At
UN
on Syria,
Annan Talks
Dialogue, Finances
Undisclosed,
Ban
Spaces
Question
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 29 --
When Kofi
Annan came to
the UN late
Wednesday, it
came after a
day in which
the Security
Council could
not agree on a
statement
demanding or
calling for
Syria to let
UN
Humanitarian
chief Valerie
Amos into the
country.
Annan
said
he will go to
Damascus, and
that he wants
to be the only
mediator. He
said the goal
is to stop the
violence, to
create
dialogue. He
said that some
may not want
dialogue but
the Syrians
caught in the
middle deserve
it.
Inner
City
Press attended
the photo op
-- Annan's
successor as
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon had
with him his
main adviser
Kim Won-soo,
his
outgoing
political
chief Lynn
Pascoe as well
as UN
Peacekeeping
and
other
officials --
and then Ban's
and Annan's
stakeout. Only
three
questions were
allowed, and
none dealt for
example with
Qatar's call
to arm the
opposition, or
even if Ban's
statement that
Assad lost all
humanity was
useful.
Annan
acknowledged
he hadn't
spoken to
Assad in some
years. Still
he was
notably more
alert, several
journalists
commented,
than Ban who
seemed to
space out even
during one of
the three
questions, if
he
would write a
letter to the
Syrian
government
describing
Annan's
mandate.
At
the
day's noon
briefing Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
spokesman
Martin
Nesirky:
Inner
City
Press: Just
now in front
of the
Security
Council, a
Syrian
diplomat said
that in fact
what they
asked [Amos]
where she
would go,
you know, her
goals. And
they claimed
that she
didn’t get
back to
them, but
issued a
statement.
rRelatedly,
the
spokesperson
for the
Syrian Foreign
Ministry has
said that they
have asked the
Secretary-General
for details of
Mr. Annan’s
mandate and
goals and
they expect,
quote, 'from
their point of
view, a letter
to that
effect.' Can
you respond to
it? One, is it
the case that
Amos was
asked for
information
that she
didn’t provide
to Syria--
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Ms. Amos.
Inner
City
Press: Ms.
Amos, I’m
sorry. That
Ms. Amos was
asked for
information
that she
didn’t
provide, as
they say, and
does Ban
Ki-moon intend
to write a
letter to
Syria
explaining the
precise, or
you know,
explaining
something
about the
goals of Mr.
Annan?
Spokesperson:
Well, on the
first, on Ms.
Amos’s
attempts,
repeated
attempts to
visit Syria,
there has been
a lot of
discussion — I
am not going
to
go into the
details of the
discussions
that have been
held — but it
is obvious, it
is obvious
that this is a
mission that
was given to
Ms. Amos by
the
Secretary-General,
getting on for
a week ago
now. And it is
obvious what
the key
purpose is —
and it says it
again in
the statement
— to meet
Syrian
officials at
the highest
level to
discuss the
humanitarian
situation and
the need for
unhindered
access
to the people
affected by
the violence.
And this is
something that
is
self-evident,
but has also
been discussed
at length with
the
authorities.
Inner
City
Press: I am
just asking
for a direct
response. They
say that
they asked for
information
from Ms. Amos,
and that she
did not
provide it
before issuing
a statement.
Is that the
case or not?
Spokesperson:
I will need to
check
categorically.
But, I cannot
imagine that
Ms.
Amos has not
been in touch
with the
authorities to
provide the
information
that they
require. And
let’s be
clear, this
is… the
Secretary-General
instructed Ms.
Amos, and Ms.
Amos was
extremely
willing and
ready to go,
and went
immediately,
and has been
in the
region ready
to go at a
moment’s
notice. And
that remains
the
case.
Inner
City
Press: Well,
what about
this quote
from the
spokesman for
the
Foreign
Ministry?
Spokesperson:
I have seen
what the
Foreign
Ministry
spokesman
said, Matthew,
and
as I have also
just said, the
Secretary-General
and his
Special Envoy
— the Special
Envoy of the
United Nations
and the League
of Arab
States — will
be meeting
this
afternoon.
That’s their
first
meeting. They
have obviously
spoken on the
telephone, but
this is
their first
meeting since
that
appointment. I
think they
will be
discussing
various
aspects, and I
am sure that
they will have
taken
note of what
the Foreign
Ministry
spokesman
said.
Then,
on
finances:
Inner
City
Press: Is it a
jointly
UN-Arab League
funded
mission? I had
asked the same
thing about
five days ago.
Is it funded
by the UN?
Has that been
decided yet or
is that to be
decided today?
Spokesperson:
I think the
precise
mechanics of
how this is
going to work
are being
worked out
with the
League of Arab
States and
obviously with
the
United Nations
working
together on
this. I think
there is a
really
important
point here;
the mechanics
are of course
something that
need
to be nailed
down. And some
of the
details, of
course, will
be made
known. But,
the key point
is to get on
with this as
quickly as
possible, and
for Mr. Annan
to be able to
get out there,
to get on
the road and
to try to make
a difference;
a difference
which we
believe that
he can make
given his long
experience and
the gravitas
that he brings
to this
position.
Inner
City
Press: the
question of
sort of who
pays who, when
it is known if
it can be
announced…
Spokesperson:
[inaudible]
and I think I
did answer
you.
Inner
City
Press: Say
again?
Spokesperson:
I heard what
you said, and
I did answer
you. Okay.
Inner
City
Press: who is
paying?
Spokesperson:
I said…
Sometimes I
think you
don’t actually
listen to what
I
say, Matthew.
Inner
City
Press: No, you
said I
answered it. I
know, my
question is
who
is going to
pay and I --
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
And I answered
you, to say
some of the
details are
being
worked out.
So
where
is the answer?
Watch this
site.
, 
