At UN,
Ban's Guinea
Bissau
Statement Leaves
ECOWA$
Qs
UNanswered
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May 27
--
After the UN
Security
Council met
about Guinea
Bissau late on
May 26, a
diplomat
emerged and
told Inner
City Press
that ECOWAS
had made a
proposal to
the European
Union for
funding for
its mission in
the country.
After
a delay, as
jazz wafted
down the UN's
second floor
from the
Delegate's
Lounge, the
Council's
Presidency for
May, Egypt,
read out
Elements to
the Press. The
fix seemed in
for no
questions, but
Inner City
Press asked
one: who will
pay for the
mission,
ECOMIS? It
seems the
Peacebuilding
Commission is
urging states
to fund it.
But who?
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesman
Farhan Haq at
the May 27
noon briefing
what the UN is
doing on this.
Haq said he
was awaiting a
statement. But
when Ban's
canned
statement came
out, it didn't
address this
issue at all:
"The
Secretary-General
is deeply
concerned over
the situation
in
Guinea-Bissau
following the
President of
the Republic's
decision to
appoint a new
Prime Minister
and the
subsequent
protests in
opposition to
the
appointment.
He urges all
political
stakeholders
and their
supporters to
act
responsibly,
refrain from
violence and
avoid an
escalation of
the situation
by settling
their concerns
through
dialogue.
The
Secretary-General
notes that the
prolonged
political
crisis in
Guinea-Bissau
is gravely
affecting the
functioning of
the country’s
institutions
and
undermining
prospects for
socio-economic
development.
He calls on
all political
stakeholders
to urgently
bring the
ongoing
impasse to an
end in the
interests of
the people of
Guinea-Bissau
on the basis
of the
country's
constitution.
The
Secretary-General
welcomes the
professionalism
of the
national armed
forces in the
fulfilment of
their duties
and urges them
to continue to
act
responsibly."
If the UN
can't handle
this, what can
it handle?
Earlier
on May 26 when
US Ambassador
Samantha Power
came to the UN
Security
Council
stakeout, she
took questions
on Syria,
Lebanon,
Ukraine and
the Committee
to Protect
Journalists -
but none on
Africa, which
makes up 70%
of the
Security
Council's
agenda. (Inner
City Press
tried at the
end, “Question
on Burundi?
Does the US
think the
Arusha talks
are inclusive
enough?” but
to no avail, Periscope video here.)
The CPJ
question was
about the UN's
NGO Committee
voting “No” on
CPJ, after a
question and
answer period
that Inner
City Press
covered (and
Periscoped)
earlier in the
week. Power
indicated that
the US will be
bringing CPJ
to a vote in
the full
Economic and
Social
Council, as it
has on other
NGOs which
Inner City
Press has
covered, not
without
success.
But there is
an irony here.
CPJ has
criticized the
Egyptian state
media Akhbar
Elyom - which
the UN has
selected to
take over the
shared office
space it
revoked in
retaliation
from Inner
City Press for
seeking to
cover an event
in the UN
Press Briefing
Room on
January 29,
which Inner
City Press saw
and sees as
related to the
UN's expanding
Ng Lap Seng
bribery
scandal.
After the UN
ousted Inner
City Press on
February 19,
the Government
Accountability
Project wrote
to the US
Mission urging
it to counter
this
retaliation. Letter
here.
Inner City
Press tried to
ask about the
letter, to
Power here
and then at
the State
Department briefing in Washington (it did ask,
here.)
After the UN
threatened to
evict Inner
City Press'
investigative
files (and
before it did
so, on April
16), GAP wrote
to Ban Ki-moon
urging him to
call off this
retaliation. Letter here.
After the UN,
having through
channels
indicted it
would the
office space
empty until
Inner City
Press served
out its four
month
purgatory,
moved to give
the office to
Egypt's Akhbar
Elyom, a media
CPJ has
criticized,
Inner City
Press
re-raised it
to CPJ. Still,
nothing. Watch
this site.
, 
