Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

At UN on Syria, Brazil "Elements" Based on IBSA Considered, Vehicle Deferred

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 2 -- As the Syria "drafting session" of the UN Security Council took a break late Tuesday morning, various Council members said there's an attempt to bridge the European's draft resolution and a set of "elements" put forward by Brazil, also on behalf of India and South Africa.

South African Permanent Representative Baso Sangqu told Inner City Press that the form or format is not yet set -- resolution or statement -- but that the Brazil elements represent IBSA. This was clarified: it is a Brazilian proposal based on IBSA's position.

The danger, a well placed IBSA source told Inner City Press, is that even if the sides agree on substance, they have not and may well not agree on the "vehicle" - that is, if it's a resolution.

Amb. Viotti of Brazil, with Hardeep of India and Churkin: elements not shown

  Meanwhile a western spokesman tried to tell the press to make sure to confront Russian Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin with the reported comments of his foreign minister Lavrov, that Russia is not necessarily opposed to a Council resolution.

One assumes that Churkin, even just back from a trip to Tibet and Mongolia, is well in touch and in synch with his capital. But we will ask. Watch this site.