On
Syria, As
Clinton Claims
Text Ousts
Assad, Lavrov
Laughs
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 30 --
When six hours
late Kofi
Annan emerged
from the
Action Group
on Syria to
speak, his key
line to the
press when
asked
if Bashar
Assad will end
2012 in power
or at the
International
Criminal court
was that he'd
left his
crystal ball
at home.
The
real news was
in the back to
back press
conferences of
Hillary
Clinton and
Sergey Lavrov.
Clinton, who
took only two
questions,
claimed that
despite
agreeing to
significant
Russia
demanded
changes
to Kofi
Annan's draft,
Assad still
couldn't
remain in
power under
the
"mutual
consent"
clause. She
then took
questions from
AP
and
Saudi-funded
Al Arabiya and
moved on.
Lavrov
came
out and mocked
those who'd
claimed they
wouldn't agree
to change
"even a
comma," noting
the major
changes Russia
got.
The draft
would have
"exclude[d]
from
government
those whose
continued
presence and
participation
would
undermine of
the transition
and jeopardize
stability and
reconciliation."
Russia got
this removed.
He
focused on
those funding
the opposition
who want a
spiraling of
violence, and
chided those -
Hillary - who
blocked the
presence at
the Action
Group of Iran.
In
the crowd was
General Robert
Mood, who as
Inner City
Press
exclusively
reported
yesterday
should be
leaving on
July 20, as
the
UN Secretariat
has proposed
to downshift
UNSMIS to a
political
mission.
There
were a lot of
UN alumni in
the crowd:
former Deputy
Permanent
Representatives
of China and
of the UK
(Karen
Pierce), as
well as
former
UK political
coordinator
David Quarrey.
Click here for
that, and
watch this
site.
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