After
Budget
Committee
Curtails his
"Coup," Ban
Thanks Them
for Feedback
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 3 -- The
day after UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
attempt to
bypass the
General
Assembly with
a "Change
Management"
program now
led by his
right hand man
Kim Won-soo
was roundly
rejected by in
three 90 to 47
votes in the
Budget
Committee, Ban
issued a wan
statement
thanking
member states
for
their input.
Monday
night Inner
City Press exclusively
covered the
rejection of a
US sponsored
amendment to
the Group of
77's
resolution
requiring Ban
to come for
GA approval of
Change
Management,
rather than
make moves
unilaterally
in what some
took to
calling Ban's
coup.
Tuesday
at the UN
noon briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
what Ban
thought of
what several
member states
called a
debacle.
Nesirky had no
comment except
that he might
have something
later.
Tuesday
at 6:27
pm Nesirky
informed the
press that he
belatedly had
this to say:
In
response
to questions
about the
Fifth
Committee and
the
Secretary-General's
Change
Management
plans, the
Spokesperson
has the
following to
say:
The
Secretary-General
appreciates
the interest
of all Member
States in
the
recommendations
included in
that report.
In particular,
the
Secretary-General
notes the
constructive
comments and
feedback
received over
the last
several days.
The
Secretary-General
provides
his assurances
that he will,
as requested,
seek
consideration
and
prior approval
for the
implementation
of those
recommendations
referred to in
the
resolution.
Then
why was Ban
trying to
bypass the
General
Assembly? And
why did he
think it would
be allowed,
especially as
he's
overseen a
$433 million
cost overrun
on the Capital
Master Plan?
One
particularly
well-placed
Budget
Committee
diplomat
snarked that
"it was very
amusing to
hear
Ambassador
Torsella say
that the
Secretary
General
should be able
to change air
travel
regulations on
his own
authority,
despite the
fact that the
US negotiators
were engaging
on the draft
resolution on
air travel
dealing with
these issues
throughout the
first resumed
session.
"Moreover,
Ambassador
Susan Rice
herself was on
the phone to a
number of G-77
Perm Reps,
trying to get
them not to
vote for the
resolutions. Demarches
were also made
in
capitals. In
his letter to
member states
transmitting
the change
plan, Ban
'acknowledged
broad
endorsement'
of the
recommendations.
It
would be
interesting to
know if, after
last night, he
still feels
there is broad
endorsement."
This
is not
answered in
Ban's wan
statement.
From
the
UN's
transcript of
its April 3
noon briefing:
Inner
City
Press: Last
night in the
Fifth
Committee,
usually no
votes are
taken, but
last night
votes were
taken, three
votes, it was
Ban
Ki-moon’s
change
management
proposal which
the EU and the
US wanted
t go through
without GA
review. In
fact, it has
been made
subject
to GA review.
Many people
decried it,
the G-77 won
the vote — 93
to 47, and I
just wonder,
what does the
Secretary-General
think? Does
he, does he
now intend to
bring those
proposals to
the GA? And
also one
smaller
question that
arose was this
position,
this, Robert
Orr, Mr.
Robert Orr
position of
public-private
partnerships,
is it in
the budget?
What
Department is
it in and how
is it funded?
Spokesperson:
On the latter
question, I’d
have to check
with you,
Matthew; I’ll
check for you,
Matthew. On
the first
part, I think
I’ll probably
have something
to say a
little bit
later on this,
but I don’t
have
anything right
now.
The
Bob Orr
question has
yet to be
answered --
watch this
site.
, 
