As
USUN
Regrets Iran
Selection,
Kornblau to
JPMChase,
Pelton Heads
North
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Partial
exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 12, updated
-- As at the
UN the Arms
Trade Treaty
talks grind
on, now
half behind
closed doors,
the US Mission
to the UN late
Thursday
e-mailed out
the statement
of its
Ambassador
Donald Mahley
pledging
"to
achieve the
consensus on
an effective
arms treaty in
order, as
Secretary
Clinton
clearly
stated, 'to
ensure that
all countries
can be held to
standards that
will actually
improve the
global
situation by
denying arms
to those who
would abuse
them.'"
Inner
City
Press asked
lead US
Mission
spokesman Mark
Kornblau a
couple of
questions,
including on
Sudan [see
below]
and to please
"state the US
position on
ammunition
being covered
by an Arms
Trade Treaty."
Kornblau
and then the
Mission to
their credit
quickly
responded,
with a
previous
statement by
another US
representative
to the talks,
Tom
Countryman,
which had not
previously be
e-mailed to
the Press,
that "the
United States
has made clear
that
ammunition
should not be
included
within the
scope of the
ATT."
Countryman
concluded, as
cited by NGOs,
that
"we
will continue
to listen to
any proposals
for including
ammunition.
Our criteria
in evaluating
such proposals
are simple –
they must be
realistic and
limited in the
burdens they
impose, and
they must be
effective in
achieving the
goals and
objectives of
the ATT. In
the absence of
such a
proposal and a
compelling
case for its
benefits, the
United States
remains
steadfast in
its opposition
to including
ammunition in
the ATT. "
In
a
statement
issued by
Kornblau after
5 pm on
Thursday, the
US expressed
its opposition
that
"Iran's
role
as one of
fourteen Vice
Presidents at
the Arms Trade
Treaty
Conference -
while purely
ceremonial -
is nonetheless
outrageous.
Iran was
selected to
run on a
closed slate
of candidates
put forward by
the Asia
Group, of
which the
United States
is not a
member...While,
as a practical
matter, the
Vice President
designation at
the Arms Trade
Treaty
Conference has
no impact
whatsoever on
the substance
of the
conference or
our ability to
advance and
protect U.S.
interests and
values, it
still makes a
mockery of the
Conference's
purposes and
undermines the
credibility of
the United
Nations."
Inner
City
Press has
likewise asked
for the US
position on
making the
next head of
the UN Budget
Committee Sri
Lanka and its
Permanent
Representative,
listed in Ban
Ki-moon's
Panel of
Experts report
as involved in
luring rebel
leaders to
surrender, who
were then
killed -- so
far without
answer.
But
we
had and have
news of
Kornblau,
which we
wanted to
confirm before
now
exclusively
publishing.
Ambassador
Susan Rice, in
a generous
USUN EVERYONE
e-mail on July
10, announced
that
From:
Ambassador
Rice (USUN)
To: USUN
EVERYONE
Subject:
Staffing
Announcement
Sent: Jul 10,
2012 3:02 PM
Dear
Colleagues,
I
am sorry to
have to inform
you that July
20 will be
Mark
Kornblau's
last day at
USUN. I am
deeply
indebted to
Mark for the
exceptional
job he has
done as my
Director of
Communications
and
Spokesperson
since early
2009. Mark is
a true
professional,
and I will
sorely miss
his wise
counsel, sound
judgment, deft
touch and wry
wit. I hope
you will join
in me in
wishing him
all the best
in his next
endeavor as
Managing
Director of
Corporate
Communications
at JP Morgan
Chase &
Co. It’s a
tremendous
opportunity
for him at a
time of great
challenge for
the industry.
I
am pleased to
announce that
Erin Pelton
will succeed
Mark as my
Director of
Communications
and
Spokesperson.
Erin currently
serves as
Director of
Communications
and Assistant
Press
Secretary at
the National
Security
Council, where
she handles
the Middle
East, Latin
America, and
the
nonproliferation
portfolios,
among others.
Prior to her
tenure at the
White House,
Erin spent six
years at the
State
Department,
both in
Washington and
overseas in
Mexico and
Saudi Arabia,
most recently
serving as a
spokesperson
in the Bureau
of Near
Eastern
Affairs. Erin
also worked
for America
Abroad Media,
where she
developed
programs on
international
affairs for
radio and
television.
She holds a
Bachelor’s
Degree in
International
Relations and
Latin American
Studies from
Drake
University,
and a Master’s
Degree in
Foreign
Service from
Georgetown
University.
Please join we
in welcoming
Erin and
wishing Mark a
fond farewell.
We'll
have
more on this,
including as
applicable
JPMorgan
Chase's
relations not
only with the
media but also
the FERC about
claims it
manipulated
energy prices
in California
and the
Midwest.
Explaining the
pending Syria
resolution is
one thing, and
hiking
electricity
prices during
a heat wave is
another. Ah,
US, and
USUN...
Update:
On Inner City
Press'
question if
the US opposes
Sudan's bid to
be a member of
the Human
Rights
Council, as /
from a U.S.
official the
following came
in:
"We
are obviously
very much
opposed, but
this is not a
done deal, and
we urge
members of the
AU to do the
right thing
and stop an
ICC-indicted
war criminal
from taking a
seat on the
Human Rights
Council."
On Sri Lanka's
and Palitha
Kohona's bid
to head the
UN's Fifth
(Budget)
Committee, we
hope to have
more -- watch
this site.
, 
