In
Syria, How to
Keep a UN
Presence While
Westerners
"Save Face"?
20 DSS
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 2 --
After
declaring
final their
July 20
extension of
the UN Mission
in Syria,
Western
Security
Council
members "can't
back down and
pass any
extension
resolution," a
non-Western
member opined
to Inner City
Press on
Thursday
afternoon.
Meanwhile,
sources
in the
administration
of Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon say
even Ban still
wants to keep
some presence
in Syria,
either to
"remain
relevant" or
due to the
specter of
Rwanda, of the
UN's
"shameful"
cutting and
running.
So
how to keep a
presence in
Syria without
another
resolution?
This is
where the
"twenty
Department of
Safety and
Security
staffers,"
as opposed to
Troop
Contributing
Countries
personnel,
idea Inner
City
Press has
reported on
comes in.
The
UN system
operates in
many countries
without any
Security
Council
resolution.
Why not Syria?
But
how would this
be "saving
face" for the
Western
countries?
And wouldn't
DSS be equally
at risk
French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
midday on
Thursday said
the current
Mission
observers have
to spend 95%
of their time
in their hotel
rooms. How
this is
consistent
with Babacar
Gaye's report
of visiting
Homs and
Al-Rastan is
not clear.
Despite
Gaye's
report, when
Ban Ki-moon
spoke to the
press he said
Gaye was
fired on. Some
(mis) reported
this firing
from tanks. A
senior Ban
administration
official told
Inner City
Press they had
to correct
this, it was
something
about the way
Ban pronounced
it. But maybe
some just hear
what they want
to hear. Watch
this site.
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