By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 2 --
With Argentina
taking on the
UN Security
Council's
Presidency on
October 2, the
closed-door
consultations
on the program
of work went
longer than
usual. Inner
City Press
learned from
sources in the
meeting that
the hang-up
was Ebola,
specifically
whether the
issue and new
UNMEER mission
are on the
agenda of the
Council for a
briefing.
When
Argentine
Permanent
Representative
Maria Cristina
Perceval came
to take
questions
on the month's
Council
schedule, Inner
City Press
first asked
her on behalf
of the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
to hold many
Q&A
stakeouts,
then asked
about Syria as
well as the
Ebola debate.
Video
here and
embedded
below.
On
Syria, Inner
City Press
asked if she
anticipates
there being a
vote in the
Security
Council about
the airstrikes
in Syria by
the US and (so
far) five Arab
countries. She
replied that
the program of
work has Syria
meetings on
chemical
weapons and on
humanitarian
access but the
airstrikes are
not included.
Not yet?
On
Ebola,
Perceval
confirmed that
the debate
behind closed
doors had been
about the
issue; she
recounted that
since there
are already UN
Peacekeeping
(and
political)
missions in
the Ebola hot
zone, the
Council has
some
jurisdiction.
She said to
give her time
to find a
solution.
Guess: Arria
formula
meeting?
Argentina,
given
its stand-off
with hedge /
“vulture”
funds, has
been raising
the issue of
sovereign debt
in every UN
forum
possible. Why
not in the
Security
Council?
Especially if
the Ebola
mission gets
in there?
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
Before
replying to
Inner City
Press,
Perceval said
as an aside
that “our
friend is at
the Security
Council before
many of us,
and afterward
too” and
therefore has
precise
questions. The
reality is
that covering
the Security
Council has
been made more
difficult,
with no
fightback
and sometimes
collusion
by the old
UN
Correspondents
Association.
More on
HuffPost Live,
here.
Those are some
of the reasons
Inner City
Press quit and
opposes UNCA,
calling it the
UN's
Censorship
Alliance,
and co-founded
the Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
which pushes
for
transparency
including a
Freedom of
Information
Act covering
the UN,
and protection
of the right
to
investigative
journalism.
FUNCA is
looking
forward to
Argentina's
month atop the
Council.
, 
