UN
"Press
Encounter" on
Chemical
Weapons is All
Syria,
Allows No
Questions
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 1 --
With chemical
weapons in the
news, when UN
correspondents
were urged to
attended a
media stakeout
or "press
encounter"
with UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon on the
topic
from 2:40 to
3:00 pm on
Monday, one
assumed that
questions
could be
asked. That's
what would
make it a
press
"encounter" or
stakeout,
right?
Wrong.
Ban
arrived with
the head of
the
Organization
for the
Prohibition of
Chemical
Weapons, Ahmed
Uzumcu, and
launched into
prepared
remarks.
He mentioned
Syria three
times; it was
the only
country that
he
mentioned.
Then
Uzumcu spoke,
more briefly,
also
mentioning
Syria. Inner
City Press
indicated it
had a question
-- two,
actually --
but raised
hand. But
Ban and his
spokesman
turned and
left. The
encounter was
over.
As
was the goal,
Ban's comments
were quickly
disseminated.
But what
about
questions?
Among
those that
could be
asked: are
personnel of
the
Organization
for the
Prohibition of
Chemical
Weapons
present in
Libya,
particularly
after
the events in
Benghazi?
Which ARE the
countries
which have not
met
deadlines to
destroy
chemical
weapons
stockpiles? Do
these include
the host
country? Why
was this not
mentioned?
The
UN Secretariat
will be having
another 30
minute press
"inter-action"
on October 2,
about the
events at the
UN of the last
week. But it
will not be
Ban Ki-moon,
but rather his
new deputy,
Jan Eliasson.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
as Ban's
spokesman
pointed out to
Inner City
Press earlier,
Ban has had a
grueling
series of 20
minute
meetings to
visiting heads
of state and
foreign
minister in
the past week.
Understandable.
But then don't
call it a
"press
encounter," if
no questions
will be
allowed. Some
say, just film
it up in Ban's
office....
, 
