Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

UN Spokesperson Calls Ban - Bin Laden Meeting "Hypothetical," Terrorism Left Undefined

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, March 21 -- In the week of Osama Bin Laden's first message of 2008, Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Michele Montas was asked if Osama Bin Laden "comes to visit the Secretary-General, would he meet him?" Rather than no, Ms. Montas said "this is a hypothetical question." Never say never...

  Meanwhile, the reclusive head of the UN's Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate Michael Smith briefed the Security Council this week about the mandate of his office. Afterwards, while reporters expected him to finally take questions at the Council's stakeout microphone, Smith sped down the hall with a broad hat on. Inner City Press gave chase, and asked for his view of the balance of human rights and counter-terrorism. We strike that balance already, Smith said. Inner City Press asked about a contentious exchange during the Security Council proceedings, about Luis Posada Carriles. "I have nothing to say on that," Smith retorted, speeding up to exit the building. Of course, the UN has yet to even define terrorism.

Real photo; UN meeting hypothetical

            Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed credit for bombing the UN in Algiers in December 2007. Since then, the purported investigation was delayed, and has now morphed into philosophical musing on "why they hate us," or the UN. The UN's internal report on the bombing notes that "the media branch for [al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb] issued a direct threat against the U.N" but says that "care has been taken not to apportion blame or responsibility." Maybe that's why the possibility of a Ban - Bin Laden meeting is left open.

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These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

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