Syria
Session of UN
GA Predicted
for Monday, P5
Perm Reps Met
Thursday
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 9 --
Amid buzz that
Syria could
soon be
debated in
the UN General
Assembly,
Inner City
Press on
Thursday asked
the
spokesperson
for the GA
about a report
the debate
would take
place
Friday.
The
spokesperson
denied it, but
barely an hour
later at a
reception for
Iran's
national day,
the Permanent
Representative
most concerned
told Inner
City Press
that "the
Qatari, the
President of
the General
Assembly, has
already
launched
invitations to
member states
for a GA
meeting on
Monday."
Inner
City Press
asked about
the absence
from Thursday
afternoon's
Security
Council
session of
Permanent Five
members'
Permanent
Representatives,
which
one Deputy
told Inner
City Press was
a "PR level
meeting on
Syria." (Inner
City Press
reported this
earlier on
Thursday; a
Council
diplomat said
it was
particularly
noteworthy
that "UK
Perm Rep Lyall
Grant wasn't
there for the
Irish foreign
minister"
who spoke in
the Council
Thursday
afternoon.)
The answer
was, it
concerned
Syria but not
the General
Assembly.
Ironically,
the
Security
Council
ambassadors
are scheduled
to travel to
Haiti, which
would have
them missing a
General
Assembly
session on
Monday or even
the next two
days, a sort
of Second
Syria
Superbowl.
(c) UN Photo
In the UNSC,
Syria huddle,
"Qatari" Prez
of GA not
shown
Also
at the
Iranian
reception,
which featured
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
outgoing chief
of staff Vijay
Nambiar but
not apparently
Ban himself,
a UN budget
expert told
Inner City
Press that Ban
has the
flexibility
to spend up to
$8 million on
an envoy or
mission to
Syria without
seeking any
approval.
At
Thursday's
noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
the
most recent
date on which
Ban spoke with
is previous
envoy, to
Libya,
Jordanian
politician and
businessness
Al Khatib.
Nesirky said
he
would get the
date, but nine
hours later
and counting
it had not
been
provided.
Watch this
site.
, 
