On
Syria, UN's
Amos Says Met
Jarba's SNC,
Won't Answer
on Nusra or
ISIS
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 25 --
On Syria, whom
does the UN
speak with and
why
will the UN
list some but
not all of the
groups?
After
UN
Humanitarian
chief Valerie
Amos briefed
the UN
Security
Council
Friday
morning, she
told the Press
she met with
the Syrian
National
Coalition
(which is
headed by
Ahmad al
Jarba) in New
York.
Inner
City Press
asked Amos if
the UN has any
contacts with
Jabhat al
Nusra
or ISIS in
Syria, since
they control
territory
which the UN
is
supposed to be
trying to
access with
aid. Video
here,
Minute 4.
Amos
replied, I am
not going to
comment on
specific
contacts.
Inner
City Press
reminded her
she had just
named the SNC,
the Syrian
National
Coalition.
Amos
noted that
she'd met the
SNC "in New
York" but
would not list
contacts in
Syria. Why
not?
This
approach,
naming the SNC
as a
legitimate
contact, is in
line with the
attempt of
France (which
sponsored a
Jarba event
inside the UN
in
September) and
others to name
the
Saudi-sponsored
Jarba as the
sole
or most
legitimate
representative
of the Syrian
people.
(Likewise
the
UN let is UN
Censorship
Alliance hold
a faux "UN
briefing" by
Jarba in the
large UN room
given to UNCA,
then wouldn't
expain the
basis when
asked by the Free UN Coalition for Access.)
Inner
City Press
went to Friday's
UN Noon
Briefing and
asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
if the UN has
any
contacts with
ISIS or Al
Nusra, and
what the UN's
policy is on
naming
the groups it
speaks with.
Nesirky
said
since Valerie
Amos wouldn't
answer or be
drawn in, he
wouldn't
either. But
shouldn't the
UN have a
policy? If you
name one
group, you
should name
others. Or
name no
groups. But be
consist.
Inner
City Press
also asked in
person a
question it
posed to
Nesirky and
his acting
deputy by
e-mail two
days before,
"about the
UN's
Syria chemical
weapons Trust
Fund. Just now
at the US
State
Department
briefing
deputy
spokesperson
Marie Harf
said the US
has
given 'nearly'
$6 million to
'UN and OCPW.'
So what is the
status of
the UN Trust
Fund? How and
when (and
where) will
disclosure be
made?"
Nesirky
said
he had looked
into it. (Why
no answer was
e-mailed or at
least
read-out at
the briefing
is not clear.)
He said the UN
has received a
PLEDGE from
the US for $2
million, as
well as
vehicles
(valued by the
US as $1.55
million).
So
when was the
US going to
answer? When
is it going to
report, and
where? Watch
this site.
, 
