On
Syria
& Amos
Access, UNSC
Circulates
Draft Press
Statement,
Online Here by
ICP
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 29,
updated --
After the UN's
humanitarian
chief Valerie
Amos announced
she was
blocked from
entering
Syria, inside
the UN
Security
Council a
draft press
statement was
prepared.
Inner City
Press obtained
a copy and
publishes it
below. Two
delegations
told the Press
it was under
"silence
procedure" to
see if all
Council
members agree
to it. [See
below.]
DRAFT
PRESS
STATEMENT
The
members
of the
Security
Council
express their
deep
disappointment
at
the Syrian
Government's
failure to
authorize the
United Nations
Under-Secretary-General
for
Humanitarian
Affairs and
Emergency
Relief
Coordinator's
visit to
Syria, despite
repeated
requests and
intense
diplomatic
contacts aimed
at securing
Syrian
approval. The
members of
the Security
Council demand
that the
Syrian
authorities
grant the
coordinator
immediate and
unhindered
access.
The
members
of the
Security
Council
deplore the
rapidly
deteriorating
humanitarian
situation, in
particular the
growing number
of affected
civilians, the
lack of safe
access to
adequate
medical
services, and
food
shortages,
particularly
in areas
affected by
fighting such
as
Homs, Hama,
Deraa, Idlib.
The
members
of the
Security
Council demand
that the
Syrian
authorities
immediately
allow
immediate,
full and
unimpeded
humanitarian
access
for all
populations in
need of
assistance,
and call upon
the Syrian
government to
cooperate
fully with the
United Nations
and other
humanitarian
organizations
to facilitate
the provision
of
humanitarian
assistance and
allow
evacuation of
the wounded
from
affected
areas.
As
Council
consultations
broke up at
1:40 pm, to
resume at 3 pm
with a
meeting about
Sudan, one of
the Western
diplomats
working on the
draft
asked Inner
City Press,
"Where did you
get it? Don't
--"
The
diplomat
seemed to be
urging that
the draft not
be published,
but did
not explain
why. Could it
be so no one
would know
what they
trade away?
(c) UN Photo
Amos arrives
with suitcase
- in Haiti.
Syria not
shown
We
work on the
premise that
those on the
moral
highground
benefit from
transparency.
Watch this
site.
Update
of 3 pm: as
Council
members went
in at 3 pm for
a briefing on
Sudan, one
delegation
told the press
the draft "is
not under
silence
procedure, we
are going to
discuss it."
Watch this
site.
, 
