ICP
Asks UNSC Prez
Rycroft of
Blue Nile, S.
Kordofan, Aid
Access
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 24 --
After the UN
Security
Council met
behind closed
doors about
Sudan and
South Sudan
and its UNISFA
mission on
November 24,
Inner City
Press asked
the Council's
President for
November
Matthew
Rycroft if
Southern
Kordofan and
Blue Nile were
discussed. As
transcribed
the UK
Mission:
Inner
City Press:
Did the issue
of the Blue
Nile and
Southern
Kordofan
regions and
their
humanitarian
situation come
up in the
consultations?
Amb. Rycroft:
We had a good
discussion
about the
whole range of
issues that
relate to
Sudan and
South Sudan,
including the
two areas. And
we did hear
very full
briefings both
from Haile
Menkerios in
Addis by video
conference and
from Herve
Ladsous in the
room. And on
the
humanitarian
issues, we
underlined the
importance of
humanitarian
access, so we
urged all of
the parties to
step up and do
more to ensure
that the
people in
these
desperately
deprived areas
[re]ceived the
humanitarian
assistance
that they so
badly need.
Ladsous
rushed
past the
stakeout
without taking
questions; he
has linked
rapes to
"R&R," video here. Rycroft also
read out these
press
elements:
"This
is to give you
a readout of
the
consultations
which the
Security
Council has
just concluded
on Sudan and
South Sudan
and UNISFA. We
agreed the
following
elements:
- First of
all, we
expressed our
support for
President
Mbeki, for the
African Union
through its
high-level
Implementation
Panel and its
Peace and
Security
Committee and
its Special
Envoy
Menkerios for
their work.
- We welcomed
the discussion
between the
parties in
Addis, but are
disappointed
that those
have concluded
without
agreement, in
particular
without
agreement on a
cessation of
hostilities.
- We urged the
parties to
avoid further
acts of
violence. We
urged them to
agree a
cessation of
hostilities,
to return to
talks in the
very near
future and to
allow the
facilitation
of
humanitarian
assistance.
- We also
urged the
parties to
agree a way
forward, for
an inclusive
and
comprehensive
national
dialogue.
- And finally,
we welcomed
the agreements
reached by the
government of
Sudan and
South Sudan on
the border
arrangement
between their
two countries
and urged them
to build on
those
agreements and
to implement
them."
On
October 29
when UN aid
official John
Ging held a
press
conference
about Sudan,
South Sudan
and Somalia,
Inner City
Press asked
him about Blue
Nile,
Somaliland and
then also
about the
flooding in
the Tindouf
camp. Video
here.
On Blue Nile
and Southern
Kordofan,
Inner City
Press asked
what the
reported
commitment by
the UN not to
give aid to
“rebels”
really means.
Ging said it
means that the
UN doesn't
hand over aid
to rebel
groups and let
them decide
who needs it.
Since Ging has
spoken of
“state
formation” in
Somalia, Inner
City Press
asked him if
this includes
Puntland and,
more to the
point,
Somaliland.
Ging replied
that the UN
maintains a
single
coordinator
“for the whole
country.” Video here.
The floods in
the Tindouf
camp seem
nearly off the
radar, so
Inner City
Press asked
Ging what the
UN is going.
He said more
is expected -
and we hope to
have more on
this.
Since
the Nepal
earthquake,
Inner City
Press has been
asking the
International
Monetary Fund
if it would
move to
relieve the
country's debt
burden. See
below.
On July 8,
Inner City
Press asked UN
humanitarian
official John
Ging about the
IMF saying
that post
earthquake
Nepal is NOT
eligible for
its
Catastrophe
Containment
and Relief
Trust, and
about
reporting that
the UN had
"substandard"
food in Nepal.
Video here.
Ging said the
IMF issues is
a real one,
but that OCHA
has no direct
input with the
IMF. If the
IMF truly is a
part of the UN
system,
shouldn't it?
On
the food
issue, Ging
said any such
food was in a
warehouse, not
to be
distributed.
Inner City
Press asked if
he believed
the government
accepts this
position (he
does) -
meanwhile a
reader chimed
in with this.
On Nepal's
debt, Inner
City Press
resubmitted
the question
for the IMF's
embargoed June
25 briefing,
and during it,
IMF
spokesperson
Gerry Rice
read out the
question and
answered it. Transcript
here; video
here from
47:50.
Inner City
Press'
question: "On
Nepal, in the
run up to the
June 25
International
Conference of
Nepal’s
Reconstruction,
and with the
World Bank
announcing
$500 million,
is the IMF
intending to
do anything
beyond the $50
million (one
year) and $124
million
(overall) in
its response
in the last
briefing?
Through the
IMF's
Catastrophe
Containment
and Relief
Trust?"
Rice said the
IMF is
represented at
the conference
in Katmandu --
contrary to
some reports,
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon is NOT
there -- and
could be the
request for
the $50 M /
$124 M to the
Board in July.
He emphasized
this would be
zero interest
under the RCF
but said Nepal
is NOT
eligible for
the CCRT, GDP
damage is not
enough.
Inner City
Press would
ask, should
that threshold
be lowered?
On Jordan,
Inner City
Press asked:
"On Jordan,
having seen
the IMF's
announcement
about the end
of July, has
there been any
movement on
the criticism
by the head of
UNHCR and
others that
the IMF and
World Bank in
treating
Jordan (and
Lebanon, etc)
as “middle
income” can't
or don't do
enough to
provide
support given
the volume of
refugees they
have
received?"
Rice said, in
essence, that
the IMF has
been flexible
and has given
fiscal space
to deal with
the refugee
issues (we'll
add the
transcript
later).
Back on June
11 Rice said
that Nepal had
made a request
to the IMF
under the
Rapid Credit
Facility, and
that the IMF
will send a
mission to the
country
coinciding
with the
donors'
conference on
June 25. He
said Nepal
could be
eligible for
$50 million
annually, for
a total of
$124 million.
We'll see.
Rice also
answer
questions
Inner City
Press
submitted on
Ghana's
Eurobond and
about Jamaica.
(He said these
questions,
“from the UN
in New York,”
remind of
other things
in the IMF
briefing room
other than
Greece and
Ukraine).
On Ghana, Rice
said that the
Eurobond was
“envisioned”
in the
recently
agreed
program. But
what is the
status of any
talks about
it? Inner City
Press asked,
“Ghana's
Minister of
Finance, Seth
Terkper, says
the government
intends to
issue a $1
billion
10-year
Eurobond in
2015. What are
the status of
talks with the
IMF in this
regard?”
On Jamaica,
Inner City
Press asked,
“On Jamaica,
please comment
on criticism
that the
percentage of
people in
under the
poverty line
has grown
alongside the
IMF's program
and that 'last
year, Jamaica
paid the IMF
over $136
million more
than it
received.'”
Rice
acknowledged
that in
2014-15 there
was a negative
flow out of
the country to
the IMF, of
$163 million.
But he said
with the new
program that
has reversed,
to in-flow
into Jamaica
of $127
million in
2015-16,
projected to
rise to $176
million in
2017-18. Rice
acknowledge
the rise in
the poverty
rate from 9.9%
in 2007 to 20%
in 2012, but
said this had
to do with the
global
financial
crisis and is
the reason for
the IMF's
program. We'll
see.
Inner City
Press had also
asked for
updates if any
on Yemen and
Burundi --
apparently
there are no
updates -- and
one on a quote
from Romania's
National Bank
Governor Mugur
Isarescu
saying the
IMF's
“communication
has sometimes
been
problematic.”
Still, three
answers are
appreciated.
On Greece, for
the record,
Rice said
there are
major
difference
between us,
with little to
no progress
made in
narrowin them.
On Ukraine, he
said the IMF
can lend to a
country that
has arrears to
private
creditors
provided other
conditions are
met. Ukraine
certainly has
Western
political
support.
, 
