UN's
Geneva II
Planning
Ignored Davos
& Watches,
France Cheap
on Sarin
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 4 --
After months
of delay, the
UN announced a
day
for the Geneva
II talks on
Syria: January
22, 2014.
Now
it emerges
that long
scheduled for
that day is a
major watch
convention in
Geneva, and
the World
Economic
Forum. Envoy
Lakhdar
Brahimi says
there will not
be enough
hotel rooms.
At
the UN's
December 4
noon briefing
in New York,
Inner City
Press asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
acting deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
about it:
Inner
City
Press: a
logistical
question about
Geneva II. Mr.
Brahimi has
said that
somehow all
the hotels are
already booked
at that time,
due
to the World
Economic Forum
and some watch
convention,
and so, he
said it may be
moved. Can you
confirm that
that’s true?
And two,
weren’t the
scheduling of
the World
Economic Forum
and this watch
convention
known at the
time that the
day was
announced?
What would
you say to
those who say
it’s kind of
bad planning?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson
Haq: Well, as
for the
planning, we
are planning
it, as you
know, we have
been planning
to hold it as
soon as we can
hold it, and
we are, and
that continues
to have been
the case when
we
set the date
for 22 January
2014. We would
have liked to
have been
able to hold
it sooner, but
this is when
we believe we
can get the
parties and we
can get the
responsible
countries all
to agree on.
Regarding
where
it is held;
ultimately, it
is not as
important
where the
conference
will be held,
but that it is
held. What we
want to do is
get the
parties
together;
whether that
happens in
Geneva or in
the
area around
Geneva is not
as crucial as
having the
parties
together. And
that’s what we
are focusing
on.
And
what
is France
focused on?
Ban Ki-moon's
November 27
letter listed
a
number of
countries
having
contributed
money to the
UN and
Organization
for the
Prevention of
Chemical
Weapons trust
funds --
but France was
not among
them.
So
later on
December 4 at
the UN
Security
Council
stakeout Inner
City Press asked
French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud:
Inner
City
Press: A UN
staff member
has been
killed
yesterday. Was
he a
staff of the
Mission or
another UN
staff? Also
has France
made a
contribution
to the OPCW
trust fund?
Amb.
Araud:
On the first
question, you
have to ask
Mrs Kaag what
was the
exact status
of the
personal you
are referring
to. As
President of
the Security
Council, I
expressed our
political and
moral support
to
what the
Mission is
doing and
expressed our
strong
condemnation
of
any attack.
Mrs Kaag has
described in a
very personal
and moving way
all the risks
the local
personal is
taking by
simply
traveling
through the
city of
Damascus, and
crossing the
lines to do
their job.
As
for
France, we
have provided
technical
assistance to
the Mission.
That
is, no money.
And no hotel
rooms. Watch
this site.
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