In
Haiti,
UN Calls Criticism “Claptrap,” Defends IOM On Pepper Spray
Report
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 10 -- The UN refuses to accept criticism, even where
as in
Haiti it is faced with street protests telling it to leave, and
critiques by high officials of the regional organizations the UN
says it works with and respects.
Inner
City Press
asked Nigel Fisher, the UN Resident Coordination in Haiti, to respond
to comments by former top Organization of American States envoy
Ricardo Seitenfus, that the UN has spent too much on violent policing
in Haiti. “Claptrap,” was Fisher's response. Audio here,
from
Minute 28:45.
Fisher
derided
Seitenfus for saying Haiti is being used as a “humanitarian
laboratory.” While he claimed to only be involved in the UN's
development side, Fisher defended the huge MINUSTAH Peacekeeping
bills as being about strengthening the rule of law in Haiti.
But
on the rule
of law, Inner City Press asked Fisher about a documented incident in
Camp Imakale in Cite Soleil in December, in which UN peacekeepers
pepper sprayed protesters who say that the International Organization
for Migration predicated aid on reducing public protest.
Fisher
said he
couldn't imagine IOM “conditioning assistance on stopping
criticizing the government.” (In fact, it was criticism of IOM and
of the UN which was allegedly being discouraged.)
Seitenfus
put his
job at risk in order to speak up for what he saw as mistreatment of
Haitians. Fisher offers knee jerk responses. The UN's performance does
not improve.
Nigel Fisher in previous video appearance, learning not shown
For
weeks, Inner
City Press has asked the UN how much former UN Spokesperson Michele
Montas has been paid. At first, Martin Nesirky said he “would not
comment.” Then he suggested to “ask MINUSTAH.” Finally this
arrived:
Subject:
Re:
Your question regarding Special Advisor in Haiti
From:
UN
Date: Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 2:52 PM
To:
Inner
City Press
In
response
to your querry with the Spokesperson of the Secretary
General regarding Ms Montas's appointment to MINUSTAH, please find
the answer below.
"Following
the
devastating earthquake of January 2010, which had a severe impact
on the substantive sections of MINUSTAH, Ms Montas was engaged by the
mission's senior leadership as the D-1 Special Advisor to the Head of
Mission. Her contract will terminate on 30 June 2011, when the post
itself will be eliminated, as part of the mission's post-surge
readjustment."
Watch
this site.
* * *
On
Haiti,
UN
Role in Recount Unclear, US Mirrors UN On Cholera Origins
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December
10 -- Fresh from the snafu of UN's involvement in
Cote d'Ivoire's contested election, it remained unclear Friday what
role if any the UN will play in the recount of Haiti's
election, and
the run-off.
Inner
City
Press asked first the UN Spokesperson, then
this month's Security Council president Susan Rice, who also mirrored
the UN's position on whether it introduced cholera to Haiti.
At
Friday's UN noon
briefing, Inner City Press asked
the
UN's Martin Nesirky:
Inner
City
Press:
the President of the electoral council there said
yesterday, in light of all these, the swirling fraud allegations, et
cetera, he said that… he read a statement saying that the ballots
will be recounted with international observers and electoral
officials watching. So I wanted to know, will the UN be playing any
role in this; will they be observing a recount? Will they certify
the results?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
As
I said to you, Mr. Le Roy is briefing the Council, and
as part of that briefing he said that they are awaiting clarification
about the Commission’s terms of reference and membership. So
that’s still not clear.
Less
than
an hour
later, US Ambassador Susan Rice came to the Security Council stakeout
position to read out a Council press statement. Inner City Press
asked her:
Inner
City
Press:
On the recount, did the Council discuss, and, separately,
would the U.S. support some kind of a UN role in observing the
recount and certifying the results? And also, on cholera, given the
allegations that somehow the peacekeepers may have brought it, which
may or may not be true, is there any reform that you can think of, in
terms of sending people from one part of the world to another, in
terms of what the DPKO can do better to just take the issue off the
table?
AMBASSADOR
RICE:
The
fact is that no one can determine conclusively where the
cholera strain originated. And certainly it has been the U.S. view,
and I think, appropriately, the view taken by the United Nations,
that it is far more important at this crucial stage, when people are
dying and contracting the disease in high numbers, to figure out how
to prevent and treat the epidemic, rather than focus principally on
its origins, which can never be medically determined with certainty.
Susan Rice over Haiti, cholera and its origins not shown: or sought
With
respect
to
the electoral process, obviously the Council did discuss,
having heard Under-Secretary-General Le Roy's briefing, the
importance we attach to the will of the Haitian people being
respected, and that all efforts being made by the responsible Haitian
authorities and by the responsible international monitors and
observers is welcome to try to ensure that, as this process unfolds,
that there is transparency and maximum support as needed and
requested by the authorities to ensure that the ultimate result is
free and fair.
We'll
see.
, 
