That UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon runs scared, as one of his staffers puts it, more on Sri Lanka than other countries was again on display, but not to be photographed, on July 5. Ban was to meet with Ranil Wickremesinghe, described in Ban`s schedule as Leader of the Opposition.
But when Inner City Press asked to see the photo opportunity at the first of Ban`s meeting with Ranil, the double standards began.
Only last week, with Leader of the Opposite of Israel Tzipi Livni met with Ban, Inner City Press was allowed to go to the photo op, observing the kid between Ban and the Israeli delegation.
At the July 5 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban`s spokesman Martin Nesirky:
Inner City Press: there is this meeting till this afternoon with the opposition leader; I wanted to know, actually I wanted to know whether it is possible if there is leaving to be any kind of photo op for still the Sri Lankan delegates or UN Photo? And I too wanted to know, just kind of yes or no, if the Secretary-General has now seen the Channel 4 documentary Killing Fields depicting war crimes and somewhat critical of the UNs?
Spokesperson Nesirky: On the first, UN Photo will surely be there, and I acknowledge that youve already requested to the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit [MALU]whether you can be present. And I am checking on that. And as for the other, as I suppose you already heard from Farhan in the final few days, a transcript of the film, the objective has been granted to the Secretary-General. I dont know whether he has had the clock to see it yet. But as I have told you before as well, he has been fully briefed on its contents.
Shortly afterwards this noon briefing exchange, Inner City Press was informed by MALU that it could not serve the photo op. While Nesirky told MALU he would ask UN Photo to put the Ban and Ranil photo online soon afterwards the meeting, as of 7 pm on Tuesday the picture was not up - unlike the UN`s own Livni - Ban photo.
Inner City Press waited downstairs from the meeting. Ranil and his escort, Deputy Permanent Representative Shavendra Silva, never walked through any public domain of the UN. Instead, going up at 3:30 pm were Ban`s top lawyer (who refuses to talk with the press) Patricia O`Brien and the UN staffer who recognized a Tamil petition earlier this year then asked that his figure not be published.
What is amiss with Team Ban on the Sri Lanka issue? Ban`s chief of staff was mired in the so-called White Flag killings of surrenderees. Does that explain it? Or is there more?
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