out," a long
time UN
Security
official
complained to
Inner City
Press,
expressing
skepticism
about Ban's
repeated
statements
that UN
staff security
is among his
top
priorities,
using as an
example the
failure
to follow up
on the killing
of UN Security
officer Louis
Maxwell by
Afghan
National
forces.
A
week after
Ban's apology
to Erdogan,
Ban held a
reception for
select UN
Security
officials. UN
Security
sources
immediately
complained to
Inner City
Press that in
light of the
anger at Ban
inside UN
Security, it
was
announced that
people would
be "on the
clock" -- that
is,
paid -- while
attending
Ban's event,
which they
described as a
buy-off or
cover-up.
After
being told
this by
multiple UN
Security
sources, and
before
publishing
this
article, Inner
City Press on
October 5
asked Ban's
spokesman
Martin
Nesirky
specifically
if UN Security
personnel were
offered pay to
attend Ban's
event.
UN
Security's
Staff &
Ban, rank and
file anger not
shown or
addressed
Nesirky
replied
that Ban has
held other
receptions in
his conference
room in the
North Lawn
building, to
thank staff
"senior and
junior" for
their
contributions
"big or small"
during the
General
Debate.
Nesirky did
not respond on
the question
of reports of
UN Security
being told
they could be
"on the clock"
and paid to
attend
Ban's event.
Watch this
site.
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