On
Syria,
China Tells
ICP of
"Showdown,"
Rice Unsure if
Annan
Continues
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Partial
exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 19 -- The
US does not
support any
"technical
rollover" for
45 days of the
UN Mission in
Syria, as
proposed in
a Pakistani
draft
resolution,
and Russia
opposes any
"ideological"
conditions
attached to
extending the
UNSMIS mission
for 30 days,
as
proposed
Thursday
morning by the
UK.
Inner
City
Press asked
China's
Permanent
Represntative
Li Baodong
late
Thursday,
thirty or
forty five
days?
"Showdown,"
Li
Baodong
exclusively
told Inner
City Press.
Inner
City
Press asked
Pakistan's
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
if his
draft has the
nine required
votes.
"Just
trying
to help," he
exclusively
told Inner
City Press.
When
US
Permanent
Representative
Susan Rice
emerged, she
said as
President
Barack Obama's
spokesman Jay
Carney had on
Air Force One
that the US
does not
support any
technical
rollover of
the mission.
On
Air
Force One,
Carney was
asked, did the
Annan plan
fail? Carney
replied, "It
has failed
thus far, yes.
And the
failure of the
Security
Council to
support this
resolution
means that it
can't go
forward."
So
Inner
City Press
asked
Ambassador
Rice, does
Kofi Annan's
mission
continue?
"Good
question,"
Ambassador
Rice replied.
Later
another
Security
Council source
present in the
consultations
told Inner
City Press
that when
Ambassador
Rice was asked
if the US
wants to keep
the mission in
Syria, she
said no.
Russian
Permanent
Representative
Vitaly Churkin
was the most
detailed, on
this and other
matters. "It
was a
funny
discussion,"
he began.
"They keep
coming back to
their
ideological
position.
There is a
good Pakistan
text that I
know
I am going to
support."
Referring
to the UK
draft and its
supporters,
Churkin said
"our
colleagues
want to
replay
individual
elements from
the Kofi Annan
plan. It's too
late in
the day to do
it."
Churkin
was asked,
so UNSMIS will
be withdrawn?
He said, "If
there are not
nine
votes on one
of the drafts,
then I suppose
so." He
returned to
say, "some
colleagues
were saying
they want them
to withdraw,
[as] too
dangerous...
but they are
prepared to
vote for the
UK draft.
It is
confusing. I
told them, put
down a text
that you want
them to
withdraw."
French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
said "we will
vote at 10 am
on our
text," meaning
the UK draft.
Churkin says
he opposes it,
and
China says
showdown. If
either vetoes,
the Pakistani
draft could be
voted on.
Would the US
or others veto
that? Watch
this site.
, 
