On
Syria,
France's Vote
Prediction
False,
Conditions for
Dialogue
Disputed
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 29
-- On the way
into the Syria
consultations
of
the UN
Security
Council
Thursday
afternoon,
Russian
Ambassador
Vitaly
Churkin told
the press he
was "not
optimistic"
that a
resolution
would be
adopted. By
contrast
earlier in the
day, French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
predicted a
vote Friday or
Monday.
When
Indian
Ambassador
Hardeep Singh
Puri left the
consultations
after 5 pm, he
said that two
drafts had
been
considered --
the European
and the
Russian -- and
that a new
draft would be
circulated by
8 pm.
Both
he and
Churkin were
asked about
Operative
Paragraph 9,
providing that
if the
resolution is
not complied
with sanctions
would be
considered.
"Let's
respect the
sanctity of
negotiations,"
said Hardeep
Singn Puri.
"I'm
not
going there,"
Churkin said,
adding that
there should
be "no
ambiguity
about
dialogue," and
no
preconditions
to dialogue.
This
is similar to
the stand off
around Darfur
in Sudan and
the conditions
to implement
to so-called
Darfur Peace
Process. As
South Africa
said about
Darfur,
Russia said
Thursday about
Syria: you
can't wait for
the perfect
conditions to
have dialogue,
it must begin.
Ja'afari at
UN, fruitful
Ban and
tomato-throwing
at Ford not
shown
China's
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Wang was asked
which draft
would be
negotiated. He
paused then
said "the
current one"
to
laughter. Wang
headed to his
Mission, as
did the Press.
Watch this
site.
* * *
On
Syria,
France Speaks
of Friday,
Lebanon in
Chair - Russia
Not Optimistic
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 29,
updated -- In
the run up to
a Syria
resolution
meeting
of Security
Council
Permanent
Representatives
Thursday at 4
pm,
France's
Gerard Araud
predicted a
vote on Friday
or Monday,
saying
"We've waited
too long."
Russia,
meanwhile,
indicated
Thursday
morning that
it was not
ready to vote.
Then on his
way into the
Council at 4
pm Vitaly
Churkin of
Russia was
asked about
the chance of
passing the
resolution. He
said he was
"not
optimistics,"
that concerns
had not been
addressed.
Even others
supporting the
resolution
questioned a
vote on
the last day
of the Council
Presidency of
Lebanon, which
blocked a
press
statement and
disassociated
itself from
the
Presidential
Statement on
Syria. A
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
asked Inner
City Press
rhetorically,
"Why not wait
until Nigeria
takes
over?"
Sources
described
further
changes to the
draft,
including
extending the
time for
considering
adopting
sanctions to
30 days from
15 (and in
that
earlier draft,
reference to
adopting, not
considering
adoption) and
changing
vigilance over
weapons from
Syrian
authorities to
Syria
generally,
including the
opposition.
There
is also talk
of urging the
opposition to
be vigilant
about
extremism, and
the
freedom
of religion
issue
still bouncing
around. So is
the Council
ready to vote
on Friday, or
even Thursday
as one
Permanent
Representative
suggested?
Watch this
site.
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