At
UN
As Germany
Raises Syria,
Russia Say
Improper, Arab
Group
Meets - on
Iran
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 14 ,
updated - When
the UN
Security
Council met
for its
monthly
"horizon
briefing" by
the Department
of Political
Affairs on
Friday,
multiple
sources told
Inner City
Press that the
topics were
Somalia,
Madagascar and
sanctions.
On
sanctions, as
exclusively
reported
by Inner City
Press, a draft
resolution for
additional
sanctions on
Eritrea was
circulated in
Friday
morning's
session.
Not on agenda
but discussed,
according to
German
Ambassador
Peter Wittig,
was the issue
of
Syria.
Wittig
emerged from
the Council
and told the
press that he
had raised
Syria, saying
that
since the
double veto,
which Syria
celebrated as
a victory, the
crackdown had
continued.
Moments
later,
Russian Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Pankin
likewise told
Inner
City Press
what he had
said in
consultations:
that raising
Syria was
"procedurally
improper."
Pankin said,
"Somalia and
Madagascar
were on the
agenda. If you
want to raise
Syria, do it
the
proper way."
Wittig
& Russia's
Churkin, Syria
procedures
& Iran
synopsis not
shown
Clearly,
the rifts
in the
Security
Council
continue. So
too, it
appears, in
the Arab
group, which
met Friday
afternoon at
Qatar's
mission to the
UN at 809
UN Plaza,
source said on
the topic of
the alleged
Iranian plot
against Saudi
Arabia's
ambassador in
Washington.
Some
speculated
that the
locale and
topic meant
that Syrian
Permanent
Representative
Bashar
Ja'afari would
not attend.
But he
arrived,
smiling, at
4:05
pm. Moments
later
Somalia's
Permanent
Representative
went in,
followed ten
minutes later
by Morocco's
Permanent
Representative
Loulichki,
seeking a seat
on the
Security
Council in the
October 21
election.
We'll have
more on this -
watch this
site.
Update
of
6:11 pm -- a
source back
from the Arab
Group meeting
says a
statement on
Iran was
agreed, with
an oral
reservation by
Bashar
Ja'afari of
Syria, and
will go to the
Security
Council and
General
Assembly...
, 
