UN
Delays Release of
N Korea Statement As
UN
Credit Union Solicits N Korean &
UNA-USA Funds
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive follow
up
UNITED NATIONS,
May 15 – Long after the UN
Security Council had approved
a Press Statement condemning
North Korea's last two
launches, on May 15 the UN
Spokesperson's Office had not
sent it out, and when asked
didn't know about it. After
Inner City Press and others
including the Free UN
Coalition for Access
complained, the UN Spokesman
belated sent it out, here:
"The members of the Security
Council strongly condemned the
most recent ballistic missile
launches conducted by the
Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea on 28 April and 13
May of 2017. The members of
the Security Council expressed
their utmost concern over the
Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea’s highly
destabilising behavior and
flagrant and provocative
defiance of the Security
Council by conducting these
ballistic missile launches in
violation of its international
obligations under United
Nations Security Council
resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874
(2009), 2087 (2013), 2094
(2013), 2270 (2016), and 2321
(2016).
The members of the Security
Council vowed to fully
implement all measures imposed
on the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea by the
Security Council and strongly
urge all other member states
to do so in an expeditious and
serious manner, particularly
the comprehensive measures
contained in resolutions 2321
(2016) and 2270 (2016), in
response to the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea’s
acts of defying the will of
the Security Council to
denuclearize the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea
emphasized on April 28 at the
Ministerial Security Council
meeting.
The members of the Security
Council agreed that the
Security Council would
continue to closely monitor
the situation and take further
significant measures including
sanctions, in line with the
Council’s previously expressed
determination.
The members of the Security
Council stressed that the
Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea’s illegal ballistic
missile activities are
contributing to its
development of nuclear weapons
delivery systems and are
greatly increasing tension in
the region and beyond. The
members of the Security
Council further regretted that
the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea is diverting
resources to the pursuit of
ballistic missiles and nuclear
weapons while Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea
citizens have great unmet
needs.
The members of the Security
Council emphasised the vital
importance of the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea
immediately showing sincere
commitment to denuclearization
through concrete action and
stressed the importance of
working to reduce tensions in
the Korean Peninsula and
beyond. To that end, the
Security Council demanded the
Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea conduct no further
nuclear and ballistic missile
tests. The members of the
Security Council reiterated
the importance of maintaining
peace and stability on the
Korean Peninsula and in
North-East Asia at large,
expressed their commitment to
a peaceful, diplomatic and
political solution to the
situation, and welcomed
efforts by Council members, as
well as other States, to
facilitate a peaceful and
comprehensive solution through
dialogue."
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.
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.
Then on May 15, UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres said
he "condemns the launch of
another ballistic missile by
the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (DPRK). This
action is in violation of
Security Council resolutions
and a threat to peace and
security in the region. The
Secretary-General calls on the
DPRK to ensure full compliance
with its international
obligations and return to the
path of denuclearization."
Meanwhile UNFCU continues soliciting
funds of North Korea, and of
UN Foundation's UNA-USA
members (Guterres met with UNF's
board just before he went on
the road for more than a
week.) Inner City Press' story
has been picked up, with
credit, here.
Watch this site.
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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