UNITED
NATIONS, July
25 -- There is
a hunger among
some at the UN
that Ahmad
al-Jarba,
President of
the Syrian
Coalition turn
out to be
authentic,
credible,
open.
This was
reflected by
how quickly
Thursday the
ostensibly big
issue of the
Congo and
Great Lakes
was dropped to
chase around
al-Jarba and
his entourage.
(Inner City
Press video,
featuring
US Secretary
of State John
Kerry, here.)
But
when al-Jarba
was announced
as the leader
of the Syrian
Coalition,
few had heard
of him and
those who had
declared him
as the
candidate
of Saudi
Arabia, which
was
simultaneously
nosing out
Qatar in
Egypt.
After
al-Jarba et al
met with John
Kerry on
Thursday, it
was Kerry who
spoke briefing
to the media.
(Inner City
Press asked
him about the
Congolese
minister
saying all
rebellions in
the Great
Lakes bear a
similar
genetic
signature;
Kerry said he
hadn't heard
it. But video
here, from
Minute
1:06:20).
Al-Jarba
et
al strode
north on First
Avenue past
the Trump
World Tower
and
into the
German
mission, after
which leaks
and a press
release
issued.
But
when al-Jarba
deigned to
take question
from the
media, it was
not at
a UN press
conference or
one elsewhere
open and
publicized to
all UN
accredited
journalists.
Rather it was
with an
increasingly
questionable
subset, the
United Nations
Correspondents
Association,
which sent
notice only to
its dues
paying
members.
Inner
City Press has
shown that
UNCA's first
vice president
Louis
Charbonneau
leaked to the
UN's top
accreditation
official an
ostensibly
internal UNCA
document three
minutes after
saying he
would
not. Story
here, document
here, audio here.
Even after
this was
documented,
UNCA took no
action. This
is a dubious
organization.
Charbonneau
and
current UNCA
president
Pamela Falk of
CBS News made
a variety of
statements
after, as an
alternative to
UNCA
which tries
to get the
investigative
press thrown
out of the UN,
the Free
UN Coalition
for
Access was
formed.
On
the record audio
here,
and here
(Falk); here
and here
(Charbonneau).
In
full
disclosure,
Inner City
Press first
crossed swords
with UNCA when
its then
president
organized such
a pseudo UN
event for the
government
of Sri Lanka
to deny war
crimes
charges. Click
here.
To
prop UNCA up
(while threatening
to suspend or
withdraw
Inner City
Press' accreditation
unless it
takes down
even a FUNCA
sign from the
door to it
shared office),
the UN
gives UNCA an
office,
Press passes
for their
non-journalist
interns (who
take "focus
booth" space
denied to
actual working
journalists),
and a big
meeting room
for events
like the one
with al
Jarba.
From
an UNCA
source, not
from UNCA, not
posted on the
door to its UN
given, locked
meeting room,
Inner City
Press has
obtained the
notice
sent out only
to those who
paid money:
UNCA
will hold a
press briefing
with the
delegation of
the National
Coalition of
the Syrian
Revolution and
Opposition
Forces
tomorrow,
Friday, July
26th in the
UNCA Meeting
room S-310
soon after the
informal UN
Security
Council
Meeting.
The
delegation
will include:
Ahmad
al-Jarba,
President of
the Syrian
Coalition
Michel
Kilo and
Burhan
Ghalioun,
Syrian
Coalition
members and
members of the
Syrian
Coalition
Political
Committee
Dr.
Najib
Ghadbian,
Special
Representative
of the Syrian
Coalition to
the
United Nations
First, why
does UNCA call
Ghadbian the
"Special
Representative
of the Syrian
Coalition of
the UN" -- to
some, showing
their bias in
lobbying for a
switch of the
Syria seat.
Why
would the UN
give its --
the member
states' --
space to a
group that
invites only
some types of
speakers, and
does not
publicize it
to all
UN accredited
journalists?
And what does
this birds of
a feather
connection say
about al-Jarba
et al?
Why not just
do it in the
Saudi
mission? Or
have Saudi
Arabia sponsor
a real press
conference, in
the
UN briefing
room,
publicized and
comfortable to
all UN
accredited
journalists?
Why indeed.
Watch this
site.
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