On
Syria, Saudis
Belatedly
Brief African
Group, On 120
Votes,
Bill Clinton
Buzz
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 2 --
Late Thursday
on the eve of
the Friday
morning
General
Assembly vote
on Saudi
Arabia's
resolution
about Syria,
the
Saudi
Permanent
Representative
belatedly met
with the
African Group
on 47th
Street.
Inner
City Press,
which in
three
articles
this week
questioned why
the
Saudis met
with all
regional
groups except
Africa, heard
about the
meeting and
went to stake
it out, the
only media in
front. The
Saudi
Permanent
Representative
smiled as he
left, saying
"you are
everywhere."
African
diplomats
said "he had
to come" and
"he came just
to
say he had."
One let it be
known that the
UK has said
there are
already 120
votes for the
watered down
Saudi
resolution.
But
there are
still
disputes, for
example
whether the
resolution
should
"welcome"
decisions of
the Arab
League, or
merely "note"
them. This is
another right
about "regime
change" and
sanctions,
even with
those words
technically
out of the
text.
Another
proponent
of the amended
resolution
told Inner
City Press he
expects
125 votes in
votes, while
having
projected only
70 if it had
not been
amended.
The draft,
which Inner
City Press
obtained from
a well placed
member state
after 5 pm on
August 1, is
set for voting
August 3 at 11
am (not 10 am
as French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
said on camera
midday
Thursday, just
to clear that
up). Inner
City Press is putting the
draft online
here.
Buzzy
footnore:
Speculation
of who might
replace Kofi
Annan is rife,
one source
telling Inner
City Press
that Bill
Clinton, who
essentially
admitted the
UN brought
cholera to
Haiti, is
in the mix.
Others
note that the
UN's
outgoing Libya
envoy Ian
Martin, who
tried to put
200
military
personnel in
there until
Libya opposed
it, might
be ready
for a new and
more exciting
post. There is
of course
Ibrahim
Gambari,
leaving the
Darfur mission
-- but he has
another post
in mind. Watch
this site.
, 
