By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 18,
updated twice
-- After Saudi
Arabia
announced it
would not take
the UN
Security
Council seat to which it
was elected
yesterday
without
competition,
in front of
the Security
Council Friday
morning most
Ambassadors
entering for
day's meeting
declined
comment or
said, we are
trying to
figure it out.
(This was from
UK Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Peter Wilson.)
But
France's
Permanent
Representative
Gerard Araud
used the
announcement
in the way it
appears the
Saudis wanted.
He said France
understands
the Saudis
frustration.
He said
120,000 people
have been
killed in
Syria, most by
the "Assad
regime."
When a
reporter asked
about the
recent Council
"unity" around
the Syria
resolution,
Araud said
dismissively
that is only
about chemical
weapons.
France last
month sponsored
a meeting in
the UN's
ECOSOC Chamber
declaring
Saudi-supported
Syria rebel Ahmad al
Jarba the sole
legitimate
representative
of the Syria
people.
One wag mused,
will Saudi try
to give the
seat to Jarba?
Ban Ki-moon
met with Jarba
in his (UN
provided)
residence. Here is video of Ban speaking of
Saudi Arabia
Friday
morning:
Inner
City Press
checked with a
well-placed UN
Secretariat
source, who
told it
exclusively
that Qatar's
foreign
ministry
reached out
"in the middle
of the night"
(New York
time), right
after the
Saudi
announcement,
to ask what
the next step
will be.
So
does Qatar
want the seat?
They recently
had it. And
since they
compete with
Saudi Arabia
in which
Syrian rebels
to arm, and in
Egypt, if
Saudi has any
role in
picking a
replacement,
look for
United Arab
Emirates, for
example.
The
source told
Inner City
Press that
"nothing
starts until
Saudi Arabia
sends a note
verbale to the
Secretary
General." Ban
Ki-moon, going
into the
Council to
speak on
Women, Peace
and Security
(while his UN
Peacekeeping
continues
supporting the
Congolese Army
units
implicated in
135 rapes in
Minova last
November) had
no comment.
Neither did US
Ambassador
Samantha
Power, last
seen tweeting
about the Red
Sox and
Detroit.
Some
are predicting
that the US
will try to
talk Saudi
Arabia out of
it, trying to
make nice
after the
Saudis were
miffed by
President
Barack Obama's
telephone call
to Iran's
Hassan
Rouhani.
But either
way, the
Saudi's look
"bad," as one
Ambassador put
it to Inner
City Press.
"Their Perm
Rep thanked us
for our vote,"
the Ambassador
continued. "So
did he not
know?" See
tweeted photos
here,
and of
Saudi gift box
here.
Watch this
site.
Update
of 1:20 pm --
A Deputy Permanent
Representative
told Inner
City Press
that Saudi
Arabia would
meet the
President of
the General
Assembly
today. But
then, from
closer sourcing,
Inner City
Press is
informed that
the meeting is
canceled.
At
Friday's noon
briefing,
Inner City Press
asked Ban's
spokesperson
for any rules
on gifts (he
referred the
question to
the PGA's
office) and
when Ban last
spoke with the
Saudi
government or
ruling family.
He said he'd
check. Watch
this site.
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