UNITED
NATIONS, June
3 -- Amid the
hoopla on UN
signings of
the Arms Trade
Treaty, Inner
City Press
asked the UK
minister
Alistair Burt,
Costa Rica's
minister, the
Red Cross and
Control Arms
how the ATT's
"Golden
Rule" would
apply to
arming the
rebels in
Syria.
Alistair
Burt
replied that
while the
expiration of
the EU's arms
embargo on
Syria provides
"flexibility"
that the UK
wanted, no
decision has
yet been made;
the goal was
to increase
pressure on
Bashar al
Assad.
But
Christine
Beerli of the
International
Committee of
the Red Cross
answered Inner
City Press
directly, that
providing arms
into Syria at
this time
would be
inconsistent
with the
spirit of the
ATT.
Control
Arms'
Anna MacDonald
pointed out
that the UK
and France are
already
covered by the
European
Union's common
position,
requiring risk
assessment.
But how did
that apply to
France
air-dropping
weapons
into the
Nafusa
Mountains in
Libya?
Costa
Rica's
minister,
meanwhile,
said the
situation in
Syria is the
perfect
example to
show why an
Arms Trade
Treaty is
necessary. At
least he took
questions at
the temporary
stakeout in
front of the
Trusteeship
Council
Chamber.
Mostly signers
simply held
signs
congratulating
themselves for
making
history. Fair
enough.
The
UN's Angela
Kane was also
on the panel,
and afterward
Inner City
Press asked
her a question
about Syria.
But that's
another story.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
At
the ATT press
conference,
the first
question was
taken by UN
Correspondents
Association
president for
2013, Pamela
Falk of CBS,
who asked for
a headcount of
how many
states signed
but won't get
ratification.
(Can you say,
USA?) As if to
make the
point, her
first vice
president,
Louis Charbonneau
of Reuters,
re-asked the
explicitly
American
question.
But
during the
morning, when
the
Security
Council
re-opened
without the
media
workspace that
existed
before and
during the
relocation,
and a small
work table set
up by
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
was
seized by a
"lady from
DPI," Falk,
Charbonneau
and UNCA did
nothing. We'll
have more on
this.
, 
