Nikki
Haley Supports FOIA &
Peacekeeping Clean-Up, Jokes
“I Thought We Don't Call on
Matthew"
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
April 3 – When Nikki Haley
held a press
conference upon assuming
the UN Security Council presidency
for April, she began by saying
that bluntness should be
assumed to be in her national
capacity. When Inner City
Press was called on third in
the press conference,
Ambassador Haley quipped, "I
thought we don't call on
Matthew... just kidding!"
Inner City Press asked about
UN peacekeepers' abuse and a
Freedom of Information Act for
the UN. YouTube video here
Inner City Press transcript
here:
Inner City Press:
You said that maybe the UN
shouldn’t pay peacekeepers if
they abuse the people they’re
supposed to protect. Would
this mean indiv peacekeepers
who’ve been found busy? Or, if
a contingent has an unusually
large mount of people
charged... Do you think the UN
secretariat should have a
FOIA?
Amb Nikki Haley: In my
national capacity, I’ll tell
you that I have met with the
Secretary General on multiple
occasions to talk about the
contributing countries and how
we hold them accountable. I
think that their intent is
always to do the best they
can. But what we have to
do is make sure we have firm
reporting on exactly what’s
happening. And I think it’s to
both of your points.
Individually, we need to
know what kind of cases are
there and how they were held
accountable by the
contributing country. And also
as a percentage with the group
if we see this start to be a
problem. And I’ve actually
gone a step further and asked
the Secretary General if we
could sit down and talk to
those CCs. I think one, it’s
imp fro them to know what’s
expected of them. Two, I think
we should know that we are
going to start a reporting
process that we want to engage
them on. And three, at what
point do we go and
remove a cc because we don’t
think they’re being beneficial
to the process.
I hope those actions come
together. I think it’s hugely
important in what we’re trying
to do. From a peacekeeping
reform standpoint, you’re
going to see this open debate
of the SC, but it’s just the
beginning. I hope this is the
beginning of many things that
we’re going to start talking
about when it comes to
peacekeeping reform. It’s such
a large poart of the budget,
to not focus on doing that
right, it’s going to be very
important.
In terms of FOIA requests, I’m
as open on FOIA requests as
anyone. I think that being
transparent and allowing info
to go out is an important part
of democratic process and an
important part of reporting.
My goal has always been not to
stand in the way of that.
Later in the press conference,
a reporter from India began
his question by saying Haley
might just "Make the UN Great
Again." As some scoffed and
snickered, he continued to ask
about terrorism designations.
To CNN, Haley said when she
first went to Trump Tower, it
was a discuss the Secretary of
State position. Long time
correspondent Richard Roth
also asked if Haley wants to
be US president in eight
years. We'll have more on
this.
Recently in the UN basement as
Inner City Press came in late
through a long line of
tourists and students at the
metal detectors Inner City
Press must now use everyday
since the UN evicted
it for covering corruption,
a meeting in a windowless side
conference room was ending.
Outside in the hall it was
labeled, Congressional Group.
But inside
on a TV screen it said,
“UN Foundation: Congressional
Learning Trip.” UN Foundation
was set up, with Ted Turner's
money, to help and now defend
the UN. The UN's point person
on sexual abuse, long a topic
of interest for such
Republicans as Senator Bob
Corker (R-Tennessee), is Jane
Holl Lute, who before that was
a high official of the UN
Foundation and of the Obama
Administration. She was
notably absent this week when
a “new” sexual abuse strategy,
immediately critiqued
by Code Blue and others, was
announced. We'll have more on
that.
Down
in Washington, Democratic
sources on the Hill tell Inner
City Press of a visit by the
Obama administration's
appointee to the UN, Jeffrey
Feltman. Strangely, perhaps,
they list the topic not as
involving only Feltman's
specific UN job, the
Department of Political
Affairs he has been held over
to head until April Fools Day
in 2018, but “budget cuts to
peacekeeping.” The head of
that Department, held by
France for more than 20 years,
should be the one lobbying.
But Herve Ladsous is
unappealing in the best of
times; now he is a lame duck
leaving on March 31, to be
replaced by his fellow
Frenchman Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
Will Lacroix be able to stave
off cuts? Will he continue to
use public funds, more than a
quarter of it from US
taxpayers, to pay peacekeepers
accused of rape such as in the
contingents from Burundi
and Cameroon?
Inner City Press exclusively
reported and followed
up on the extension of
Jeffrey Feltman's UN contract
with regard to his UN (largely
US taxpayer) pension vesting
after the five years which
Feltman recently pointed out
has not yet been reached, but
not until now how those close
to Feltman say it was
accomplished. They exclusively
tell Inner City Press that
among the lobbyists to keep
Feltman on was none other than
Bill Clinton, whom they say
said it on behalf of his
spouse, behind whom Feltman
was famously photographed
while she worked her
Blackberry.
Speaking of photographs, Inner
City Press on March 10, still
under censorship restrictions
imposed without
any hearing or appeal after it
sought to cover the fallout
from the UN bribery indictment
of Macau-based businessman and
former Clinton funder
Ng Lap Seng, was Banned
from a simple photo
opportunity on the UN's 38th
floor. The Ban's by the
Department of Public
Information under ostensibly
outgoing Cristina Gallach, who
did no
due diligence on Ng Lap
Seng. When asked the basis,
the UN's holdover Deputy
Spokesman Farhan Haq gave no
reason or definition being
used; he barely looked up from
his computer, from which he
never did answer Inner City
Press' questions
on Cameroon abuses and the
UN's Cameroon Resident
Coordinator Najat Rochdi blocking
it on Twitter, nor how much
"extra-budgetary" funds the UN
proposes to use on Louise
Arbour's D1 head of office.
The
moves are stealth, like much
in the UN these days - and
have the potential of
backfiring. Watch this site.
***
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