On
Syria, New UN
Draft Amid
Question of 3
Week Lull, Low
Level on
Nigeria Unrest
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 16 --
Before the UN
Security
Council met on
Monday
morning,
French
Ambassador
Gerald Araud
was asked
about his
foreign
minister Alain
Juppe
"decrying" the
Council for
lack of
action on
Syria. Would
France be
submitted a
draft
resolution in
the
place of the
Russian draft,
on which not
even
consultations
have been
held this
year?
Araud
replied that
it would be
meaningless to
introduce a
new draft if
it would only
be
vetoed; he
said that
"momentum" is
needed in the
Security
Council.
As
the Council's
meeting, about
West Africa,
began in the
chamber a
spokesman
emerged
and told Inner
City Press
that "one
delegation"
had asked
to discuss
Syria
afterwards,
specifically
the dormant
Russian
draft.
That
delegation,
it is now
clear, was not
France.
Rather, a
German
spokesman came
out
afterwards and
said that when
his country --
which was
represented
Monday by
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Miguel Berger
-- raised the
issue, the
Russians
responded that
they had
circulated a
new draft 45
minutes ago.
(c) UN Photo
Araud works
the Council,
previously,
Juppe push
& Russian
draft not
shown
Many
in the
Council were
unaware. The
Russians said
they had sent
the new draft
to "the
experts," that
is at a level
lower than DPR
Berger
(and the US
representative
in the Council
on Monday, see
below.)
In
the first
consultations
on Syria since
December 27,
the Council
members'
expert
at now
scheduled to
meet on
January 17 at
3 pm. Watch
this site.
Footnote:
As
some of the
few
correspondents
outside the
Security
Council on
Monday
commented on
the "low
level" at
which most
Council
members
"including the
US" were
represented
for the West
Africa and
then Syria
consultations,
Inner City
Press asked
two US
Mission
spokesmen in
writing about
their level of
representation,
including
on the West
Africa topics
of Boko Haram
and the fuel
subsidy
protests in
Nigeria.
(Inner City
Press asked
UNOWA envoy
Said
Djinnit about
#OccupyNigeria;
he said it is
"economic" and
not in his
mandate.)
Two
hours later
when the
meetings ended
there had been
no response
from the US
Mission.
US
Mission quiet
on MLK Day Jan
16, but SC in
action (c)
MRLee
Yes,
it is the
Martin Luther
King's day
holiday. But
the UN
is open, and
the Security
Council
meeting,
including on
Syria. Press
- Mission
relations are
a two way
street, at
least when the
UN is
open. South
Sudan
questions
remain
outstanding
- watch this
site.
, 
