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As UN Dodged on Dealings with N Korea by UN & WIPO and UN, ICP Asked Nikki Haley, Opening Statement Here

By Matthew Russell Lee, follow up

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 – While the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization helps North Korea with a patent application for social cyanide (FOX here), Inner City Press on May 16 began to ask US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley about it (video here, more to follow). At noon, Inner City Press had asked the UN about that and its reporting that the UN Federal Credit Union, regulated by the US National Credit Union Administration, openly solicits the business of both North Korean employees of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's mission to the UN and the members of the UN Association of the USA (UNA-USA), amid questions of immunity and a previous UNFCU settlement for sanctions violations.  UN briefing video here, from Min 10:20.

  While a statement from Ambassador Haley about WIPO, and one hopes UNFCU, may be forthcoming, here is a fast InnerCityPro.com transcript of Ambassador Haley's opening statement, below here this afternoon's video:

Ambassador Haley's opening statement: We wanted to hold a press conference becausec the US, Japan and South Korea are extremely concerned about what’s coming out of NK these days. The three of us asked for a Security Council meeting. If you look at the process we’ve been talking about test after test from NK but now we’re seeing the longest ballistic test so far, and we’re hearing rhetoric about any time, any place. We’re not going to continue to say go ahead and test. This is more than a problem. This is a threat to every country in the world. You have a paranoid leader. He thinks we’re trying f or regime change, that there’s people trying to assassinate him. But he has to stop his testing. He has to stop any nuclear program he has. We are ready to atalk but not until we see a total stop of the nuclear process and any test there.

Russia should be extremely concerned. We have often been concerned about SK and Japan. We will continue our military exercizes with SK. We’re going to continue to have the backs of Japan. But we’re trying to also have the backs of the region. You either support NK or you support us. You are either with NK or not. When we’re talking about sancitions, are these countries putting sanctions into effect? Are they following through on the sanctions they’re supposed to? And the US is not past looking at third countries helping NK and putting sanctions on them. We all have to send a sign to NK and that is, no more. These threats are not welcome. You’ve got the entire international community agaoinst NK. We’re going to tighten the screws and send a very strong, unified message to NK that the international community wants to support you but as long as you test and as long as you continue your testing and nuclear activities, you are on an island.

We have worked well with China but where they have strengthened sanctions, other countries have tried to fill that void. We will call them out."

 And what about the UN? Watch this site.

  UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric dodged on whether Secretary General Antonio Guterres would this time talk to WIPO chief Francis Gurry, as he did not as Gurry deployed criminal defamation law against the press; he also wouldn't answer on UNFCU. UN transcript: Inner City Press:  I want to ask you something.  I have a couple questions about North Korea.  One is, I'm sure you've seen the Fox story about WIPO [World Intellectual Property Organization] doing a patent application for North Korea for the production of sodium cyanide, which is banned to be trans… to be brought into the country.  And I know before you'd said… it wasn't clear to me if the Secretary-General had communicated with WIPO about their use of criminal defamation against journalists.  But, is this something that concerns him?  And I also… I also want to ask you about the UN Federal Credit Union (UNFCU) openly soliciting deposits from… from the Mission of North Korea, as well as the employees of the Mission despite having previously settled sanctions charges for just… for such activity on another sanctioned country.  Do you think that this is consistent with this whole idea of tightening up…?

Spokesman:  I don't speak for the Credit Union.  They're an independent body.  I would agree… I would urge you to question them.  On the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] and the Fox News report, obviously, I think what's contained in the report is disturbing and demands looking into.  The Panel of Experts… the Security Council Panel of Experts, as you know, is an independent team reporting to the Council.  And they have the prerogative to look into all alleged violations of DPRK sanctions and report to the Council accordingly.   I think, as noted in the article, the Panel's coordinator said the Panel will look into the issue.  And I think we'll need… the Panel will do its work and report back.  And if… we will obviously look more directly into the issue, as well from our end.

Inner City Press:  Given that there have been previous allegation… previous allegations and reported retaliation at WIPO concerning North… activities with North Korea, do you think it's something… do you or the Secretary-General think it's something that the CEB [Chief Executives Board] or some kind of system-wide… does it need to be reiterated to the UN agencies that these sanctions are reported?

Spokesman:  I think the need… the absolute need to respect the sanctions regime, both whether it's from Member States or within the UN, I think, is clear and should be clear to everyone.

 UNFCU's website lists under “Missions to the UN in New York eligible to join UNFCU” that of “North Korea (DPRK).” Now, after the latest North Korean launch, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on May 14 told ABC's This Week that the screws will be tightened on North Korea, to isolate them. So, at the UN, what about the (US regulated) UN Federal Credit Union?

Inner City Press asked UNFCU's Senior Manager of Media Relations Elisabeth Philippe questions including “why some UN member states' missions to the UN are eligible to join UNFCU, including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and others are not, why members of UNA-USA became eligible to join UNFCU, what regulatory filings in any UNFCU made for this change in field of membership, and any restrictions on the use of these UNA-USA members' funds, and what services UNFCU offers to UN agencies and country teams, in which countries, and if there are any restrictions or safeguards.”

  On deeming the North Korean mission and all of its employees eligible, UNFCU's Ms. Philippe told Inner City Press, “The employees of any mission to the United Nations based in New York are eligible to apply for UNFCU membership. The employees of all missions are eligible to join once their mission has submitted an application and been approved.” The website says the mission itself can join UNFCU. On May 10, Inner City Press asked the chairman of the UN Security Council's North Korea Sanctions Committee Sebastiano Cardi about North Korea's embassy in Berlin renting out space as a hostel, video here. What safeguards does UNFCU, with UNA-USA's members in its field of membership, have?


  On UNFCU expanding its field of membership to including anyone who joins UNA-USA, Ms. Philippe told Inner City Press, “UNA-USA is the largest UN advocacy organization in the United States. UNFCU is a financial organization providing retail banking for the UN community. Members of UNA-USA, who are US citizens or permanent residents of the US, are eligible to become members of UNFCU. In December 2013, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), the US regulatory body which oversees US federal credit unions, approved the expansion of UNFCU membership to include UNA-USA based on a shared mission and values in support of the United Nations. UNA-USA members who become members of UNFCU are eligible for the full suite of products and services available to UNFCU’s field of membership.”

  But what is in the “full suit of products and services” available from UNFCU? The US Office of Financial Asset Control or OFAC settled charges against UNFCU for, in connection with Mission employees, violating sanctions, see here. And Inner City Press' third question, about precisely what services “UNFCU offers to UN agencies and country teams” - including for example in North Korea - remained at publication time unanswered. Now this: "As a member-owned financial institution that serves the UN community globally, UNFCU provides bank account services to UN/agency staff, and consultants subject to payroll requirements of the various UN agencies and subject to the rules and regulations governing all US Financial Institutions. Accounts are maintained in US dollars and are protected by federal share insurance through the National Credit Union Administration. UNFCU complies with US regulations, including those governing US economic sanctions." But why then did UNFCU settle charges of sanctions violations? We'll have more on this. Inner City Press previously exclusively reported for example that "Sudanese nationals working for the UN have had part of their salaries paid into UN Federal Credit Union accounts, in U.S. dollars. Then they were told that these dollar accounts were frozen, and could only be transferred to the Bank of Khartoum." Watch this site.

***

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