By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 5 --
When US
Permanent
Representative
to the UN
Samantha Power
spoke Tuesday
about Syria's
chemical
weapons and
the
humanitarian
situation in
the country,
she said 55
visas have
been delayed
or denied to
UN staff by
the Syrian
government.
Inner
City Press
asked
Ambassador
Power about
aid access to
areas held by
armed
opposition,
like al Raqqa
and Jarabulus,
as well as
about Turkey.
Video
here, from
Minute 9:26, here on YouTube and embedded
below, as is
transcript.
Ambassador
Power
replied that
"it is clear
there are a
lot of no-go
areas. As
desperate as
conditions are
in the 'go'
areas, imagine
circumstances
behind the
lines, in
areas not
visited for
more than a
year by the UN
or
international
NGOs. This
underscores
the importance
of your
question --
every country
and individual
should use
leverage of
the actors it
has influence
over... to
allow access."
Earlier,
Power
said Iran
should use its
leverage in
Syria for
humanitarian
access.
Russian
Permanent
Representative
Vitaly Churkin
told Inner
City Press he
still hoped
the Geneva Two
talks could
happen on the
scheduled
announced -
that is, in
November.
Syrian
Permanent
Representative
Bashar
Ja'afari did
not speak
Tuesday at the
Security
Council
stakeout, into
the rules of
which Inner
City Press has been
inquiring.
As to
the Al Qaeda
affiliated
groups,
Ambassador
Power told
Inner City
Press it's a
challenge,
they "do not
have the
support of any
right-thinking,
decent, humane
member of the
international
community."
Some
noticed she
did NOT say
they do not
have the
support of ANY
member states
of the UN. Who
is supporting
these groups?
Who has
supported
them? These
are questions
that should be
answered.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
while the UN
produced, and
Samantha Power
had, specific
visa-denial
figures for
Syria, when
Inner City
Press asked
the UN for
similar
figures for
Sudan, it was
told these are
not cumulated
anywhere. Why
is this done
in one case
(Syria) and
not another
(Sudan)? We're
digging into
this.
US
Mission
transcript:
Inner
City Press:
What about the
humanitarian
situation in
areas held by
the armed
opposition
like Raqqa and
Jarablus? Do
you have
anything to
say on that?
And also there
are reports
now of the
al-Qaeda-type
groups either
targeting
Turkey, or in
some way
looking
to—there’s a
report
yesterday of
bombs going
over the
border.
What can you
say about that
northern area,
and how can
the UN system
address
humanitarian
needs there?
Ambassador
Power: Well,
you know, in
talking both
to the
Under-Secretary
General for
Humanitarian
Affairs and to
other
organizations
active on the
ground, it is
clear that
there are a
lot of ‘no-go’
areas. And as
desperate as
conditions are
in the ‘go’
areas, you can
imagine what
circumstances
are likely
like behind
the lines,
places that
have not been
visited,
accessed, in
some cases for
more than a
year by the
United Nations
or by other
international
non-governmental
organizations.
So, that just
underscores
the importance
of your
question.
Every country,
every
individual
should be
using its
leverage over
those actors
that it has
influence
over.
When it comes
to al-Qaeda
affiliated
groups, this
of course
presents a
significant
challenge,
because these
are groups
that do not
have the
support of any
right-thinking,
decent, humane
member of the
international
community.
So, we push
for access, we
push on those
who are
supporting
groups of that
nature—that
would target
civilians,
that would
violate the
laws of
war—whether
they’re on the
regime’s side
or whether
they call
themselves
affiliated
with the
opposition,
everyone
should use
their leverage
in order to
try to cut off
supplies to
those actors,
and to deter
the kinds of
horrors that
they’ve
inflicted on
civilians
across the
region.
In addition,
all actors
should be
encouraged to
allow access
to people in
need.
, 
