On
Syria, ICP Asked de Mistura If
Trump's Safe Zone Had Come Up,
He Says Nikki Haley Didn't Raise
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
January 31 – When the UN's
Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura
took questions on January 31,
Inner City Press asked him
among other things if the Trump
administration's proposal for
safe zones in Syria (and
Yemen) had been discussed.
Video here.
No, de
Mistura said, new US
Ambassador to the UN Nikki
Haley hadn't raised it. Some
wondered if that reflects the
irrelevance to which the UN
sank under Ban Ki-moon. We'll
see.
When Russia's Ambassador to the
UN Vitaly Churkin announced on
Friday December 30 that he hoped
for a unanimous vote on New
Year's Eve at 11 am on a
resolution endorsing his
country's and Turkey's ceasefire
plan in Syria, Inner City Press
asked him which groups are
included. Video
here.
But at 11 am, Churkin
said other Council members are
difficult, and said they might
not vote until "tonight" - New
Year's Eve. Journalists laughed,
nervously.
The Ambassador of New
Zealand, leaving the Security
Council later in the day after a
two year term, said
clarification is needed as to
what is exempt from the
ceasefire -- all of Idlib? --
and that there's a problem with
endorsing. Video
here.
But after language was changed
to welcoming with some other
amendments, final
version Tweeted here, the
Security Council members
returned at 1 pm and adopted the
resolution. Afterward for the US
Mission to the UN Deputy
Ambassador Michele
Sison, not Samantha Power,
gave a speech of skepticism,
as did the UK's Peter Wilson.
There were no right of reply,
and the Syrian delegation did
not speak.
After the meeting
came the ritual changing of the
flags. New Zealand, for one,
watched its being removed. The
delegations of Bolivia,
including Permanent
Representative Sasha Llorenti,
and of Kazakhstan
took photos with their flags. Video here.
***
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