Yemen
Banned from UN
Vote on Syria
by Bounced
Check,
Published Here
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 10 -- Yemen's
inability to
vote on the
August 3 Syria
resolution in
the UN General
Assembly was first exposed
by Inner City
Press in
an exclusive
story
published on
August 7.
Now Yemen's
Permanent
Representative
to the UN, and
his foreign
minister
Abubaker
al-Qirbi, have
responded,
here.
They blame the
non-payment on
US banks
closing some
countries'
accounts, an
issue on which
Inner City
Press has also
exclusively
reported.
But well
placed sources
disagree that
this is the
reason, and
provide
evidence. Now
for, Inner
City Press
publishes
below the Bank
of America
check that
bounced.
The account on
which the
check was
written has
been
functioning
since June 15;
the check
bounced due to
large
withdrawals.
After Yemen's
Mission to the
United Nations
wrote a
$223,675 check
to the UN for
its 2012 dues
on June 20,
its Ali
Saleh-aligned
Permanent
Representative
Jamal Abdullah
al-Sallal took
out a
cashier's
check on the
Mission's Bank
of America
account, Arab
diplomatic
sources have
exclusively
told Inner
City Press.
The
impact was
that during
the August 3
UN General
Assembly vote
to condemn
Syria's Bashar
al Assad, the
move of this
Ali Saleh
supporter made
it so that
Yemen could
not vote,
despite being
a co-sponsor
of the
resolution.
While
some media
mocked Yemen
for sponsoring
and not
voting, Inner
City Press
reported even
that day that
Yemen was
barred from
voting by the
UN's
pay-to-vote
rules. But
afterward
Inner City
Press learned
the reason for
the failure to
pay.
A
self-described
Arab diplomat
told Inner
City Press of
"the
cheap game
played by the
Permanent
Representative
and his
Foreign
Minister who
still follow
the overthrown
dictator, he
withdrew the
whole account
after issuing
a check so the
UN check will
bounce so
Yemen can't
vote."
The
Yemeni
mission's Bank
of America
Operating
Account, ACT
R/T 054001204,
delivered its
$223,675.00
check to the
UN's
Contribution
and Policy
Coordination
Service on the
28th floor of
the UN-rented
building at
380 Madison
Avenue.
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
about Yemen
and the
bounced check
and inability
to vote on
August 8,
the day after
its exclusive
story, and
Nesirky said
he would
inquire, so
far without
response.
Here now is a
copy of the
check:
Even more
documents have
been obtained
- this may
become a
series. Watch
this site.
, 
