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UN's Gambari Is Not Sure to Meet
Than Shwe, Myanmar Refugees Are Sold Out as Courtesy by UNHCR
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, January 30 -- The
UN on January 30 confirmed that envoy Ibrahim Gambari is traveling to
Myanmar
from January 31 through February 4. What they would not say, however,
is who
Gambari will meet with. Inner City Press asked if, unlike Gambari's
last trip,
he has an appointment with regime strongman Than Shwe. UN Deputy
Spokesperson
Marie Okabe said only, senior government officials. But how senior?
Earlier in the month, Inner City Press asked for the
UN's response to
the National League for Democracy, that they will not discuss the
planned 2010
election without discussion the 2008 constitution, adopted during the
chaos
after Cyclone Nargis. The UN does not want to answer that question
publicly.
Perhaps it will be like Gambari's last trip, with embarrassing
questions piling
up while the UN remain silent.
UN's Ban and Myanmar's Than Shwe, Gambari's new visit not shown
This is a pattern with the UN. Agence France Presse
of January 30
reports that the UN's refugee agency UNHCR
refused to comment on the condition
of teenage refugees from Myanmar held in Thailand, out of "courtesy"
to Thailand's government. Inner City Press asked Ms. Okabe to
confirm or deny
the AFP account. Ms. Okabe said, you have yesterdays' hand-out. Yes,
but is the
AFP not true? Does UNHCR decline to tell the truth out of courtesy to
governments? It wouldn't be the first time.
Click here for Inner City Press' Jan.
16, 2009 debate about Gaza
Click here for Inner City Press'
review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate
Click here for Inner
City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger
Click here from Inner City Press'
December 12 debate on UN double standards
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
Click here for Inner City
Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
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reports are
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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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