By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 5 --
The day after
Australian
Ambassador and
UN Security
Council
president for
November Gary
Quinlan got
his program of
work agreed
to, the
Council
met behind
closed doors
on the
afternoon of
November 5
about Syria
chemical
weapons, and
Palestine.
Inner City
Press reported
on Palestinian
Observer Riyad
Mansour's
letter and
Q&A
stakeout, here;
additional
letters about
Jerusalem and
the Al Aqsa
Mosque were
submitted to
Quinlan by
Jordan and by
Israel.
Quinlan
told the press
all three
letters have
been
circulated and
that, if
requested by
Council
members, a
meeting would
be possible on
November 6
despite there
also being
International
Court of
Justice
elections in
the Council
and General
Assembly.
On
Syria chemical
weapons, after
Quinlan
summarized the
briefing that
was given
behind closed
doors by
Sigrid Kaag by
video from
Beirut, he was
asked by the
correspondent
from Al
Mayadeen - who
walked out of
Quinlan's
November 4
briefing -
about his use
of the term
"Syrian
regime."
Was Quinlan
speaking in
his national
capacity --
for the
"Australian
regime," as
the Al
Mayadeen
correspondent
put it -- or
for the
Council?
Quinlan nodded
and said,
"Syrian
government."
Inner
City Press
asked Quinlan
about
Palestine,
yielding the
answer about
the letters
being
circulated,
and about
reports of
ISIS using
chlorine in
Iraq, and
possibly
having
helicopters
like other
vehicles
seized in
Mosul.
Quinlan
said that "one
member" had
brought that
up in the
consultations.
After he left,
Syrian
Permanent
Representative
Bashar
Ja'afari spoke
of ISIS using
choline in
Iraq and that
ISIS might
have
helicopters.
Off-camera
Ja'afari told
Inner City
Press his
government had
destroyed the
three planes
ISIS claimed
to have, and
that none of
the three
could fly.
Inner City
Press also asked
Ja'afari
if UN
Peacekeeping
has contacted
his government
about getting
UNDOF
peacekeepers
back on the
Syrian side,
taken over by
Jabhat al
Nusra.
Ja'afari
replied, no,
that perhaps
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous is
asleep or in
winter
lethargy.
Inner City
Press notes
that Ladsous
is certainly
not reporting
on deaths and
attacks in
Central
African
Republic, click
here for that.
Kaag is said
to be seeking,
or waiting
for, another
post in the UN
system (Inner
City Press
asked her
about it in a
briefing,
without direct
response).
Some wonder
for how much
longer these
monthly
briefing will
continue.
We'll see.
The previously
afternoon, on
November 4,
the Security
Council met on
Libya, South
Sudan and, at
Quinlan's
request,
Burkina Faso.
The Burkina
Faso briefing,
which Inner
City Press
first reported
on Tuesday
morning, was
to have been
by UN envoy to
West Africa
Mohammed ibn
Chambas. But
first a source
told Inner
City Press
that "the
connection was
too weak;"
later, Quinlan
mentioned the
curfew there
as well.
The Security
Council agreed
to "Elements
to the Press"
on Libya; on
South Sudan
and Burkina
Faso, for now
there were
summaries by
Quinlan.
Twenty four
hours later,
there was
still no Press
Statement by
the Security
Council
on Burkina
Faso. But then
one was
issued, but
not read out
by Quinlan, on
South Sudan,
then the same
on Burkina
Faso. We'll
have more on
this.
, 
