From Ramallah, Ban Ki-moon “Pessimistic,” ICP Asked Palestine’s Mansour of Int’l Force

By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, October 21 -- After UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke by video to the UN Security Council's 15 Permanent Representatives, meeting behind closed doors, the PRs of the UK and Russia both said that Ban was not optimistic. UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, filmed here on Periscope by Inner City Press, said, ...

On Libya, Venezuela Says Why Abstained From EU / “High Seas”Resolution, Transcribed Here

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive series UNITED NATIONS, October 9 -- On October 9, the delayed Libya / High Seas resolution was approved in the UN Security Council, with Venezuela abstaining. Venezuela's Rafael Ramirez said military action is not the solution, and that the wider problem should be dealt with in the UN General Assembly. ...

Libya Writes to UNSC It Is OK “High Seas” Resolution, Full Text Here

  By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive series UNITED NATIONS, October 8 -- With the EU's Federica Mogherini in the UN for General Assembly week, Inner City Press tried and ultimately succeeded to ask her about EU NAVFOR MED Phase II, and how it would start without UN Security Council approval on which the Council's three African members have concerns.  On October ...

On Syria Chemical Weapons, Mr. Jim on Stairs, Elements to Press, Full Text & Periscope Here

By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, October 7 -- The Security Council proceeded on Syria with a briefing about the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) on the use of chemicals as weapons Syria on October 7, after which the UN's acting High Representative for Disarmament Kim “Mr. Jim” Won-soo then Council's President for October Roman ...

After UNSC Meets on Mali & Burkina Faso, Spain’s Summary, Inner City Pro 2 Questions

By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, October 5 -- Spain holds the Presidency of the UN Security Council for October; Inner City Press for the Free UN Coalition for Access asked its Permanent Representative Roman Oyarzun Marchesi to when possible provide summaries of closed door consultations and take questions.  On October 6, two summaries were provided and ...

As Spain Heads UNSC, Inner City Pro Asks of Libya Draft, Any Burundi Envoy, No Western Sahara Meeting: #SpainSCpres

  By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, October 5 -- Spain holds the Presidency of the UN Security Council for October; Inner City Press asked its Permanent Representative Roman Oyarzun Marchesi on October 5 about the pending Libya resolution, the still non-existent UN envoy to Burundi and why there's no Western Sahara briefing on the Program of Work, as there ...

On Syria, UN de Mistura’s Working Groups Rejected by Syrian Coalition and Others

By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, October 3 -- When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addressed the Security Council about Syria back on July 29, he was the opening act for his envoy Staffan de Mistura, and his new "Working Group" proposal.  Now the Syrian Coalition and others, named below, have rejected the Working Groups ...

Fast Transcript: In UNGA, Hadi Says Yemeni People Thank Saudi Arabia For Airstrikes

  By Matthew Russell Lee for InnerCityPro.com UNITED NATIONS, September 19 -- The UN Secretariat's bungling of Yemen mediation has become ever more clear, according to multiple sources and documents exclusively seen by Inner City Press, see below.   After the UN Security Council's praise of talks ostensibly committed to UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh ...

After Pope Francis Speaks on Usury, ICP Asks PGA Lykketoft of Debt, “Not in UN,” He Says

  By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, September 25 -- After Pope Francis in his General Assembly speech denounced "usury, especially where developing countries are concerned," Inner City Press later on September 25 asked new General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft about the comment and the process in the GA, at least in the last session, on sovereign debt restructuring. Video ...

India PM Modi for UN Peacekeeping Summit Wants More Say For Troop Contributing Countries, G4 Sept 26, Waldorf Q&A

By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, September 23 --  India has been the largest contributor to UN Peacekeeping -- 185,000 troops in 44 of the UN's total of 69 missions -- so Inner City Press on September 23 at the Waldorf Astoria after the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Modi asked what India is looking ...