Annan's
UN
Briefing
Chides Syria
on Hama, Not
Homs, Says 90
Days Then
Review
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 24, updated
-- In five
pages and 33
numbered
paragraphs
Syria
envoy Kofi
Annan briefed
the UN
Security
Council
Tuesday
afternoon;
copies of his
briefing were
made available
to many
journalists at
once, sourced
to a "Security
Council
diplomat."
Update
4:58 pm:
meanwhile
another
Council
diplomat told
Inner City
Press that in
consultations,
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations
estimated it
would have 100
observers in
Syria in one
month's time.
Some asked, at
that rate the
300 won't be
hit until
three month or
the 90 day
(initial?)
mandate of the
Mission.
Update
5:28 pm:
Ambassador
Churkin of
Russia came
out an the
report above,
that DPKO said
could only
deploy 100
observers in
one month.
Inner City
Press views of
another
Permanent
member's
Permanent
Representative,
more soon.
Here's
scan of
Annan's
briefing Pages
1
2
3
4
5
There
were many on
the one hand,
on the other
hand echoes in
Annan's
briefing. He
cited
"Homs, where
violence has
dropped
significantly
in response to
presence of a
very small
number of
observers."
But he also
said
he was
"particularly
alarmed by
reports that
government
troops
entered Hama
yesterday...
killing a
significant
number of
people."
So
what did Annan
do? He told
the Council,
"Two observers
have been
stationed in
Hama today."
As
Inner City
Press reported,
Norwegian
General Robert
Mood went into
the Security
Council
minutres
before Annan's
briefing
began; the UN
has declined
for two days
running to
state whether
Mood is being
paid by the UN
at
this point.
On
the political
process, Annan
told the
Council he
"will request
the President
of Syria to
appoint an
empowered
interlocutor."
That is an
interlocutor
on reform --
possibly Prime
Minister Adel
Safar -- not a
replacement
for Bashar al
Assad in
power.
Annan
said "the
Mission has
been mandated
for an initial
period of 90
days and will
then be the
subject of
assessment and
review."
Ambassador
Susan
Rice said on
April 21 that
"we
will
not wait 90
days to pursue
measures
against the
Syrian
government if
it continues
to violate its
obligations."
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
As
the Annan
briefing
continues,
Sudan's top
two UN
diplomats
arrived,
followed by
another UN
envoy Haile
Menkerios. The
Sudans
were the topic
of the
briefing to
follow
Annan's,
seemingly of
lesser
interest
despite the
drums of
inter-state
war.
Another
Norwegian,
Hilde Johnson,
was slated to
brief, from
Juba where it
would be
midnight. We
will cover
this too.
, 
