Of
Jarba &
UNSC, Syria PR
Tells ICP It's
"UK
Arrogance,"
Ban
"Shouldn't"
Meet
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS, July
23 -- Three
hours after
the UK
announced an "Arria
formula"
meeting Friday
of members the
UN Security
Council with
Saudi ally
Ahmed Al Jarba
and the
National
Coalition of
Syria, Inner
City Press
asked Syrian
Permanent
Representative
Bashar
Ja'afari
about it.
It's
British
arrogance,"
Ja'afari told
Inner City
Press
exclusively.
"It's an
informal
meeting,
outside of the
Council, on a
voluntary
basis. It's
not on behalf
of the
Council. It's
a British
arrogance
initiative."
Inner
City Press
asked Ja'afari
if he thought
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
would meet
with Jarba.
"He
shouldn't,"
Ja'afari said,
"and
he wouldn't,"
but shrugged.
It is becoming
a diplomatic
circus.
There
are many
opposition
groups which
would like the
legitimacy
which
comes with
meeting any UN
Secretary
General. When
is it granted?
Ban
met with Omar
al Bashir of
Sudan,
indicted by
the
International
Criminal Court
for genocide
-- the UN
insisted there
was a
photograph
but no
meeting,
though Sudan
gave a
detailed read
out. Ban's
head of
UN
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous
met Bashir
just this
month, without
explaining why
or what was
accomplished.
On
Syria, at the
US State
Department
briefing on
July 22,
spokesperson
Jen Psaki
implied that
that delay in
convening the
so-called
Geneva
Two meetings
was so that
the Syrian
opposition
could elect
their
leader.
But
how legitimate
is he? Who had
heard of him
before the
election? Will
he do a
stakeout
Friday? Watch
this site.
Footnote:
here
was the
written
statement of
the UK's Mark
Lyall Grant:
“The
United Kingdom
is convening
an informal
meeting to
enable members
of
the Security
Council to
engage with
the senior
leadership of
the
National
Coalition of
Syrian
Revolution and
Opposition
Forces at the
UN on Friday
26th July. The
Coalition
delegation
will be led by
Ahmed Al
Jarba,
President of
the Coalition.
“This
Arria formula
meeting will
provide a
forum for
members of the
Council
to have a
frank and
informal
exchange with
the National
Coalition, to
discuss key
issues
relating to
the Syrian
conflict
including;
ending
the violence
and preparing
for the Geneva
II conference;
as well as
addressing the
issues of
humanitarian
access, human
rights,
refugees
and protection
of civilians.”
, 
