At
UN
on Syria, Arab
League Annex
Amateur Hour
Delays
Briefing
Request
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 25,
updated -- The
request for
the Arab
League to
brief the
UN Security
Council on
Syria was the
subject of
back and forth
inside
and in front
of the Council
on Wednesday.
A
Council source
emerged and
told Inner
City Press
"there is a
problem with
the
annexes" to
the Arab
League's
letter. The UK
Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant came out
and told
assembled
reporters
that "it is
agreed," that
the month's
Council
president,
South Africa's
Baso Sangqu,
will contact
the Arab
League and set
up
the briefing.
Lyall
Grant said
the UK wanted
the briefing
to be Monday
(though given
the request
that it be
"ministerial,"
getting by
then Ministers
Hague,
Juppe,
Clinton,
Westerwelle,
for example,
not to mention
Lavrov seems
unlikely. One
Council wag
noted, "as she
does," that US
Ambassador
Susan Rice is
a minister.)
Finally
Council
President
Sangqu
emerged. Told
of what Lyall
Grant said,
Sangqu said
"he jumped the
gun." Inner
City Press
asked him
about the
annexes. He
replied that
one was only
in Arabic,
which he can't
read,
and the other
isn't here
yet, they've
said it's
coming "by
courier." He
said that if
Syria asks to
also speak, it
should
be granted.
Sangqu
also said
he would tell
the Arab
League that
"some members"
want the
briefing to
include
Sudanese
military
official Al
Dabi -- who
had
responsibility
in the Darfur
conflicts, for
which the
International
Criminal Court
has indicted
president Omar
al Bashir. Can
you say,
amateur hour?
Watch this
site.
Update
of 3:50 pm --
a Western
diplomat says
Al-Arabi tells
them he's
willing to
brief the
Council on
Monday, and in
person. One
problem, it
seems, is that
Ban Ki-moon
"as is so
often the
case" will be
out of town.
Apparently it
would be
violate
protocol to
have the
Secretary
General of the
Arab League
some and not
meet the UN
SG. So, video
only?
(c) UN Photo
UN's Ban
Ki-moon &
AL's el-Arabi,
missing annex
& Syria
briefing not
shown
French
- Turkish
Update:
Tuesday
morning Inner
City Press
reported that
attendees to
the
French
convened
meetings on
Syria included
Turkey.
But
on Wednesday
in front of UN
Secretary
General's
question and
answer session
with
member states,
which was
closed to the
press and
public, Inner
City
Press was told
by two
diplomats that
Turkey had
declined
France's
invitation,
citing the
"Armenian
genocide law"
and, they
said, French
arrogance.
Will
this impact
that side's
coordination
on
Syria? We'll
see.
, 
