By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, September
6 --
Starting from
the beheading
of US
journalist
James Foley,
the Syrian Coalition
has pushed
harder to
equate Assad
and the
Islamic State,
and to present
themselves,
based in
Turkey, as a
key to
fighting ISIL.
On September 6
the Syrian
Coalition
issued a
statement
that:
"Nasr
al-Hariri,
Secretary
General of the
Syrian
Coalition,
calls on the
Arab League to
go beyond
political
recognition of
the Syrian
Coalition and
grant it full
legal
recognition as
the
representative
of the Syrian
people during
a meeting held
today with
Secretary
General of the
Arab League,
Nabil
al-Arabi.
"Al
Arabi invited
the Syrian
Coalition to
occupy Syria’s
seat in the
Arab League
tomorrow and
speak on
behalf of the
Syrian people.
'Fighting
terrorism
cannot be done
piecemeal,
therefore the
Arab League’s
resolution
must include
putting an end
to the terror
practiced by
the Assad
regime against
the Syrian
people,' Al
Hariri said
commenting on
the Arab
League’s
intention to
pass a
resolution to
confront
terrorism
during the
upcoming
ministerial
meeting."
There were
other
statements
aimed in advance
at this Arab
League
ministerial
meeting,
including
about Gaza,
from UNRWA:
"In
a speech to be
delivered
tomorrow
(Sunday), to
Arab League
Foreign
Ministers in
Cairo, UNRWA’s
Commissioner
General,
Pierre
Krahenbuhl,
will ask for
47 million
dollars for 4
weeks
emergency work
in Gaza.
"In his first
major policy
address since
the ceasefire,
Krahenbuhl
will tell the
ministers that
'there is a
crying need
for financial
support now,
today. Longer
term
reconstruction
must be
addressed but
will depend on
the outcome of
negotiations
on access for
building
materials. My
main message
to you today
is please do
not wait for
weeks before
providing
support.'
"In a message
to Arab League
Secretary
General, Nabil
al-Arabi he
will say
'UNRWA can
only carry out
these tasks if
it has the
funds to do
so. We depend
almost
entirely on
voluntary
contributions.
Secretary
General, you
kindly
co-chaired a
meeting with
Mr Ban Ki-Moon
in New York a
year ago which
generated a
renewal of the
commitment of
Arab
governments to
aim at
providing 7.8
% of UNRWA’s
programme
budget. I have
to say that
performance at
4% still falls
well short of
this target. I
urge your
members to
give more
generously to
allow UNRWA to
continue its
vital work.'
"The UNRWA
chief will
outline the
Agency’s plans
to open all
its school
institutions
in Gaza in 7
days time:
'In exactly
one week from
today the
schools will
reopen, a
remarkable
achievement so
soon after the
end of the
conflict. We
aim to open
252 schools in
over 130
school
buildings
educating
nearly a
quarter of a
million
children, many
of them deeply
traumatized,
but who will
be happy to
see their
friends after
the war. I
wish I could
take you all
there so you
could see for
yourselves
both the
laughter and
the tears. I
am sure you
all agree that
nothing is
more important
than the
education of
the next
generation and
of nowhere is
that more true
than in Gaza
today.'"
We'll see how
much support
for UNRWA
comes out of
the Arab
League -- and
how much
support for
the "coalition"
against ISIL.
Footnote:
Agence France
Presse, purporting
an
info-graphic
of journalists
killed last
year, listed
four as killed
"in Gaza."
Since all
other listed
jurisdiction
are full UN
member states,
some surmised
AFP's
nomenclature
let off the
hook the
killer of
those
journalists.
Despite
calling it
social media,
17 days later
AFP has not
responded.
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