At UN,
Ban's
Handpicked Q
Ignore Africa,
Rape Scandals,
Syria Sound
Cut
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
29 -- When UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon did a
rare question
and answer
stakeout after
addressing
the Security
Council about
Syria on
July 29, it
preempted and
canceled the
day's UN noon
briefing about
the UN's work
all over the
world.
But Ban in his
opening
statement
mentioned only
Syria and
Yemen. One of
the questions
handpicked by
his spokesman
touched on
Afghanistan;
neither Ban or
de Mistura,
who said
nothing,
answered it.
There was not
a word about
Africa, well
over half of
the Security
Council's
agenda and
UN's work.
Ban Ki-moon
for example
recently
implicitly
gave his
blessing to Burundi
strongman
Pierre
Nkurunziza's
unconstitutional
third term.
Ban opined
that Nkurunziza's
re-election or
coronation was
"broadly
peaceful,"
despite media
being closed
down and refugees
fleeing from
the country.
But no
question to
Ban has been
allowed. The Free UN Coalition for Access protests
this.
There are rape
scandals
surrounding
the UN, from
cover-up of French
soldiers' rapes of
children in
Central
African
Republic by Ban's
(French) head
of
peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous
to the UN's
refusal to
provide any accountability
for an aid
worker
allegedly raped
INSIDE the
UN's "Protection
of Civilians"
camp in Bentiu
in South
Sudan. But not
a word on this
from Ban, or
in the
handpicked
questions.
After Ban
left, taking
the taciturn
de Mistura
with him, the
president of
the Security
Council for
July, Gerard
von Bohemen of
New Zealand,
did a
stakeout.
Inner City
Press was able
to ask him if
there was any
discussion if
the Syrian
National
Coalition will
participate in
de Mistura's
"working groups"
(he said, not
in the room),
and about the
upcoming MH17
vote.
But when
Syria's
Ambassador
Ja'afari came
to speak at
the stakeout,
it was nearly
empty. Soon,
the sound went
out. (@InnerCityPress
restarted
its live
#Periscope
broadcast,
here for
24 hours,
since the UN
had stopped.)
Ja'afari said,
this is not
the first time
this has
happened.
Inner City
Press asked
him about
Turkey - but
that's another
story. This is
the story of
what the UN
has become, or
is becoming.
Watch this
site - and InnerCityPro.com.
Ban on July 29
was the
opening act
for his envoy
Staffan de
Mistura, who
was supposed
to make a new
proposal.
What
de Mistura set
out, however,
was a mere
"deepening" of
the Geneva
Consultations
he's been
engaged in
since May 5.
In what seemed
like form over
substance, de
Mistura said:
“What I am
today
proposing is
deepening the
Geneva
Consultations
format. I now
intend to
invited
Syrians to
parallel, or
simultaneous,
thematic
discussions
through
intra-Syrian
working groups
addressing the
key aspects of
the
Communique, as
identified by
them in the
first phase of
the
Consultations.”
These key
aspects were
bullet-pointed
by de Mistura
as “Safety and
protection for
all, including
ending sieges,
ensuring
medical access
and releasing
detainees;
"political
and
Constitutional
issues
including
essential
principles,
transitional
governing body
and elections;
"military
and security
issues
including
combating
terrorism,
cease-fires
and
integration of
forces; and
"public
institutions,
reconstruction
and
development,
including
institutions
continuing to
deliver public
services under
a top
leadership
acceptable to
all and acting
in accordance
with
principles of
good
government and
human rights.”
While de
Mistura
referred to a
"Fear of the
Black Flag"
flying over
Damascus, it
wasn't clear
who would be
in these
working
groups.
Nevertheless
it was said
that the
Security
Council was
working on a
Presidential
Statement to
support de
Mistura.
When Ban
himself spoke,
all the
trappings of
gravitas were
given. The
day's UN noon
briefing was
canceled, in
deference to
Ban's
(scripted?)
question and
answer session
set for 12:40
pm.
Even before 10
am, Ban's
personal
rostrum or
lectern was
set up at the
UNTV stakeout.
Given that it
was torn from
the hands even
of a member
state's
foreign
minister - and
later
President of
the General
Assembly --
this meant the
UN assumed no
member state
would want (or
dare) to speak
before Ban's
12:40 pm
stakeout.
This
is today's UN.
, 
