UNITED
NATIONS, May
22 -- The
new "Media
Access
Guidelines"
for
the UN,
which provide
that the
"Security
Council
stakeout area,
including the
Turkish
Lounge, is not
to be used as
a permanent
workspace for
the media,"
would go into
effect after
May 24 when
the Council
moves, Inner
City Press
learned on May
22.
At
the day's noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesman
Eduardo Del
Buey who is
behind the
roll-back in
media access:
a Security
Council
member, the UN
Secretariat or
the UN
Correspondents'
Association,
whose name is
on
the
guidelines?
Del
Buey replied
that the UN
does not
comment on
"leaked
documents." Video
here from
Minute 6:55.
But,
Inner City
Press pointed
out, these
Guidelines
weren't
leaked. They
were provided
just this week
to the new Free UN Coalition for Access
for comment.
While
FUNCA
protested on
these and
other grounds
to UN
official
Stephane
Dujarric, now
with the
impending
application of
the
Guidelines,
does Ban
Ki-moon
support the
roll-back in
media access?
Del
Buey said
"it's not a
question of
Ban Ki-moon"
or of his
spokesperson's
office. And
notably, Ban's
spokesperson's
office which
under Kofi
Annan used to
have access to
Security
Council
consultations,
does not
anymore. Is
that why they
don't care if
the
media, too,
lose access?
Inner
City Press has
raised the
issue with the
incoming
President of
the
Council for
June, who has
lent a
seemingly
attentive ear.
But UNCA
members, even
a past
president,
consulted on
Wednesday had
not even
been shown the
Guidelines.
The Guidelines
would also ban
non-resident
correspondents
from the
Delegates'
Lounge, and
purport to
prohibit
substantive
fliers even on
reporters'
office doors.
Inner
City Press is
putting them
online: as
provided with
UNCA in the
first
paragraph,
here, and
with
track changes
in red by
FUNCA, here, as
submitted by
FUNCA to the
UN,
proposing a
table at the
Security
Council
stakeout and
other
changees.
Watch
this site.
, 
