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On
Sri Lanka, IMF
Dodges Loan and Human Rights Questions, UK Reverses Course
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 7 -- With controversy about Sri Lanka's application to the
International Monetary Fund for a $1.9 billion loan swirling from London
to Australia,
IMF spokesman David Hawley held
the organization's fortnightly press conference on Thursday in
Washington. In Colombo, the government has said it is close to getting
not only the
IMF loan, but also another
one from Libya. From the UN in New York, Inner City Press before
the
briefing sent a question to Mr. Hawley, his deputy William Murray and
IMF Asia contact Yoshiko Kamata:
Please
be sure this is put to IMF spokesman during 930 briefing-- “On Sri
Lanka's application for a $1.9 billion loan, French
Ambassador to the
UN Ripert told Inner City Press that "the Americans are trying
to play with the loan." Please confirm, deny and explain the
status of the loan and respond to the human rights and press
freedom questions raised.”
The IMF
states that accredited journalists like Inner City Press can have
questions answered during the briefing by submitting them
electronically. Having heard nothing back, Inner City Press called
Asia specialist Yoshiko Kamata. When
Inner City Press was able to
attend the IMF briefing in March and asked about the Sri Lanka, Ms.
Kamata afterwards approached to offer to help get information. On May
7, her voice mail said she would be away until May 11, and to call
the general number. Inner City Press asked Deputy William Murray and
reached him.
I don't think
you're going to get an answer to that question, Murray said, saying
he was unaware of the Ripert quote. That quote about the IMF was
picked up in the Times
of London, the
Australian and elsewhere, so it
seemed fair to assume that the IMF's media professionals would or
could find it.
Chiefs of UN, IMF and World Bank,
cease-fire for civilians in Sri Lanka not shown
Inner City Press said, just have the question asked,
it is a matter of some controversy. We're in the middle of a press
conference, Murray said. The line went dead.
Despite
its
timely submission, it appears that the question was not asked at the
IMF briefing. The press conference ended quickly, meaning that there
were few other questions asked. So there was no lack of time. But
after closing the briefing, Murray sent the following response:
Subj:
RE: Press question for 9:30 on Sri Lanka
From:
William Murray [at] imf.org
To:
Inner City Press,
CC:
".dhawley" Media [at] imf.org
Sent:
5/7/2009 10:21:36 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
Matthew,
Our discussions with the Sri Lankan authorities about an economic
program that could be supported by IMF financing are still ongoing.
That is the current status.
The
answer
does not respond to the question, and the refusal to have publicly
asked a question timely submitted raises other questions. Watch this
site, and, for example, this article from
Colombo, "Sri Lanka Will Get IMF Loan This Month."
Footnote:
Weeks
after the United Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the UN John
Sawers told the Press there was "no relation" between the
conflict in North Sri Lanka and the application to the IMF for a
$1.9 billion loan, Sawers' boss
David Miliband reportedly told the House of Commons that the
situation on the ground in Sri Lanka would have to be considered
before any positive action is taking on the loan. Inner City Press will
be seeking new comment from the UK Mission to the UN. Wednesday was not
possible, we'll see.
UK
Channel
4 in the UK with allegations of rape and
disappearance
Footnote:
We continue to wait for the
UK's formal answer to the first of the two
questions which Inner
City
Press asked the UK Mission to
the UN two questions on Sri Lanka early on April 15:
Does the UK
believe that international law and the
rights of UN humanitarian staff are being violated by the
now-acknowledged
detention of UN staff in the Sri Lankan government's “IDP” camps?
It has been reported
this morning that Sri Lanka's “minister also told the
British
Foreign Secretary that there was concern that the LTTE would
continue to
consolidate its fortification of the No-Fire Zone.” Please confirm the
accuracy
of that, and of this
and if so, does the UK interpret it as saying that
an offensive on the No-Fire Zone and the civilians in it will begin?
What did
the UK Foreign Secretary say?
As
of
this press time weeks later, the formal answer has been
referral to Minister
Miliband's April 12
statement, and this.
On April 21, Inner City Press put the question to U.S. Ambassador Susan
Rice, whose spokesman the following day cleared this response:
"UN personnel should have freedom of movement and be treated with
respect." But they are still detained as of this writing. As more
answers arrive or are released we will report them on this site.
Click here
for an Inner City Press YouTube channel video, mostly UN Headquarters
footage, about civilian
deaths
in Sri Lanka.
Click here for Inner City
Press' March 27 UN debate
Click here for Inner City
Press March 12 UN (and AIG
bailout) debate
Click here for Inner City
Press' Feb 26 UN debate
Click
here
for Feb.
12 debate on Sri Lanka http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/17772?in=11:33&out=32:56
Click here for Inner City Press' Jan.
16, 2009 debate about Gaza
Click here for Inner City Press'
review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate
Click here for Inner
City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger
Click here from Inner City Press'
December 12 debate on UN double standards
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
These
reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
Feedback: Editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
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