Cyprus-Forum.com

[Cliff]

Corrupt Pro-Turkish UN personal have been recently exposed in pandering to the Turkish war machine. The leaked memos from Jose Diaz ,spokesman for the UN Mission to Cyprus, sent to Alexander Downer , United Nations Special Envoy for Cyprus makes a wild claim that a Cypriot media owner is with “EOKA” (!) and attempts to blacklist Cypriot dignitaries. This raises speculation in some circles that Diaz, Downer and other high ranking UNFICYP personnel have a Pro-Turkish bias and may have been bribed by Turkish sources or blackmailed by Turkish intelligence forces.
It seems the masonic brotherhood against a small island is blatant again, as is the propaganda against cypriots in the 60s & 70s. It is time for USA, the land of the 'Free', to take off their masonic fez, and look at the reality, Cyprus is no threat to them, indeed we are the opposite, a voice of reason. Turkey has to come to terms that they have no stake in Cyprus, and it's resources. These modern times, oppression of the people of Cyprus MUST end!!!!

[paliometoxo]

turkey has come to no such terms.. and will continue to insist on two states on our island

[bill cobbett]

The story in the OP, if it's true, is a disgraceful one.

The UN wants a "solution" and couldn't give a shite as to how pathetically undemocratic the solution. We saw that with the Anan Scam.

... and of coursegiven the USA pays the lion's share of the UN budget, it'll do all it can to get a "solution" that rewards Turkey with the Spoils of War.

Let's be aware that we live in this kind power politics World and we should be wary of "kind" intermediaries with their "just and equitable" solutions or else we end up with CY interests being sacrificed.

[CBBB]

Where is the substantiation for the comments that started this thread?

[Paphitis]

Corrupt Pro-Turkish UN personal have been recently exposed in pandering to the Turkish war machine. The leaked memos from Jose Diaz ,spokesman for the UN Mission to Cyprus, sent to Alexander Downer , United Nations Special Envoy for Cyprus makes a wild claim that a Cypriot media owner is with “EOKA” (!) and attempts to blacklist Cypriot dignitaries. This raises speculation in some circles that Diaz, Downer and other high ranking UNFICYP personnel have a Pro-Turkish bias and may have been bribed by Turkish sources or blackmailed by Turkish intelligence forces.
It seems the masonic brotherhood against a small island is blatant again, as is the propaganda against cypriots in the 60s & 70s. It is time for USA, the land of the 'Free', to take off their masonic fez, and look at the reality, Cyprus is no threat to them, indeed we are the opposite, a voice of reason. Turkey has to come to terms that they have no stake in Cyprus, and it's resources. These modern times, oppression of the people of Cyprus MUST end!!!!

As someone who lives in the same street as Alexander Downer, and who has met the individual a number of occasions, and had dinner with him, I can categorically assure you that Alexander Downer is a very professional and sincere career diplomat and was a balanced politician and does not have any bias towards the Turks.

I also no 2 out of his 6 secret advisors on Cyrus, and know the committees ethnic makeup, and if people knew that, then the accusations would be in ......

Don't be so paranoid people!

[Oracle]

The UN should be shoved aside as far as Cyprus negotiations go. We should stick to the EU.... that's why we joined!

Is Mr. Downer only interested in countries that are likely to have "Big Business" ? ... Obviously he is dismissive of Cyprus in that capacity!

Does Turkey suit his business interests more?

Obviously his material wealth is of paramount importance to him, as he clearly points out... Congratulations on your daughter's wedding!

................................................................................................


UN Cyprus Envoy Downer Brags of Asia Business, Says No Conflict But What Safeguards?


By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 17 -- Former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer, now working for the business consultancy Bespoke Approach and part time for the UN on Cyprus, was again asked Thursday by Inner City Press if the two roles might conflict, and what safeguards the UN has in place.

Mr. Downer said most of his work with Bespoke Approach is in East Asia, with Indonesia and China. He said that because he was foreign minister of Australia for twelve years, he has good relations with China, "better than many people I know." Some thought this sounded like a form of advertisement, as did Downer's statement that he was asked about Cyprus during a dinner with Indonesia's Foreign Minister a few weeks ago.

Downer said that he does no work with Cyprus, Turkey or Greece, and by this appeared to mean he does not negotiate contracts in the three, not that Bespoke Approach does not have business relations with enterprises active there.

Inner City Press asked about an initiative in Australia to ban former minister from serving as lobbyists for two years. While Downer said this must have been passed only yesterday, since he'd never heard of it, from the audience in the briefing room Australian parliamentarian Paul Neville clarified that Queensland and New South Wales are moving on such a ban.


Mr. Neville added that working for the UN wouldn't be considered lobbying. But what about working for Bespoke Approach?



Downer, last time at UN, questions multiply

Downer's connection in this regard was listed in a recent story about the ban on lobbying for two years:

"The State Government will restrict the activities of political lobbyists to guard against corruption, cronyism and conflicts of interest. In London last night, Premier Mike Rann announced a ban on former ministers acting as lobbyists for two years after leaving Parliament. Lobbyists will be listed on a public register from which they could be struck off if they breach rules governing integrity, honesty and ethics...

adelaidenow.com.au

PUSHING THEIR BARROW

KEY SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LOBBYISTS AND THEIR CLIENTS

BESPOKE APPROACH

Former Liberal minister Alexander Downer

Former Labor senator Nick Bolkus

Former Liberal staffer Ian Smith

Clients include: Minmetals Australia,

Clarke Energy, Forbes Oil & Gas,

Yanzhou Coal Mining Company Limited,

Billabong Australia

Earlier this year, the Australian reported

"Former Labor senator Nick Bolkus was paid a reported sum of $136,500 to lobby the Rann Government on behalf of the beleaguered South Australian Jockey Club, a board member says. SAJC director Bill Spear, who brought legal action last November against the state's biggest gallops club that resulted in its chief executive being sacked, yesterday raised further questions about the board's conduct... Mr Spear had earlier confirmed that during the past two months, while the board and the SAJC's now-sacked chief executive Steve Ploubidis were the subject of an independent inquiry over vote-rigging and alleged corruption, two payments each of about $68,000 were made to Mr Bolkus for lobbying on behalf of the club. Mr Ploubidis denies the allegations. Mr Spear said payments in excess of $10,000 had required board approval, which, to his knowledge, had not been forthcoming in this case. Mr Bolkus is a founding partner in Adelaide lobbying firm Bespoke Approach, with former Howard government foreign minister Alexander Downer, and businessman Ian Smith, who is married to former senator Natasha Stott Despoja."

Downer said that he fills out a form for the UN Secretariat. But it is not clear if this form lists Bespoke Approach's clients. The UN's safeguards against conflicts by part time envoys appear lax, all the more so after the questions that have arisen since part time UN envoy to Niger, Canadian ex-diplomat Robert Fowler, was kidnapped while on non-UN business, visiting a Canadian owned gold mine. Click here for that story -- more than a week after basic questions were put to the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary General, still no answers have been received.


Footnotes: Paul Neville the parliamentarian explained to Inner City Press that he has been sent to New York for the UN General Assembly for the next thirteen weeks. Responding to Robert Fowler's detour in Niger, Neville said that if he ventures beyond New York City, he has to get his own insurance.

Inner City Press also asked Downer about leaked UN documents about his role in Cyprus, and will report that -- and attach some of the documents -- separately. Watch this site.


* * *


At UN, Downer Says Has No Conflict in Cyprus, What Of Turkey, KKR?

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, May 4 -- How does the UN police for conflicts of interest in its ranks? The answer appears to be, it doesn't. Last week the UN's envoy for Cyprus, Alexander Downer, took questions from the Press. Inner City Press asked, as it had in 2008, what safeguards are in place to ensure that Downer's job with business consultancy Bespoke Approach doesn't conflict with his activities in and around Cyprus.

Downer assured that he wouldn't allow conflicts, adding that Cyprus doesn't have that much business. Neither is a satisfactory response at the organization like the UN. Only a few month ago, the UN's stealth envoy to Niger, former Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler, was kidnapped in Niger while on his way to visit a Canadian-owned gold mine, apparently not on UN business. The UN has still refused to answer questions, even after Fowler had been released, reportedly in exchange for the freeing of terrorism suspects.

Downer's answer as to Cyprus is particularly insufficient because Bespoke Approach work with Turkey (or Greece) would also be a conflict. The investment firm KKR lists an affiliation with Bespoke Approach. Who is policing these conflicts? Not the UN.



Downer at UN, questions being raised, answers awaited


The Cyprus foreign service has made this transcript of Inner City Press' Q&A with Downer:

Inner City Press: there’s been some controversy or questioning about if you can be the envoy and also have side job as a businessman?

Downer: Well, I was employed part-time not full-time so I have to keep body and soul together. I’ve got a wife, I’ve got children. My daughter got married last week, I just have to pay for the wedding and thank you for congratulating me. It’s only a part-time job. Of course I have absolutely no business with Cyprus at all. I have absolutely no business involvement there. To have business involvement there would be a conflict of interest. Cyprus would be the greatest of perspective, I love Cyprus, is not a very big place, it’s not like the United States. So business doesn’t arise day-by-day between Australia and Cyprus.

Inner City Press: I found on the UN website of bespoke approach, it says you are a good person to hire in part, because you work for the UN. So some people wonder whether it’s appropriate to …..

Downer: Let's just say I’m a good person to hire because if you read it carefully, because I work for the UN, it just explains my CV. You are working in the media and so I think you would appreciate this point in the way that I do. I think transparency is incredibly important. Therefore, it wouldn’t be honest to hide from anybody who may use bespoke approach. But it’s a fair question to ask because obviously I have to be careful there is no conflict of interest. Also I work as a professor at Adelaide University. In that capacity I do talk to people about Cyprus from time to time. In Australia there’s quite a lot of interest on Cyprus. There are nearly 100,000 Australian Cypriots. They split about 60 – 40 Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots. So they keep me busy as well as some of them are on campus of the university. One of them was at my daughter’s wedding actually last week and started lobbying me furiously about some issue to what I’m going to do.


http://www.innercitypress.com

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This cowboy should go! Cyprus needs someone more committed than this "part-time jobber!"

[insan]

As if part-time jobber has anything to do with the political stance of hard-liners like u... Many "cowboys" have come and gone but none of them have managed to satisfy hard-liners like u.

Though, I've still have respect for everyone's "free will" even i consider them under heavy trauma of the past events and exaggerated, negative propaganda.

[Paphitis]

The UN should be shoved aside as far as Cyprus negotiations go. We should stick to the EU.... that's why we joined!

Then why don't you all tell the UN to get stuffed?

Is Mr. Downer only interested in countries that are likely to have "Big Business" ? ... Obviously he is dismissive of Cyprus in that capacity!

Not at all.

He is only the UN envoy and is unwilling/unable to offer any input other than mediation.

If there is an agreement, it will be between the 2 leaders.

Does Turkey suit his business interests more?

His business partner is former Senator Nick Bolkus - a fierce Hellene.

Obviously his material wealth is of paramount importance to him, as he clearly points out... Congratulations on your daughter's wedding!

He is actually extremely down to earth, and I personally know his views about Cyprus, and so you are way off the mark.

This cowboy should go! Cyprus needs someone more committed than this "part-time jobber!"

He is committed, but he is also a realist.

His job is one off mediation. He is not there to enforce anything.

It really is up to Christofias and Talat.

But if you really want him to go, then that's fine. But you probably won't ever find someone as "impartial" and sympathetic to Cyprus.

[Expatkiwi]

turkey has come to no such terms.. and will continue to insist on two states on our island

If you think about it for long enough, is that such a bad thing? Most probably not split along the current Attila Line, but with seperation there will be no chance of repitition of intercommunal violence.

[Oracle]

turkey has come to no such terms.. and will continue to insist on two states on our island

If you think about it for long enough, is that such a bad thing? Most probably not split along the current Attila Line, but with seperation there will be no chance of repitition of intercommunal violence.

Do you think we care whether anyone invades our island and then screams "inter-communal violence" that we should shut them up by giving them parts of our country?

Then you are a 'Kiwi Fool' ....