UN
Budget
Session
Extended to
Audit Ban's
Overrun &
Powers,
Earth Hour
Scam?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 31 --
The UN's
budget
committee
extended its
deadline
for the third
time on March
30, as the US
insisted on an
outside
auditor of
cost overruns
in Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
scandal
plagued
Capital Master
Plan UN
renovation,
while seeking
with the
European Union
to give Ban
unfettered
discretion in
what he calls
"Change
Management."
Click here
for Inner City
Press' March
28 piece on
the topic.
On
Friday
afternoon,
delegate
milled around
await the
outcome of a
closed door
meeting of the
US, UK,
European
Union,New
Zealand,
Algeria --
chair
of the Group
of 77 --
Argentina,
India,
incoming UN
chief of staff
Susan Malcorra
and the Budget
Committee
chairman Tommo
Monthe of
Cameroon.
As
the deadline
passed, the
deputy
permanent
represent of
France Martin
Briens
chatted
nervously with
other
Europeans,
while the US
Ambassador for
Management now
called Joe
Twitterella
sent messages
accusing the
Group of 77 of
trying to
"micromanage"
the UN.
But,
as several
G-77 delegates
pointed out to
Inner City
Press, it was
"Twittella"
who was trying
to say exactly
how the CMP
audit would
go. "Does
he have an
auditor in
mind?" one of
them asked.
"It sure
seems so."
Others
said that
this further
extension was
for "the US to
lobby
capitals."
But
even $400
million
over-budget,
the UN's empty
skyscraper was
ordered dark
on
March 31, to
show
compliance
with Earth
Day, or Earth
Hour. There
were still
lights on the
fourth floor,
despite orders
to turn off
all
"lights near
windows." And
so it goes at
the UN.
Analysis:
A question for
US Ambassador
Joe "One Way"
Torsella is
why isn't Ban
Ki-moon held
responsible
for the $400
million cost
overrun? Why
does the Obama
administration
insist on
protecting
Ban, who as
John Bolton
wrote was
selected in
order to make
the UN lower
profile, not
"God's gift to
humanity"? How
can there be
reform this
way? Watch
this site.
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