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UN's Brahimi Shifts Focus from Algiers Bombing Specifics, Report May Stay Secret, Dervis Dodge Detailed

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

UNITED NATIONS, February 28 -- "The UN doesn't have to be in every single place," Lakhdar Brahimi told Inner City Press on Thursday, responding to a question about the lack of safety in the UN's premises in Morocco and Yemen. Following a protest by the Algerian government to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's call for an investigation into the December 11 bombing of the UN in Algiers, Ban named former Algerian foreign minister Brahimi to head a panel, which now has "worldwide" focus.

    "I am not Sherlock Holmes," Brahimi told reporters on Thursday. He said the terms of reference for the panel's work are those in Ban's February 5 press release. When Inner City Press asked if the panel's report will be made public, he said it would go to Mr. Ban, and that "there are few reports of the UN that remain secret." But it should not require a leak get this report on what went wrong in Algiers. Inner City Press asked another of the panel's members, Margareta Wahlstrom, about Brahimi's failure to committee to release the report. "I know what his choice would be," Ms. Wahlstrom said, "but he has to give it to the S-G."

            When the UN Development Program's Administrator Kemal Dervis was asked by Inner City Press about what many describe that UNDP's Mark de Bernis' failure to get action on security threats that mounts throughout 2007, Dervis defended UNDP by saying that it asked Algeria for help in blocking off the street, but that there was no response. Thursday Inner City Press asked Brahimi about this. Video here, from Minute 12:45.  "I have heard that," he said. "We will look into that... whether Algerians were over-confident, or UNDP."

            In fact, the shift of the focus for the panel, from the specifics of what went wrong in Algeria to a more vague, worldwide study of why the UN is a target, is reminiscent in reverse of another Ban switch, about UNDP in North Korea. In January 2007, when reports emerged of UNDP irregularities with the Kim Jong Il government, Ban called for a worldwide audit of all UN funds and programs. After he was told this might dredge up more than he'd bargained for, he limited the scope to North Korea, and only UNDP.

            In this case, where the requisite focus on Algeria might embarrass both UNDP and the government, the focus shifts wider, the lens is covered with grease. And where in all this are the families of the victims?

Lakhdar Brahimi on Feb. 28: "I am no Sherlock Holmes"

            An hour after Lakhdar Brahimi walked gingerly away from the briefing room, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesperson a series of related questions:

Inner City Press: Given that the Ahtisaari report about the canal bombing and the hotel bombing in Iraq was made public, is it the Secretary-General’s intention that this report by the Brahimi Panel will be made public?

Spokesperson:  We'll wait until the report is submitted to the Secretary-General before I can give you an answer.

Inner City Press: And also, about the terms of reference.  He was asked about the terms of reference and he said it's really in the press release, essentially.  Is there a separate document saying what they’re supposed to be, beyond just press release put out on 5 February?  Are there terms of reference for the Panel?

Spokesperson:  I'm sure there are.

Inner City Press: Can those be made public?

Spokesperson:  No, what can be made public is what you got today.

Inner City Press: What is the Secretary-General's response to the Staff Union letter raising concerns about the process and their involvement in it?

Spokesperson:  I don't have an answer at this point.

Inner City Press: And what’s going to be the employment?  The people on the Panel, are they temporary ASGs?  Are they [when]-actually-employed?  Ms. Wahlstrom, for example, who was with OCHA and now this.  Did she remain employed by the UN throughout the time?

Spokesperson:  I'll check for you the status of all the different members of the Panel.

[The correspondent was later informed that Panel members have a special service agreement type of contract and will be paid based on the number of actual days worked on behalf of the Panel.]

            This last merits further inquiry. Inner City Press has been told, for example, that those serving on the panel slowly investigating portions of the UN Development Program scandal in North  Korea are being paid $23,000 a month. Watch this site.

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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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