http://www.innercitypress.com/yemen194fishy100316.html
On Yemen, After UAE Warship Sunk, UN Knows Nothing, Churkin Tells ICP of Draft
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 3 -- The UN Secretariat of Ban Ki-moon's bungling of Yemen mediation has become ever more clear, according to multiple sources and documents exclusively seen by Inner City Press, see below. And see this Vine, & this.
Now after a UAE warship has been hit - and sunk - off the Yemeni coast near Mocha, Inner City Press on October 3 asked Ban Ki-moon's deputy spokesman for a comment, and if the UN knows if it was a warship or as claimed an aid ship. From the UN transcript:
Inner City Press: on Yemen, I wanted to know if the UN system has any comment or knowledge of this reported sinking of a UAE (United Arab Emirates) warship.
Some are saying it was an aid convoy. The Houthis' side is saying it was a warship enforcing a blockade on them. Since it's a pretty high-profile incident that has the potential to result in reprisals, what's the UN's understanding of what the ship was? Was it an aid ship, or was it part of the military operations of the Saudi-led coalition?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we're aware of the latest reports, but we'll need to get some further information about the nature of this vessel before we make any particular comment.
Question: Given the UN's role in the humanitarian operation in Yemen, do countries like the UAE coordinate with UN if they're, as they say, moving medical supplies from one place to another, or is it just, everyone goes it alone?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, as you know, we do have a verification and inspection mechanism that's designed to help expedite the process by which aid gets into Yemen, and so we do expect that countries will use that mechanism.
Five hours later Inner City Press asked Vitaly Churkin of Russia, president of the Security Council for October, about it. He said there is a draft Press Statement pending but there's a need to check more. He added that the UN is a cynical place, "in some places they want to whip it up, in other places they want to hush it up."
Churkin noted Russia abstained on the last resolution - and said that the UK blocked an investigation because they sold $6 billion in weapons, the US is involved too.
Received on Tue Oct 04 2016 - 04:14:57 EDT