By Matthew Russell Lee It's all the rage in diplomatic spin: UK foreign secretary David Miliband is taking questions by Twitter today, during his two day stay in Boston. The UK consulate there has been soliciting questions, saying they will be answered throughout the day. At the UN in New York, In... [More]

By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, March 8 -- After a weekend during which Sri Lanka's president and ruling party attacked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for saying he will name a panel to advise himself about possible war crimes in Sri Lanka, Inner City Press asked Mr. Ban for his side of th... [More]

By Matthew Russell Lee UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has informed Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa that he will "name a panel of experts to advise him, the Secretary General, on the way forward on accountability issues related to Sri Lanka." Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky inclu... [More]

"The United States for historical reasons has almost no economic relations with Iran," French Ambassador to the UN Gerard Araud said on Thursday night, explaining the U.S. push for sanctions on Tehran. In a dig at the U.S. position, Araud paraphrased a French philosopher, that "you ar... [More]

The UN's failure to follow through even on what few commitments it made about Sri Lanka became clearer this week. So too did the UN's refusal to answer about the perception of conflict of interest by the Secretary General's chief of staff Vijay Nambiar, named in an Australian documentary, even as he... [More]

As in Sri Lanka the Rajapaksa administration deploys tear gas against those protesting its arrest of Sarath Fonseka, in New York Inner City Press asked if the UN had any comment. Video here, from Minute 8:46. UN spokesman Martin Nesirky reiterated his version of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's tele... [More]

After Sri Lanka's Mahinda Rajapaksa had his electoral opponent Sarath Fonseka arrested, UN Secretary General Bank Ki-moon belatedly put in a call to Colombo. By the time the UN provided a requested read out of the call, the Rajapaksa administration had already publicly characterized it as a call of ... [More]

Even after the Rajapaksa administration in Sri Lanka confirmed arresting its top electoral rival Sarath Fonseca, at the UN in New York Secretary General Ban Ki-moon through his spokesman had nothing directly to say about it.   Inner City Press asked about the arrest, about statements by presi... [More]

The Goldstone Report filing by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has been asked about for days at the UN. When it became available on the evening of February 4, it was a let down and, some say, a lie. The letdown part is easier to describe. Ban's submission is a mere 11 paragraphs, mostly boilerplat... [More]

Following a protest of the UN in Juba, South Sudan which included calls for "Ban Ki-moon [to] repent before judgment," the UN belated rushed to argue that Mr. Ban was misquoted by AFP about disfavoring a vote for self-determination by the South Sudanese. Ban's Associate Spokesman Farhan ... [More]

As Sri Lankan soldiers surrounded opposition candidate Sarath Fonseca on January 27, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the Press he was "relieved" by results in Sri Lanka. Inner City Press had asked about irregularities in the voting results asserted from many quarters. Mr. Ban did not... [More]

As in Colombo, Sri Lankan security forces surrounded opposition candidate Sareth Fonseka, in New York UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appeared to speak to the Press before heading on a trip to London, perhaps Cyprus, and Ethiopia.   He spoke of Afghanistan -- confirming his nomination of Sta... [More]

On Sri Lanka, the UN simply will not follow through. Since UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's statement last week about pre-election violence, grenades have been thrown at opposition supporters, cell phone companies have been forced to send out messages supporting incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa, and me... [More]

The European Union's new High Commissioner Catherine Ashton appeared at the UN on Friday, and was asked by Inner City Press about Sri Lanka in the run up to elections, and about the GSP Plus tariff reduction program, whether the EU would curtail it for Sri Lanka. Video here, from Minute 4:05. Baron... [More]

Even as the UN speaks and double speaks about accountability and impunity following Sri Lanka's "bloodbath on the beach," the UN in Haiti is working with battalion of Sri Lanka's military, which overall has been accused of war crimes. The UN's Edmond Mulet, speaking to the Press by video... [More]

A week after the UN went public with its rejection of requests for assistance to ensure greater freedom and fairness in Sri Lanka's upcoming election, a bus load of supporters of opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka was attacked by gunmen, killing one and injuring ten others. Inner City Press asked... [More]

Days after video footage depicting Sri Lankan soldiers murdering naked and blindfolded prisoners was authenticated by UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to comment on Alston's urging him to establish a commission of inquiry on war crimes, as Mr.... [More]

As the UN formally opens its $140 million North Lawn Conference Building in New York, its management cries poor and too often under-performs. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the New Year moved out of the 38th floor of the hollowed out Headquarters, to a suite with a view of the NLCB's roof and litt... [More]

The UN on Friday acknowledged that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's most recent call for accountability for war crimes in Sri Lanka was more than three months ago. Video here, from Minute 13:19. Since then, former general Sarath Fonseka has accused senior minister and Presidential brother Gotabhaya ... [More]

The UN on January 7 responded to Press questions about a report finding authentic a video of war crimes by Sri Lanka's army by saying Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the government he is considering appointing a panel of experts on human rights issues. But later it emerged Ban's statement was mon... [More]