As
JPM
Chase
Cuts Off UN Missions, US Says Bailed Out Banks
Are Free
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January
13, updated -- When JPMorgan Chase wrote to countries'
Missions to the UN and told them accounts would be closed in March
2011, several countries complained, to the UN and to the “host
country,” the United States.
Thursday
US
Under
Secretary of State Patrick Kennedy came to the UN in New York to
speak to countries' Ambassadors about Chase's move. Afterwards, Inner
City Press asked Kennedy if he -- or Hillary Clinton or Treasury
Secretary Timothy Geithner, both of whom Kennedy said were involved
-- had spoke with JPMorgan Chase.
"We
have had discussions with the major banks," Kennedy answered, later
confirming that yes, this
included Chase. But what was the response of Chase, whose CEO Jaime
Dimon is often rumored to be a line for an appointment by the Obama
administration?
Kennedy
told
the
press that “we cannot tell a bank what to do.” Inner City Press
immediately asked, What about the banks which took bailouts and still
owe TARP money to the US and its taxpayers? "Could the government use
its leverage?"
Kennedy said
he was not
“technically competent to get into that level of detail," and told
Inner
City Press to ask the Treasury Department official who had also come
to the UN. Video on Inner City Press YouTube channel here.
While
the
US
Mission later said this Treasury Deparment official was Mark Poncy of
the Office of Strategic Policy, Poncy never came to speak to the
Press.
Inner
City
Press
asked Kennedy if he thought the UN should go forward and re-rent
space inside the UN under its Capital Master Plan to JPMorgan Chase,
when this bank was turning its back on Missions of the countries
which make up the UN.
“Ask the UN,”
said Kennedy, who has responsibility at the State Department for
Management, including at the UN. At the US Mission to the UN in New
York, the Management position has remained with only an interim
person, the genial but part time Professor Joseph Melrose.
At
the UN's noon
briefing, Inner City Press did ask Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin
Nesirky if the UN would give space to JPMorgan Chase in the
Secretariat building when it re-opens.
“Ask Chase,”
Nesirky said. But Chase is already in talks with the UN as to which
space to get in the repaired building -- not, apparently, the fourth
floor space it previously had, but some other location.
Nesirky
now
said
that he would not comment on negotiations. But is Chase's closing of
UN Mission's accounts, Inner City Press asked, even part of the
negotiations? Nesirky seemed to say he would look into this.
JPMorgan
Chase
is
not only interested in re-entering the Secretariat building when it
re-opens: Chase also has a branch on the first floor of the DC-1
building which houses the UN Development Program. Many countries'
Missions to the UN opened accounts at Chase because they were thus
inside the UN. Will the UN allow this to continue?
At UN, Patrick Kennedy, spokesman Mark
Kornblau & Joseph Melrose: where's Chase?
After
the
meeting
with Kennedy, Inner City Press asked Iran's Permanent Representative
as he came out if he thought Chase should continue to remain in UN
buildings. No, the Ambassador said, UN space should go to banks
which will deal with UN Missions.
He spoke of
the UN Federal Credit
Union -- currently embroiled in a dispute about the account of the UN
Staff Union -- and was asked if the UN should withdraw its own funds
from a bank which in effect redlines Missions, like Chase.
Egypt's
Permanent
Representative
told the Press about “transfer fees” while
Turkey's Deputy Permanent Representative shrugged that “there are
Turkish banks in New York.”
Russian
Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin, asked in front of the Security
Council about JPMorgan Chase's move, laughed and said "the ruble is a
very strong currency," when you have the ruble you don't need anything
else. But the others? Watch this site.
Update
of
January 14, 2011: the following arrived:
From:
UN
Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Jan 14, 2011
at 8:05 AM
Subject: Your questions on Chase Bank
To: Inner City
Press
We
can
say the following in reply to your questions at the noon
briefing:
Some
ambassadors
emerging from the US briefing about their accounts being
shuttered think the UN should withdraw all its accounts with Chase.
Has this been broached with the administration? Being weighed at all?
We
understand
that this was raised by one Member State delegate in the
briefing with Ambassador Kennedy. The UN Secretariat has not been
approached in this matter.
Will
Chase
open an office in the UN building after the CMP?
Under
the
CMP, the new UN building design includes space provision for
banks. No agreements have been entered into with any banks for this
space.
* * *
UN
in
Sudan
Didn't Ask Security Council As Flew War Criminal Haroun to
Abyei
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January
12 -- After Inner City Press got the UN to
confirm
on January 11 that its UN Mission in Sudan provided transportation
and logistics help to indicted war criminal Ahmed Haroun to
organizing nomadic tribes accused of murders in Abyei as in Darfur,
reports went out and criticism of the UN rolled in.
Inner
City
Press
asked several UN Security Council ambassadors laste on January 11
about UNMIS' assistance to Haroun and they expressed surprised, that
the Council had not been told anything.
On
January 12,
Inner City Press again asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky about the
UN's transport of International Criminal Court indictees or indictee:
had UNMIS checked with the UN's Office of Legal Affairs, headed by
Patricia O'Brien, who rarely speaks to the press?
Why did UNMIS
think
it should not check with the Security Council, which sets the
Mission's mandate?
Nesirky
did
not
say whom UNMIS had checked with.
Inner
City
Press
asked Nesirky, “since what he’s alleged to have done in Darfur is
to actually work with such nomadic tribes — at least it’s alleged
in the ICC – to bring about war crimes against more sedentary
populations, you don’t see any contradiction then in calling him an
organizer, as sort of a uniter of such tribes?”
Nesirky
protested,
“I
haven’t used that word, Matthew. This is the Governor of
Southern Kordofan, and this was critical to help to bring the
Misseriya leaders to the meeting with the Nur Dinka people — to try
to ensure that the further clashes could be avoided.” We'll see.
From
the
UN's
January
11,
2011 transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
I just wanted to... ask you to confirm it from here,
that UNMIS flew Ahmed Haroun, the ICC [International Criminal Court]
indictee who was the governor of south Kordofan, flew him in a UN
helicopter to Abyei and facilitated his travel. I wanted to know, if
that’s true, what’s the UN’s policy on the transporting and
facilitating the travel of an indicted war criminal?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky:
...On the question of Governor Haroun, the Mission
is mandated to provide good offices to the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement parties in their efforts to resolve their differences
through dialogue and negotiations, and I can tell you that the UN
Mission in Sudan has been working with the parties, including local
authorities, to contain any potential violence that may escalate. As
you know, there have been clashes in Abyei, and these clashes were
actually threatening to escalate into a wider war. And so Governor
Haroun was critical to bringing the Misseriya leaders in southern
Kordofan to a peace meeting in Abyei to stop further clashes and
killings. And, in accordance with its mandate, the Mission will
continue to provide the necessary support to those key players in
their pursuits to find a peaceful solution.
Inner
City
Press:
So, they did transport him? I mean, I just want to make
sure I’m not reading between the lines.
Spokesperson:
Correct.
[Video
here,
from
Minute 13:48.]
UN Security Council in Sudan w/ Gambari, 10/10
(c)MRLee
Inner
City
Press:
I guess I just wanted to know, have they transported Ali
Kushayb, the other indictee, and did they check with OLA [Office of
Legal Affairs]? I mean, I understand the rationale of transporting
someone if necessary. But it makes you wonder, like, Joseph Kony, I
mean, where’s the line drawn, and was this checked with
Headquarters before it was done?
Spokesperson:
What
I can tell you is what I’ve already told you. It’s in
accordance with the mandate to provide support to key players. Clearly,
as I also said, Governor Haroun was critical to bring the
Misseriya leaders in southern Kordofan to this meeting that had been
arranged in Abyei.
Inner
City
Press:
Doesn’t the Government of Sudan have its own Air Force? I mean,
they fly patrols, and bomb in South Sudan, why weren’t
they able to transport their own leaders?
Spokesperson:
This
is something that was being brought together with the help of
the Mission. In other words, this was a mediation effort — and
this was a part of that mediation effort.
From
the
UN's
January
12,
2011 transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
I wanted to ask about Sudan. After your statement
yesterday about UNMIS [United Nations Mission in Sudan] transporting
Ahmed Haroun, some human rights groups have been pretty critical of
it. And I’ve spoken to a couple of Security Council ambassadors,
who said they weren’t aware that UNMIS was transporting these ICC
[International Criminal Court] indictees…
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Indictee.
Inner
City
Press:
Okay, indictee. So, two questions. One, did UNMIS –
who did UNMIS check with before engaging in this? I understand
there’s a 2006 OLA [Office for Legal Affairs] guidance. But was
this the kind of thing that they would try to check with the Security
Council or OLA? And also, is there anything more that you want to
say, given – the Save Darfur Coalition and others have said that
this was irresponsible and sends all the wrong messages to the people
of Darfur when an indicted war criminal is transported by the UN
elsewhere in the country.
Spokesperson:
I
think I was fairly explicit yesterday on the reasons why this was
done. And as you pointed out, there is a standing instruction that
dates from 2006 that spells out the way that one should interact —
and namely that it should be done when it is necessary. And clearly,
in this instance, the Mission felt, given what was happening in
Abyei, and given that there was a risk that this could escalate into
wider conflict, it was deemed necessity — necessary, critical, for
Governor Haroun to be able to bring the Misseriya leaders in Southern
Kordofan to this meeting in Abyei. And this is in line with its
mandate, which is to provide good offices for the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement, and is, as I say, meeting the criterion of necessity. This
was a necessity to ensure that the two sides that were fighting
could be brought together to stop that, to prevent further clashes.
Inner
City
Press:
Just because, since what he’s alleged to have done in
Darfur is to actually work with such nomadic tribes — at least it’s
alleged in the ICC – to bring about war crimes against more
sedentary populations, you don’t see any contradiction then in
calling him an organizer, as sort of a uniter of such tribes?
Spokesperson:
I
haven’t used that word, Matthew. This is the Governor of
Southern Kordofan, and this was critical to help to bring the
Misseriya leaders to the meeting with the Nur Dinka people — to try
to ensure that the further clashes could be avoided.
We'll see.
, 
