On
Syria,
Annan's
Technical
Mission Stalls
on
Preconditions,
Rice Says,
Qatar &
Saudi
Funding Not
Discussed
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 10 --
After Kofi
Annan's letter
was
distributed to
Security
Council
members by the
US, this
month's
Council
president,
Annan's deputy
Jean-Marie
Guehenno was
asked
questions and
so-called
"elements to
the press"
were agreed
to, and
enunciated
later by US
Ambassador
Susan Rice.
Inner
City Press
asked Rice
about two
points in
Annan's
letter, which
Inner City
Press
obtained
and put online
at 12:28 pm
while the
meeting was
still
underway.
Annan recounts
that Assad on
April 8 set
pre-conditions
including that
regional
countries not
fund the
opposition.
Was there
any
discussion?
Rice
replied that "there
was general
discussion of
the additional
conditions,
and the letter
of the envoy
as well as the
discussion in
the Council
made clear
that nobody is
prepared to
contemplate or
give validity
to any
additional
conditions.
There was no
specific
discussion of
the details of
those
conditions."
Inner
City Press
what
"substantial
differences
emerged"
between
General Mood
of Annan's
team and the
Assad
government.
Rice replied
that "there
was a bit of
discussion
about it in
the Q and A,
and Jean-Marie
Guehenno
indicated
that, at a
certain stage,
the Government
and its
engagements
with the Mood
team were
essentially
reflecting
some of the
conditions
that they had
said publicly,
which were not
consistent
with the
envoy's plan
and the Six
Point Plan
endorsed by
the Security
Council;
therefore, it
became
difficult to
continue to
productively
proceed along
those lines. I
think we'll
get a fuller
understanding
of those
challenges and
what next
steps, if any,
are
contemplated
with the
technical team
on the 12th
when Kofi
Annan will
have had an
opportunity to
debrief with
his team
leadership."
Annan's
letter
asked the
Security
Council to
register it
deep concern.
It is
debatable if
an "elements
to the press,"
the weakest
form
of Council
action if in
fact it can
even be
considered an
action
given that it
is not even
put on the
Council's web
site, really
registers or
expresses such
deep concern.
It was a fast
response,
however.
A
well placed
regional
source told
Inner City
Press on April
9, "Kofi has
mediator's
disease --
he'll never
want to admit
that he's
failed,
that he's been
played. But
when will he
lose all
credibility?"
Another
source on
April 9 told
Inner City
Press the buzz
is that the
Kofi Annan
Foundation has
been raising
money "for
Syria work."
Inner
City Press
submitted this
as a question
to Annan's
spokesman
Ahmad
Fawzi, who
replied that
he will look
into it and
response on
Friday
-- that is,
the day AFTER
Annan's
briefing of
the Council.
While
Assad has
asked Annan to
stop countries
like Saudi
Arabia and
Qatar from
funding the
opposition,
some wonder if
there is other
funding in
play. Where,
Inner City
Press has
asked Annan's
spokesman, is
his
Arab League
nominated
deputy Nassar
El-Kidwa? The
spokesman,
admittedly
busy and
traveling to
Iran, replied
that he
doesn't know.
Watch this
site.
From
the US Mission
transcript:
Inner
City Press:
The letter
seems to say
that on April
8th the Asad
government
asked Kofi
Annan to get
commitments
from regional
countries to
stop the
funding of the
opposition,
but it doesn't
really say
what was done
on that.
What was the
position? Was
there any
discussion in
the Council of
this idea of
regional
countries
openly saying
they would
fund the Free
Syrian Army?
And also,
there's this
mention of the
General
Mood-substantial
differences
emerged during
his time
there. Was
there any Q
and A with Mr.
Guehenno? What
can we say
about these
differences,
and what do
they foretell
for an
observer
mission?
Ambassador
Rice: Well,
with respect
to the
additional
conditions
that the
government
announced on
the 8th, there
was general
discussion of
the additional
conditions,
and the letter
of the envoy
as well as the
discussion in
the Council
made clear
that nobody is
prepared to
contemplate or
give validity
to any
additional
conditions.
There was no
specific
discussion of
the details of
those
conditions.
With respect
to the
technical
assessment
mission, the
technical
assessment
mission-or
technical
mission-of
General Mood,
there was a
bit of
discussion
about it in
the Q and A,
and Jean-Marie
Guehenno
indicated
that, at a
certain stage,
the Government
and its
engagements
with the Mood
team were
essentially
reflecting
some of the
conditions
that they had
said publicly,
which were not
consistent
with the
envoy's plan
and the Six
Point Plan
endorsed by
the Security
Council;
therefore, it
became
difficult to
continue to
productively
proceed along
those lines. I
think we'll
get a fuller
understanding
of those
challenges and
what next
steps, if any,
are
contemplated
with the
technical team
on the 12th
when Kofi
Annan will
have had an
opportunity to
debrief with
his team
leadership.
, 
