UN
Iraq Envoy Now
Acknowledges
PMC Use,
Ladsous
Stonewall
Contrasted
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
29 -- Among
high UN
officials and
envoy, there
are wide
differences in
openness
to questions,
commitment to
veracity, and
accountability.
The UN can
only improve
if there is
accountability
for these very
differences.
On
the positive
side of the
spectrum is
Martin Kobler,
head of the UN
Assistance
Mission for
Iraq.
Even before Kobler's
July 19
appearance
at the UN
Security
Council and
stakeout,
Inner City
Press had
favorably
compared the
way he decided
on and
described
budget cuts in
UNAMI with the
Afghanistan
mission's lack
of
transparency,
such as
moving of
favored
international
staff to
Kuwait as a
cost-cut.
But
when Kobler on
July 19 told
Inner City
Press that his
mission does
not use
private
military
contractors
other than for
dogs, Inner
City
Press differed
in writing, in
that day's
article
and in follow
up
questions.
Inner City
Press noted
for example the
Hart Security
contract, for
$1.1 million,
appears to
have been
signed in
August 2011,
for "Provision
of Security
Awareness
Induction
Training," for
a cost of
$3,500 per
staff member.
Here are some
budget
lines:
HART
SECURITY
LIMITED
CYP
Training,
other
$437,444
11AMI-20387
UNAMI
HART
SECURITY
LIMITED
CYP
AMI/CON/2011/041
Provision
of Security
Awareness
Induction
Training
Training
(SAIT) for
UNAMI
1-Aug-11
31-Jul-12
$1,143,682
UNAMI
This last
runs (at
least) through
July 31, 2012
- still in
force. Inner
City Press
wrote: We
hope to hear
more on this.
Then
on Sunday July
29,we did. The
following came
in:
Subject:
message
from SRSG
Martin Kobler,
UN Assistance
Mission for
Iraq
(UNAMI)
Date: Sun, Jul
29, 2012 at
12:44 PM
From: Anne
Czichos
[at] un.org
To: Matthew
Russell Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Dear
Mr. Lee,
Thank
you very much
for your
interest in
the work of
the United
Nations in
Iraq.
As
a follow-up to
the media
stakeout after
the Security
Council
session
on Thursday,
19 July, I
would like to
apologize for
not fully
answering your
question
regarding
UNAMI's use of
private
security
companies.
I
would like to
add that UNAMI
is spending
approximately
USD 1.73
million in
2012 on static
security
provided by
private
security
companies in
Iraq, Jordan
and Kuwait.
The contract
for the SAIT
training,
which is
conducted by a
private
security
company, is
for up
to USD
1,182,771.50
in 2012.
Sincerely,
Martin
Kobler,
Special
Representative
of the United
Nations
Secretary-General
for Iraq
This
commendable
approach
stands in
stark contrast
to a few other
envoy,
but most
notably to Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations
chief Herve
Ladsous, who
not only
doesn't
provide
accurate
answers -- he
provides
no answers at
all.
On
May 29 and
again since,
Ladsous had
openly said he
will not take
or
answer any
Inner City
Press
questions, for
the same type
of close and
critical
coverage that
Kobler
responded to
with an
update.
One
would think it
obvious, that
publicly-paid
UN officials
would
acknowledge a
duty to even
handedly
answer
questions, and
to provide
updates when
necessary. But
Ladsous and
some of the envoys he
has
"reached" take
an opposite
approach.
The
UN can only
improve it is
admits when it
is wrong.
Under Ladsous'
approach, not
only will the
UN not
improve: it is
in precipitous
decline.
Should the
Department of
Political
Affairs, which
is over
UNAMI, begin
to oversee the
other
peacekeeping
operations, so
that
Ladsous'
approach does
not spread?
Watch this
site.
, 
