UN
Delayed Release of
N Korea Statement,
No Reforms As UNFCU
Solicits N Korean &
UNA-USA Funds
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive follow
up
UNITED NATIONS,
May 16 – Long after the UN
Security Council had approved
a Press Statement condemning
North Korea's last two
launches, on May 15 the UN
Spokesperson's Office had not
sent it out, and when asked
didn't know about it. After
Inner City Press and others
including the Free
UN Coalition for Access
complained, the UN Spokesman
belated sent it out. To find
out why, and perhaps avoid the
delay in the future, on May 16
Inner City Press on behalf of
the Free UN Coalition for
Access asked UN spokesman
Stephane Dujarric about it, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: This one
should be right in your
wheelhouse. I just want…
Spokesman: You don't
know what's in my wheelhouse.
Inner
City
Press: Okay.
Let's see. Yesterday,
when the press statement came
out condemning the missile
launch by the… by the
[Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea], there seemed to be
a big gap between it being
announced to some or by some
Security Council members and
by your office. So, I
just… rather than… gotcha, I
just want to know, does your
office have monthly meetings
with incoming Presidents of
the Council…?
Spokesman: Indeed.
Inner
City Press: and,
if so, is it possible to let…
have them let you know when
something's under silence so
there's not a…?
Spokesman: They do… no,
they… the Council is master of
its own work. The way it
functions is that, once a
Council statement has been
approved, we can only put it
out once we receive it from
the Security Council Affairs
Division. That's the
procedure, to make sure that
there's… as little goes wrong
as possible, and that's the
procedure we followed.
Whatever is announced by
Member States on Twitter or
Facebook or whatever is beyond
my control.
Inner
City Press:
But, is there a way… so what
was the gap between… between
Uruguay sending it to… to… to
Security Council Affairs and
your office sending it to the
journalists here?
Spokesman: I don't know
what the gap was.
Inner City Press/FUNCA:
Can you [inaudible]…? shorten
it
Spokesman: What I… we
try to work as quickly as
possible. What I do know
is, as soon as we get it from
Security Council Affairs, we
share it. Thank you.
Inner City Press: Was that in
your wheelhouse?
Spokesman: That's in my
wheelhouse. You were
right. Thank you,
The
UN Federal Credit Union,
regulated by the US National
Credit Union Administration,
openly solicits the business
of both North Korean employees
of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea's mission to
the UN and the members of the
UN Association of the USA
(UNA-USA), amid questions of
immunity and a previous UNFCU
settlement for sanctions
violations.
UNFCU's
website lists
under “Missions to the UN in
New York eligible to join
UNFCU” that of “North Korea
(DPRK).” Now, after the latest
North Korean launch, US
Ambassador to the UN Nikki
Haley on May 14 told
ABC's This Week that the
screws will be tightened on
North Korea, to isolate them.
Then on May 15, UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres said
he "condemns the launch of
another ballistic missile by
the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (DPRK). This
action is in violation of
Security Council resolutions
and a threat to peace and
security in the region. The
Secretary-General calls on the
DPRK to ensure full compliance
with its international
obligations and return to the
path of denuclearization."
Meanwhile UNFCU continues
soliciting funds of North
Korea, and of UN Foundation's
UNA-USA members (Guterres met
with UNF's board just before
he went on the road for more
than a week.) Inner City
Press' story has been picked
up, with credit, here.
Watch this site.
Inner City Press
asked UNFCU's Senior Manager
of Media Relations Elisabeth
Philippe questions including
“why some UN member states'
missions to the UN are
eligible to join UNFCU,
including the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea,
and others are not, why
members of UNA-USA became
eligible to join UNFCU, what
regulatory filings in any
UNFCU made for this change in
field of membership, and any
restrictions on the use of
these UNA-USA members' funds,
and what services UNFCU offers
to UN agencies and country
teams, in which countries, and
if there are any restrictions
or safeguards.”
On deeming
the North Korean mission and
all of its employees eligible,
UNFCU's Ms. Philippe told
Inner City Press, “The
employees of any mission to
the United Nations based in
New York are eligible to apply
for UNFCU membership. The
employees of all missions are
eligible to join once their
mission has submitted an
application and been
approved.” The website says
the mission itself can join
UNFCU. On May 10, Inner City
Press asked the chairman of
the UN Security Council's
North Korea Sanctions
Committee Sebastiano Cardi
about North Korea's embassy in
Berlin
renting out space as a hostel,
video
here. What safeguards
does UNFCU, with UNA-USA's
members in its field of
membership, have?
On UNFCU
expanding its field of
membership to including anyone
who joins UNA-USA, Ms.
Philippe told Inner City
Press, “UNA-USA is the largest
UN advocacy organization in
the United States. UNFCU is a
financial organization
providing retail banking for
the UN community. Members of
UNA-USA, who are US citizens
or permanent residents of the
US, are eligible to become
members of UNFCU. In December
2013, the National Credit
Union Administration (NCUA),
the US regulatory body which
oversees US federal credit
unions, approved the expansion
of UNFCU membership to include
UNA-USA based on a shared
mission and values in support
of the United Nations. UNA-USA
members who become members of
UNFCU are eligible for the
full suite of products and
services available to UNFCU’s
field of membership.”
But what
is in the “full suit of
products and services”
available from UNFCU? The US
Office of Financial Asset
Control or OFAC settled
charges against UNFCU for, in
connection with Mission
employees, violating
sanctions, see here. And Inner
City Press' third question,
about precisely what services
“UNFCU offers to UN agencies
and country teams” - including
for example in North Korea -
remained at publication time
unanswered. Now this: "As a
member-owned financial
institution that serves the UN
community globally, UNFCU
provides bank account services
to UN/agency staff, and
consultants subject to payroll
requirements of the various UN
agencies and subject to the
rules and regulations
governing all US Financial
Institutions. Accounts are
maintained in US dollars and
are protected by federal share
insurance through the National
Credit Union Administration.
UNFCU complies with US
regulations, including those
governing US economic
sanctions." But why then did
UNFCU settle charges of
sanctions violations? We'll
have more on this. Inner City
Press previously exclusively
reported for example
that "Sudanese nationals
working for the UN have had
part of their salaries paid
into UN Federal Credit Union
accounts, in U.S. dollars.
Then they were told that these
dollar accounts were frozen,
and could only be transferred
to the Bank of Khartoum."
Watch this site.
***
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