ICP
Asked UNSG Guterres for
Speech, Haiti Read-out, None
Provided, Now Answers on Burqa
Center
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
May 28 – Inner City Press
asked UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres why he hasn't
released his budget speech, or
reform plans on May 25, the
day after Guterres' spokesman
Stephane Dujarric refused to
provide the speech to Inner
City Press when it asked.
Guterres paused then said it
should be public, seeming to
believe that Dujarric had, in
fact, released it. Video
here. But he had not and
has not, after three days
later. Dujarric refused to
answer Inner City Press'
written questions sent to him
and his deputy. But on May 28,
he answered another question:
"In answer to questions
regarding the issue of the
naming of a community center
in Burqa village in the
occupied Palestinian
territory, the
Secretary-General’s Spokesman
had the following to say:
The United Nations
disassociated itself from the
Centre once it learned the
offensive name chosen for it
and will take measures to
ensure that such incidents do
not take place in the future.
The glorification of
terrorism, or the perpetrators
of heinous terrorist acts, is
unacceptable under any
circumstances. The UN has
repeatedly called for an end
to incitement to violence and
hatred as they present one of
the obstacles to peace. The
United Nations support to this
community ended last year and
it has asked for the logo of
UN Women to be removed
immediately. Furthermore, the
inauguration of the Centre
took place after the UN’s
association with it." Also
Dujarric's office has
selectively provided read-outs
of some few of Guterres'
meeting, to some on the basis
of the money or power of the
countries requesting
transparency. Previously,
Inner City Press asked
Dujarric three times for any
read-out of Guterres' meeting
with the Dominican Republic'
foreign minister, who
afterward said the issue of
the UN's dubious impact on
Haiti was discussed. No
read-out was provided, Now,
Dujarric issues the below,
what's the difference? "n
response to questions received
on the meeting between the
Secretary-General and Prime
Minister Abe of Japan, the
Spokesman had the following to
say: During their meeting in
Sicily, the Secretary-General
and Prime Minister Abe did
discuss the issue of so-called
“comfort women”. The
Secretary-General agreed that
this is a matter to be solved
by an agreement between Japan
and the Republic of Korea. The
Secretary-General did not
pronounce himself on the
content of a specific
agreement but on the principle
that it is up to the two
countries to define the nature
and the content of the
solution for this issue.
Regarding the report of
Special Rapporteurs, the
Secretary-General told the
Prime Minister that Special
Rapporteurs are experts that
are independent and report
directly to the Human Rights
Council." Again, what's the
difference? On May 26
Dujarric's deputy Farhan Haq
again refused,
video here,
saying that the UN responds to
member states (not We the
Peoples). It was Dujarric who
evicted Inner City Press, and
has kept it restricted in its
movements in the UN for the
144 days so far of Guterres'
tenure. On May 25, Inner City
Press asked Dujarric again, video here
On May 26, Inner City Press
asked Dujarric's deputy Farhan
Haq, video here,
UN transcript here;
UN May 25 transcript here.
Later on May 25, an NGO
representative who corresponded
"secretly" with Dujarric to
get Inner City Press evicted
and restricted was allowed
onto the UN's second floor
without the UN minders imposed
on Inner City Press. This is
UNtransparent. Even facing
budget cuts, the UN remains as
untransparent as ever, even
more so. On May 24 Inner City
Press asked Secretary General
Antonio Guterres' holdover
spokesman Stephane Dujarric
for a copy of Guterres' budget
speech or budget, but none was
given. Later on May 24 the
head of the Advisory Committee
on Administrative and
Budgetary Questions, which
Guterres spoke before, issued
three tweets about the
presentation. Inner City Press
has obtained and tweeted
a copy of Guterres'
placemat-like "Peace and
Security Pillar" chart, with
three separate Under
Secretaries General for
Political and Peacebuilding
Affairs, Peace Operations and
Field Management and Support.
Many are left wondering, where
is the reform? On May 24
before 6 pm Guterres held a
meeting with his senior
management group since after a
two week trip he is in New
York for only three days,
leaving tomorrow. At the
appointed time for Azerbaijan,
streaming out of Guterres'
conference room were USg Jeff
Feltman, Jean Pierre Lacroix
who declined
to answer Inner City
Press' question about France's
20+ year rule of UN
Peacekeeping, Oscar
Fernandez-Taranco, Fabrizio
Hochschild and others. Earlier
on May 24 Inner City Press
asked Dujarric to "please
state if a David J Vennett is
now a/the principal advisor to
the SG, if so why he is not in
iSeek and how he was recruited
and hired and, again, please
provide a list of who works in
/ or the Executive Office of
the Secretary General and
whether they are paid by the
UN, by a UN affiliate like
UNOPS, or by a country and is
so which." There was no
answer. What was in Guterres'
budget speech on May 24, a
copy of which Inner City Press
requested?
Why was corrupt
censor Cristina Gallach
speaking in the General
Assembly Hall on May 24 - and
appearing in Catalonia the
next day listed
as Guterres Special Adviser,
here - and why has her
censorship continued, without
hearing or appeal?
***
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