On Sudan Ousters, UNSC Sets Meeting Dec 30, Day After Helle Deadline
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 27, 2014 more here – After Inner City Press received a leaked copy of Sudan UN Development Program Country Director Yvonne Helle's December 24 e-mail saying she had been ordered to leave the country, it reported it and asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about it at the UN's noon briefing on December 24. Story here, video from UN noon briefing here.
Tellingly, Dujarric had no comment on Helle being thrown out of Sudan, just as the UN had been silent on the similar ouster of the UNPFA country director in Sudan in April, and a UN aid officer from Darfur in the Fall, as reported by Inner City Press.
The UN Security Council did not speak on April on the UNFPA country director's ouster, much less on the departure of OCHA's Darfur official.
But now the Security Council has scheduled consultations on these two most recent orders to leave, on December 30 -- the day AFTER the deadline for UNDP's Yvonne Helle to leave.
So are they most focused on Jordanian Ali Al-Za'tari, even though HE said nothing about the UNFPA ouster in April, the OCHA departure, and so quickly accepted Helle's ouster? And the briefer for these consultations better not be Herve Ladsous, whose firing has been called for by 123 NGOs and Sudan experts for, among other things, being too accommodative of Bashir and rapes in Sudan. We'll see.
There's a lack of transparency. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at his December 17 press conference rejected a Press question about the cover up of rapes in Darfur by UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous, and declined the same question, also from Inner City Press, at his three-question stakeout on December 22. (Two of the picked questions were about North Korea.)
Then on December 25, after Inner City Press first reported that UN Resident Coordinator Ali Al Za'tari, who had docilely accepted the ouster of Helle and of the UNFPA before that, was himself being thrown out, Dujarric at 1:32 pm finally sent Inner City Press an e-mail answering its question from noon on December 24, and written questions after that. The UN had “filed a protest” (Agence France Presse, a defender of Ladsous, said this quote was “said to AFP.” Note that Inner City Press has put in questions to UNFPA and OCHA. We'lll have more on these.)
But this is how the way things work gets mystified: coverage belatedly began, Ban Ki-moon Stands Up to Sudan. Does he? Why not comment on the first ouster order by Sudan? Why exclude then dodge questions about the cover up of the Darfur rapes by UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous?
As noted late yesterday, the New York Times piece from 40,000 feet about Darfur misleads by casting UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous as one of the good guys, and omitting mention of 132 non-governmental organizations and Sudan experts having written to Ban to urge him to fire Ladsous for under-performance in Sudan, here.
But worse than the NYT is Reuters, which after arriving late to and without given any credit for the story quotes Ladsous that the UN will remain in Darfur. Really? (Reuters UN bureau chief has said he has a policy of not crediting Inner City Press, then censored from Search his “for the record” anti-Press complaint to the UN, here via EFF's ChillingEffects.org).
For the record, publications such as Sudan Tribune and Radio Tamazuj credit Inner City Press, here and here. But it is beyond appropriation – the timing is important. Al Jazeera, for example, “reports” that “A UN spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anoymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media,* said Ali Zaatari and Yvonne Helle were ordered to leave on Thursday.”
That's NOT what happened. Helle was ordered out on Wednesday, December 24; the UN said nothing, even when Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman, on UNTV, about it. So then on December 25 a higher UN official was thrown out.
* - What kind of spokesperson is "not authorized to speak to the media"?
The UN's own cover ups and silences are part of the story. Watch this site.
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Sudan Speaks on Ousters of Helle and Za'tari, UNFPA Silence Contrasted
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 26, 2017 more here – After Inner City Press received a leaked copy of Sudan UN Development Program Country Director Yvonne Helle's December 24 e-mail saying she had been ordered to leave the country, it reported it and asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about it at the UN's noon briefing on December 24. Story here, video from UN noon briefing here.
Inner City Press also asked Sudan for its reason for that expulsion order, and the next days (which Inner City Press also first reported) of Resident Coordinator Ali al-Za'tari.
Now Sudan's Foreign Ministry has issued a statement out both expulsions or PNGs (persona non grata). As Inner City Press has reported, as to Za'tari the stated reasons is an interview he gave to a Norwegian publication. Za'tari said he was misquoted; Sudan says they gave time to be convinced by an audio tape but it did not happen.
As to Yvonne Helle, Sudan says she cut funding to programs; it is helpfully added, h/t, that she is called "arrogant."The full statement, in Arabic (which can be auto-translated) is below.
Sudan directly pushes back at Ban Ki-moon's December 25 statement, the next day. This can be contrasted from Ban and the UN Security Council and Za'tari saying nothing publicly when Sudan similarly expelled UNFPA's Pamela DeLargy.
Inner City Press, which inquired with UNFPA at the time and again today, now understands that UNFPA told Ban's office about Ms DeLargy's PNG but that nothing was ever said, after UNDP lobbied to silence to not "undermine" Za'tari. And now he's out.
Tellingly, Dujarric had no comment on Helle being thrown out of Sudan, just as the UN had been silent on the similar ouster of the UNPFA country director in Sudan in April, and a UN aid officer from Darfur in the Fall, as reported by Inner City Press.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at his December 17 press conference rejected a Press question about the cover up of rapes in Darfur by UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous, and declined the same question, also from Inner City Press, at his three-question stakeout on December 22. (Two of the picked questions were about North Korea.)
Then on December 25, after Inner City Press first reported that UN Resident Coordinator Ali Al Za'tari, who had docilely accepted the ouster of Helle and of the UNFPA before that, was himself being thrown out, Dujarric at 1:32 pm finally sent Inner City Press an e-mail answering its question from noon on December 24, and written questions after that. The UN had “filed a protest” (Agence France Presse, a defender of Ladsous, said this quote was “said to AFP.” Note that Inner City Press has put in questions to UNFPA and OCHA. We'll have more on these.)
But this is how the way things work gets mystified: coverage belatedly began, Ban Ki-moon Stands Up to Sudan. Does he? Why not comment on the first ouster order by Sudan? Why exclude then dodge questions about the cover up of the Darfur rapes by UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous?
As noted late yesterday, the New York Times piece from 40,000 feet about Darfur misleads by casting UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous as one of the good guys, and omitting mention of 132 non-governmental organizations and Sudan experts having written to Ban to urge him to fire Ladsous for under-performance in Sudan, here.
But worse than the NYT is Reuters, which after arriving late to and without given any credit for the story quotes Ladsous that the UN will remain in Darfur. Really? (Reuters UN bureau chief has said he has a policy of not crediting Inner City Press, then censored from Search his “for the record” anti-Press complaint to the UN, here via EFF's ChillingEffects.org).
For the record, publications such as Sudan Tribune and Radio Tamazuj credit Inner City Press, here and here. But it is beyond appropriation – the timing is important. Al Jazeera, for example, “reports” that “A UN spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anoymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media,* said Ali Zaatari and Yvonne Helle were ordered to leave on Thursday.”
That's NOT what happened. Helle was ordered out on Wednesday, December 24; the UN said nothing, even when Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman, on UNTV, about it. So then on December 25 a higher UN official was thrown out.
* - What kind of spokesperson is "not authorized to speak to the media"?
The UN's own cover ups and silences are part of the story. Watch this site.
Sudan's statement (h/t)
بشان إبعاد السيدعلى الزعترى المنسق المقيم للشئون التنموية والانسانية بالامم المتحدة في الخرطوم
والسيدة ايفون هيل المدير القطرى لبرنامج الامم المتحده الانمائى بالخرطوم
تأسف حكومة السودان لتعجل الامين العام للامم المتحدة في إدانته لقرار الحكومة السودانية إبعاد كل من السيدعلى الزعترى المنسق المقيم للشئون التنموية والانسانية بالامم المتحدة في الخرطوم وايفون هيل المدير القطرى لبرنامج الامم المتحدة الانمائى بالخرطوم دون الوقوف علي الاسباب الحقيقية التي دعت الحكومة السودانية لذلك الاجراء. إن إشارة بيان الامين العام للامم المتحدة إلي معاقبة السودان لموظفي المنظمة العاملين في السودان اشارة غير موفقة وغير مقبولة للاسباب التالية.
إن السودان لا يستهدف الامم المتحدة بحكم أنه عضو اصيل فيها وملتزم بأحكام ميثاقها ويقدر جهودها في تحقيق الامن والاستقرار والتنمية في السودان بل يسعي جاهداً لتطوير هذه العلاقة وفق أحكام ميثاق الامم المتحدة وقرارات الجمعية العامة ومجلس الامن ذات الصلة . وفي هذا السياق يستنكر السودان الايحاء بأن عملية الابعاد المشار إليها تمثل مخالفة لميثاق الامم المتحدة الذي يمنع الامين العام للامم المتحدة وموظفيها ووكالاتها ، وفق أحكام المادة 2/7 من الميثاق ، من التدخل في الشئون التي تكون من صميم السلطان الداخلي لأي دولة عضو بالمنظمة.
إن قرار إبعاد المذكورين من الاراضي السودانية قرار سيادي يستند إلي أحكام المادة التاسعة من إتفاقية فيينا للعلاقات الدبلوماسية لسنة 1961 التي تنص علي أن " للدولة المعتمد لديها في أي وقت وبدون ذكر الاسباب أن تبلغ الدولة المعتمدة أن رئيس أو أي عضو من طاقم بعثتها الدبلوماسي أصبح شخصاً غير مرغوب فيه " كما أنه يستند إلي الاعراف الدبلوماسية الراسخة في هذا المجال ولن تتوان حكومة السودان عن إتخاذ قرار بإبعاد أي دبلوماسي أو موظف دولي يتجاوز مهامه المرسومة أو إطار تفويضه الوظيفي.
لقد إتخذت الحكومة السودانية قرار الابعاد في حق السيد علي الزعتري نظراً لأنه أساء إلي الشعب السوداني وقيادته السياسية عبر تصريح صحفي لإحدي الصحف النرويجية في خطوة تناقض مهامه كموظف دولي رفيع للامم المتحدة بالسودان وقد تم إستيضاحه حول الامر ومنح الفرصة الكافية لإبراز التسجيل الصوتي للحوار الصحفي الذي أجرته معه الصحيفة النرويجية علي أساس أن الصحيفة قد حرفت أقواله ، إلا أنه لم يفعل ، حيث أن المعلوم عرفاً وقانوناً أنه لا يجوز لأي موظف دولي مهما كان أن ينصب نفسه قيماً وحكماً علي أداء رئيس دولة ويسيء لشعب بأكمله وهو المطلوب منه خدمة شعوب الامم المتحدة بتجرد ومهنية عالية.
كما أضطرت الحكومة السودانية لإبعاد السيدة إيفون هيل المدير القطري لبرنامج الامم المتحدة الانمائي لأسباب عدة من بينها ما رصدته الحكومة السودانية من أن المسئولة المذكورة شديدة التحامل على حكومة السودان وتتعامل مع المسئولين السودانيين بغطرسة وتعال ، كما أنها إتخذت دون مشورة الحكومة السودانية قرارات بايقاف الدعم المالى والفنى لعدد من البرامج والمشروعات الاستراتيجية ذات المردود التنموى والسياسى والاقتصادى للسودان بما يتعارض مع مهامها و دورها كممثله للامم المتحدة فى معالجة الاوضاع التنمويه وخفض الفقر وزيادة النمو وتطوير وبناء المؤسسات العامة ، فضلاً عن تجاوزها اطار المساعدات التنمويه للامم المتحده الموقع بين حكومة السودان والامم المتحدة فى يوليو 2012 ، هذا الاطار الذي يمثل الرؤيه الاستراتيجية للتعاون بين السودان والامم المتحدة للفترة من 2013 حتى 2016 ، وعملت على وضع اولويات تنموية وتدخلات بدون مشاورة الجهات الحكومية ، والغاء عدد من المشروعات الناجحة ذات المردود التنموى والمؤسسى للسودان.
تدعو الحكومة السودانية الامين العام للامم المتحدة لمراجعة إدانته المتعجلة لقرار الابعاد المشار إليه أعلاه ومراعاة أحكام المادة 2/7 من ميثاق الامم المتحدة والاتفاقيات الدولية ذات الصلة وإلزام موظفيه ووكالاته المتخصصة بإحترام سيادة الدول الاعضاء في المنظمة الدولية وستمارس حكومة السودان حقها السيادي في حالة تجاوز أي من منسوبي الامم المتحدة لأختصاصاته ومهامهة الوظيفية المرسومة أو يتدخل في الشئون التي تعتبر من صميم اعمال السيادة وسلطانها الداخلي وفق ميثاق الامم المتحدة.
د. يوسف الكردفانيالمتحدث الرسمي بإسم وزارة الخارجية
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