UN Spokesman Nesirky to EuroFora on IMF's Straus-Kahn UN VIP Pass +NY trip after Turkey UN/CoE event

 

UN Press Director/Spokesman Martin Nesirky said to "Eurofora" that, even if IMF Chief Strauss-Kahn may have a UN Pass, as his Lawyer told a NY Court, and was at a UN Conference in Turkey with UNO's Secretary General Ban Ki Moon before the NY Sofitel incident which brought him to Jail for alleged assault, he "hadn't the slightest idea" why DSK had come at New York (UN Headquarters' city) just for one day, before he tried to cross again the Atlantic Ocean for scheduled meetings in Europe with German Chancellor Merkel and Brussels' €uro-EU Officials, immediately afterwards.

"EuroFora" observed that DSK was included among key-note Speakers in a UN Conference on the Least-Developed Countries hosted in Turkey, Istanbul, together with former UNDEP Turkish Official Kemal Dervis, almost at the same Days and at the same City where a Paneuropean CoE Foreign Ministers' session had been exceptionally transfered from Strasbourg to Istanbul at the initiative of its out-going Turkish chair, on May 10 to 11. The two events coincided so much, that Diplomats told "EuroFora" that f.ex. a Minister was able to "jump" from the UN to the CoE subsequent meeting on the spot !

It's immediately after these events, that IMF's Top Official suddenly bought, on May 12, his New York ticket, as "AirFrance" reportedly found, travelling to the UN Headquarters' City for reasons which still remain unknown.
------------------

Many Media have raised the Question what DSK was doing at New York on Friday, May 13, before the Sofitel incident which led to his arrest on Saturday afternoon (May 14) at JFK Airport in a Plane ready to fly towards Europe, where he should start a series of crucial meetings from Sunday :

- Fly from Turkey (Istanbul), crossing all Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, just in order to stay only one (1) Day in New York, before re-crossing for a third time the Atlantic to reach the EU next Day, (for meetings in Berlin and Brussels, etc), while his Home and Job were at Washington DC, and his wife stayed in Paris, is obviously a strange way to waste so much precious Time, Energy and Money, unless DSK had serious reasons to do so.

After French "Figaro", "Le Monde", etc. and U.S. mainsteram Media, even ..Chinese Newspapers wondered what IMF's Chief was doing at New York on Friday, May 13 : - "It wasn't clear why he was in New York. The IMF is based in Washington, and he had been due in Germany on Sunday to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel", noted "People's Daily".
-------------------------------------

+ The Imbroglio became even more confused when IMF Chief's Lawyer at New York County's Court tried to use the claim that DSK had "a VIP Pass issued by the United Nations", (as he said at the obvious instigation of Mr. Strauss-Kahn himself, who appeared eager to stress that point in front of the Judge, as it clearly results from full Video Reports of the 1st Public Hearing), in order to vainly ask to let him Free to go on Bail, arguying (without convincing the NY Judge) that UNO's document would somehow confront the NY Attorney's accusation that DSK was allegedly trying to flee, in precipitation, shortly after the Sofitel incident, bypassing usual routine procedures in a suspicious hurry, augmenting the impression that, (independently of whether he was innocent or guilty for the crimes for which he was accused), pending on-going Investigations, he was a "Flight Risk".

The UNO's Spokesman had just reacted, earlier this day, to a differend but related Question by another Journalist at NY, who had asked him if IMF's Chief had any UNO "Immunity", to which, Nesirky, according to the official UN "full" transcript, preferred to carefully "check" before giving, later-on, a definite reply, without any comment on the "sub-judice" case itself, as he said.

However, speaking later to "EuroFora" in a Phone contact from CoE's Headquarters, Strasbourg, the UN Secretary General's Spokesman, did not deny that IMF's Head might, indeed, have a UN Pass :

- When we asked Nesirky whether "at [his] knowledge, IMF's Head was given a General VIP UN Pass for Airports, or if that was a Specific Pass related to that UN Development Conference" in Turkey that same week (See supra),  the UN SG Spokesman preferred to give to "EuroFora" a reply from the point of view of "general principles" or "general practice" :

 - "I don't know anything about that" (DSK) in particular. But "what there is, is a UN "Laissez-Passez.. It's a Travel document. UN issues such "Laissez-Passez" Documents", including "to Officials of Specialized Agencies, as is the IMF and some other Organizations", he confirmed.

 - But this should be always done "in Line with Agreements concluded (by the UN) with those (specialized) Organizations ", UN Spokesman added. I.e. UN "Laissez-passez" documents are meant, in each case, to refer to the appropriate Agreements relating to the Status of the relevant Organization and its Officials", he pointed out.

- Asked by "EuroFora" to clarify whether such UN Passes are "issued for Long periods of Time, or just for Specific events", Nesirky replied that he "can't speak about what may be happening in Specialized Organizations", as the IMF, but, "what happens inside the UN, f.ex. in the Laissez-Passez that I have, its Expiry Date is the Expiry Date of my Contract", (i.e., the equivalent, for DSK, of Autumn 2012, according to his IMF mandate).

- However, "I have No Idea" on what is happening inside the IMF in this regard, f.ex. about its current Head, DSK, and "that's something for the IMF to answer", he carefully added.

 - At any case, "these (UN Passes are) given not just to Top Officials, but (wider) to Officials, including of the IMF but other Organizations as well, according to Agreement concluded with them, (when they are) Travelling on Official Business", Nesirky underlined.

However, on DSK's case, both IMF and USA's State Department reportedly declared earlier that IMF's Chief had travelled to New York "on Private business", (comp. Supra).

- "I don't know what the situation is in the IMF, (f.ex.) for how long those Documents are Valid : That's not UN business, that has to deal with the IMF". But, inside the UN itself; "Laissez Passez are Travel Documents that UN issues for UN Staff travelling for Official Business", he stressed.

Asked whether such UN Passes might somehow facilitate an exceptionally Speedy Departure from an Airport, as JFK in DSK's NY saga (See supra), Nesirky, without replying precisely on that point, simply observed that they "cannot replace Passports, but go with your National Passport",  - "But, f.ex., if you travel in a Country which needs a Visa, that Visa will go in your (UN) Laissez-passez with which you are travelling on Official Business", UNO's Spokesman added.     

               
- "It simply Identifies a Person as an Official of the UN, or, for Officials of other Specialized Agencies, then it identifies them as Officials of those specialized organizations" (as f.ex. IMF). - "That's simply a (UN) Document which goes with you when you are Travelling on Official Business : That's what it's for", he reiterated.
------------------------------
- But, as for the Question that many Media ask (See supra), i.e. "why (DSK) came to New York for one Day (See supra) ?", UNO's Spokesman at first declined to give any reply, advising  "EuroFora" twice that we "need to ask the IMF why he came to New York".

-  "IMF already said that it was on Private Business", "EuroFora" reminded, pointing at several other Media. But, at least, "was there any useful business for the UN" itself, "any UN activity on the 13th" of May in New York, which might have involved DSK ?, we went on to ask specifically.

+  "EuroFora" also reminded Nesirky that IMF Top Official was among the participants to a UNO Conference on Development, in Istanbul, Turkey, almost at the same moment that CoE's Committee of (Foreign) Ministers was convoked there by its (out-going) Turkish rotating chair, on May 11th, at the eve of his suprising, last-minute decision  to get an Airplane Ticket for a 1 Day trip back and forth to New York, (See supra).

 -"It was about the Least Developed Countries ... I was there (at Istanbul, Turkey, on May 10-11), with the (UNO) Secretary General", Ban Ki Moon. - But this was "an entirely Different business", the UN Spokesman clarified.

- Nevetheless, "given the Fact that he (DSK) was involved in a UN Conference just before, the question is if there might have been any kind of useful UN activity" for him also (in UN Headquarters' City New York) "on the 13th" of May, or not, "EuroFora" wondered, noting that many Media ask what might have (suddenly) brought (IMF's Head, DSK) there.

IMF's head was due to visit the EU for crucial Financial decisions including on Public Debt provoked in Greece (after a 1999-2001 deal to exchange Turkey's unpopular EU bid with Greece's entry into €uroZone earlier than normal, i.e. before Reforms needed to cut the excessive Number of Public Sector's cushy job holders accumulated since the Nepotism of the 1980ies : See "EuroFora"s earlier Publications).

The move came just before Elections in Cyprus (May 22) and Turkey (June 12), closely followed by a Top meeting with UNO's Secretary General at nearby Geneva on July 4, where some want to decide an International Conference for a Solution to Cyprus' issue, including on Greek Cypriot Refugees' Family Homes, Private Properties and Ancestral Land, that Turkey, which still occupies the Northern part of Cyprus since the 1974 Invasion of Ankara's Military, notoriously aims to keep, without Restoring nor really Paying them, despite ECHR's Judgements supposed to be executed under the supervision of CoE's Foreign Ministers, that IMF's Head crossed in Istanbul (see Supra).       

                                             
- But, "I have not the slightest idea" about DSK's "Itinery", after his departure from that UN Conference in Turkey, and the reasons for which he came at UN Headquarters' City, New York just before flying back accross the Atlantic ocean to Europe. - "It's really for them (IMF) to say".- Because this, apparently, had ..- "Nothing to do with the UN", Nesirky strongly denied in conclusion.

If it's indeed the case, it's obviously not clear whether the use of a UN "Laissez-Passez" at JFK Airport by DSK, right after the Sofitel incident, (as he asked his Lawyer to stress : See supra), might have been justified, or rather not.

The supplementary fact that IMF's Chief, DSK, returning from a UN Conference on "Least Developed Countries", at Istanbul (Turkey), is accused by NY Police to assault a poor African Woman, immigrant precisely from one of these Poorest Countries in the World : Guinea, Mother and Widow, obliged to work as cleaning Hotel Maid, in a 3.000 $ per night luxuous suite at New York, inevitably looks even more upsetting. -------------------------

At any case, at least the additional fact that the NY island-prison where DSK was reportedly kept, served that day, ... "Turkey  burgers, with Smashed potatoes", as NY-based "Bloomberg-News" noted with dubious humour, should probably be due to a mere coincidence...