At
UN
on Syria,
Draft Going
Blue "Without
Prejudging"
Assad
Delegation:
Updated With
Text
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
Feb 2, updated
earliest Feb
3: text --
After hours
negotiations
Thursday
afternoon in
the UN
Security
Council on the
third versions
of the draft
Syria
resolution,
Ambassadors
Susan Rice of
the US and
Vitaly Churkin
of Russia
emerged and
said almost
the same thing
to the
assembled
throng of
media. [Update:
here
exclusively is
the blue draft.]
Rice
said, "We have
a text, which
I expect that
the Moroccans
will put into
blue, could be
as soon as
tonight, or
tomorrow
morning. There
are still some
issue on which
our capitals
will have to
deliberate and
provide each
of us with
instructions."
Moments
later Churkin
stopped on the
steps up to
the street and
said, "we had
something of a
roller coaster
today. We'll
see what the
outcome it
going to be.
It is going to
be put in blue
tonight, but
it does not
prejudge
anything. I'll
be happy if we
have a process
which is going
to conclude
successful. So
far it would
be hard for me
to go that
far."
While
many scribbled
down or later
transcribed
this
ostensibly
off-camera
quote, only
later after
other
interviews did
one word jump
out at Inner
City Press:
"prejudge."
While
European
diplomats told
Inner City
Press that the
phrase "fully
support" the
Arab League
plan will
remain in the
draft that
will be sent
to capitals, a
non-Western
diplomat
pointedly told
Inner City
Press that
there will be
phrase, as
best the
diplomat could
translate,
"without
prejudging" or
"without
prejudgment,"
as well as a
reference to a
" Syrian led"
political
process.
The
key phrase,
this
non-Western
diplomat said,
was without
prejudging the
outcome, which
the diplomat
said was taken
to mean no
need for Assad
delegating
power to his
deputy or
anyone else to
be the
outcome.
The
Europeans had
left and so
couldn't be
asked if this
is what they
would agree
to. But they
should be
asked.
The
process
Thursday
afternoon was
surreal. As
closed door
talked dragged
on,
preparations
began for a
Chinese
calligraphy
reception in
the "Kuwait
Boat" lobby
area above the
Security
Council.
Calligraphy
reception
after Syria
meeting, (c)
MRLee
The first
Permanent
Representative
to leave was
Hardeep Singh
Puri of India.
When he was
asked how it
went, he said
"not so well."
South
Africa's Baso
Sangqu left,
as did China's
Li Baodong.
But the latter
came back, he
said, for
bilateral
meetings.
The
assembled
media was
crowded into
one of the two
areas beside
the stairs,
and there was
no UN TV
coverage
despite the
much greater
interest for
this session
that many for
which the UN
provides a
camera.
"Ban Ki-moon's
budget cuts"
were blamed
for the lack
of UN TV
coverage. It
was the only
real mention
of the "always
absent" Ban
Ki-moon all
day, on Syria.
When
things finally
ended,
Morocco's
Ambassador
Loulichki came
out to say he
would put a
new draft into
blue later in
the evening.
He wouldn't
predict when
the vote would
be called,
saying only
"as soon as
possible,"
which Rice
riffed into
"as soon as
people have
instructions."
Once
these
near-identical
quotes were
issued, the
press scrum
dissipated.
Upstairs, the
calligraphy
reception got
into full
swing. Inner
City Press
went to cover
it, and more,
and in a
phrase that
might seem
contradictory
to some
readers was
told that the
big turn out
was because
these Chinese
"believe UN is
very very
important." Go
figure. And,
watch this
site.
, 
