Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

At UN on Syria, Western Move Toward Vote on A Resolution, Isolation Games

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, May 4 -- Following Lebanon blocking a UN Security Council press statement on Syria last week, the new Western strategy is to introduce and call for a vote a full resolution, to “make counties publicly show their positions,” well placed Council sources tell Inner City Press.

Press and Presidential Statement require unanimity in the Council, in essence giving each country a veto. By contrast, votes can be called in the open chamber on resolutions, like the same Western Three did for example to propose sanctions on Zimbabwe, which both Russia and China vetoed. Would they do so here?

As Inner City Press exclusively reported, in a closed consultation of the Permanent Five members on Syria, both Russia and China expressed a willingness to negotiate around a press statement about the violence there.

Ban & Assad, no UN envoy (or UNSC press statement) shown

A Western Permanent Representative later mused to Inner City Press that Russia and China only took that position because they knew that Lebanon would block consideration of the statement.

That triggered an open meeting and speeches, during which Lebanese Permanent Representative Nawaf Salam was handed a note about another Permanent Representative which as exclusively reported by Inner City Press suggested that the open meeting hadn't been such a good idea after all.

Now the question arises: would a Western sponsored resolution, meant to “isolate” Russia and China, be a good idea? Watch this site.

On Syria, Russia & China Willing to Negotiate Press Statement, Lebanon Blocked

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 28 -- The morning after the UN Security Council failed to agree on a press statement about Syria, triggering an open meeting and subsequent media stakeouts, Council sources have described to Inner City Press the counter-intuitive background to the failure to agree.

In a closed meeting of the Permanent Five members of the Security Council, before the full Council held consultations, both Russia and China expressed a willingness to negotiate about the draft press statement.

During that meeting, a source quotes the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, Mark Lyall Grant, as saying that the goal was to address media pressure about Syria, and that the UK has or had no intention to become substantively involved in Syria.

More solidly, in the consultations of the full Council that followed, the UK announced that one member was opposed, that no consensus was possible and that an open meeting would be held.

It was known, even at the time of the P-5 consultations, that at least one member -- Lebanon -- had instructions not to agree to any Security Council press statement, which under Council rules requires unanimity.

In the consultations of the whole Council, there was no discussion of the draft press statement.

Even a Western member has confirmed to Inner City Press that Russia and China on April 27 expressed a willingness to negotiate around the press statement on Syria, albeit with “substantial changes,” as the Western member puts it, implying that Russia's and China's willingness may have been made easier by their knowledge that Lebanon would block any press statement.

During the open meeting, both Russia and China described the situation in Syria as sensitive, with China referring to the possibility of impacting the global economic recovery. Lebanese Ambassador Nawaf Salam's speech referred to the close historical ties between Syria and Lebanon.

Afterward in media stakeouts, after French Ambassador Gerard Araud described France's “four prong” strategy, Inner City Press asked Syria's Permanent Representative Bashar Ja'afari about Lebanon's position, and what his vote count was.

Ja'afari said, you know the dynamics of the Council, if you have the P-5 you can move forward, implying that Russia and China had opposed discussion of any press statement. This is how many reported it. But this, and not that, is true.

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On Syria, Security Council Member Tells Lebanon That Open Meeting Wasn't a Good Idea, All Claim Victory

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, April 27 -- During the public session of the UN Security Council on Syria Wednesday afternoon, a handwritten notes was passed to Lebanon's Ambassador Nawaf Salam which said, as recounted to Inner City Press by its author, “Open meeting was not such a good idea after all.”

Syria, at least publicly, thinks differently. Its Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told the press after the meeting that a Western attempt to hijack the Security Council's Middle East agenda item had failed.

Inner City Press asked Ja'afari what he estimated the vote count to be in the Security Council. You know the dynamics of the Council, Ja'afari told Inner City Press, if you have the Permanent Five members you can do what you want. He emphasized that Russia and China were with him.

Ja'afari ignored and did not answer Inner City Press' question about Lebanon's position.

But sources in the Council tell Inner City Press that Lebanese Ambassador Nawaf Salam, who later received the above-quoted note, was opposed to the Council issuing any press statement on Syria.

The struggle in Beirut between the Hariris' Future Movement, described by some as supporting the demonstrators in Syria, and those aligned with Hezbollah plays itself out in the positions that Salam takes in New York.

When Inner City Press asked French Ambassador Gerard Araud, usually voluble on Lebanon, what he made of Salam's speech and position during the Council's open meeting, Araud said to “ask Lebanon.”

Communications to Lebanon, as noted, were in writing. And in the UN Security Council things get more surreal, or UNreal, every day.

Footnotes: Araud emphasized to the press France's strategy to hold Assad to account in the UN Human Rights Council -- on which Syria is seeking a seat. The US is opposing Syria's bid, while Ja'afari on Wednesday condemned the US for giving "six million dollars... to Barada TV" based in London. (Ja'afari cited the Washington Post, after saying "don't believe media accounts.") Meanwhile Barada TV says it has an annual budget of only $1 million. We'll have more on all this. Watch this site.

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At UN, Open Meeting on Syria after Statement Blocked- by Lebanon, Sources Say

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 27 -- On Syria, when diplomats emerged from the UN Security Council Wednesday afternoon to say there was no consensus that the Council should issue a press statement, many assumed it was Russia, and perhaps China, which had inside blocked the statement.

Russia, it is true, last week blocked a statement on Yemen. Inside the Council, the Russians ultimately blamed it on the leak of the draft statement, which Inner City Press exclusively published while Russia said it was waiting for instructions.

But in explanation of the blockage Wednesday afternoon, which triggered an open meeting of the Council, well placed sources tell Inner City Press it was Lebanon which said in consultation it had instruction not to agree to a press statement of any kind.

This, a source said, is Syria's position. A Council Press Statement requires all 15 to agree, so without Lebanon it would not be possible. Watch this site

Click for Mar 1, '11 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund. Video Analysis here

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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