UNITED
NATIONS, May 1
-- Is it
finally time
to pull the
plug on Prodi?
That
was a question
that came up
several times
Wednesday
after the UN
Security
Council set
its program of
work for May.
The
vaunted
Strategy for
the Sahel,
which Prodi
back in
October was
given
a full time
Under
Secretary
General's post
to complete,
is still not
finished. A
Sahel session
slated for May
7 will now,
Inner City
Press
was told, in
all
probability
not take
place.
In
the interim,
as Inner City
Press covered,
critiqued and
questioned
about, Prodi
was in the
race, and
ultimately
failing at
that too, to
be Italy's
president.
This
obvious
conflict of
interest was
haltingly
excused by
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
Secretariat.
At first they
told Inner
City
Press they
were not aware
of it --
how not?.
Then
they
said it was
moot, because
Prodi failed.
Some
endorsement.
Finally
they
sent Inner
City Press
this:
Subject:
Your
question on
Romano Prodi
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Thu, Apr
25, 2013 at
9:51 AM
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Mr
Prodi is the
Special Envoy
of the
Secretary-General
for the Sahel.
Mr. Prodi did
not campaign
for the office
of the Italian
Presidency
while working
as the Special
Envoy of the
Secretary-General.
In
the Italian
political
system, the
President is
elected by the
Parliament.
This is not a
direct
election, nor
is it a
position that
is campaigned
for. Mr. Prodi
was nominated
for one round
of voting
while he was
in Mali
attending an
international
meeting on the
crisis
in that
country. He
withdrew his
name for
consideration
immediately
after one
round of
voting.
But
being in that
round of
voting was,
more than one
Security
Council has
told Inner
City Press, an
outrage;
it's time to
pull the plug
on Prodi. What
is the UN
coming to,
that it
has no rules,
or rules only
for some?
It
is an obvious
conflict of
interest to
run for public
office while
still serving
as a UN
official. This
precedent
would allow
any Under
Secretary
General -- why
not Secretary
General? -- to
do it.
And
where is the
Sahel Strategy
that Prodi has
been paid --
how much? --
to compile?
Watch this
site.
, 
