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

Syria Alleges Terrorism But Rice Calls It a Diversion, As Ban Cites Gaddafi

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 8 -- The split between the Syria statements of envoy Kofi Annan and his successor as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is growing more pronounced, with Annan on Tuesday pointing out some improvements in the country.

  Meanwhile Ban, according to the Atlantic Council where he spoke on Monday night, said that Bashar al Assad might face the same fate of Liberia's Charles Taylor or even Libya's Gaddafi.

  One wondered: is Ban now celebrating the role of the gun in Gaddafi's on-camera end?

  Inner City Press asked Syrian Permanent Representative Bashar Ja'afari about Ban's statement, and Ban's difference from Annan. (Some say that Ban's material is increasingly written in Washington, where he delivered the Monday night remarks).

Ja'afari stayed diplomatic, saying that ten days ago he urged Ban to support Annan's mission and stay positive and that he now reiterated this "humble request."

Ja'afari said that his country is fighting terrorists, specifically Al Qaeda. He said, when Al Qaeda attacks the US, the Security Council jumps into action. But the Council treats Syria differently.

(Not all of the Council. Indian Permanent Representative Hardeen Singh Puri told Inner City Press that while there are "still some problems," Annan mission has "had some calming effect.")

Inner City Press asked US Ambassador Rice about the claim of terrorism and Al Qaeda in Syria. Rice called this "substantially a diversion," while noting that "we've seen-frankly seen foreign fighters in Syria-transit Syria-for years on their way into Iraq, and there may be a flow in the opposite direction."

  As her stakeout's final question, Inner City Press asked Rice about the US position on Guinea Bissau, where ECOWAS and its appears the Security Council are ready to grant 12 months to military coup leaders.

  Rice said "Guinea Bissau and Syria are far apart, so let's take them one at a time." Okay, different continent, but the concept of democracy connects or should connect them. On Guinea Bissau, she said the US wants to increase pressure on the coup leaders, and mentioned sanctions.

  Rice said, "we're going to continue in partnership with others to increase the pressure on the regime and work toward the swiftest possible restoration of a democratic government." Twelve months is the swiftest possible?

  Yesterday the ECOWAS minister told Inner City Press that a full year is needed, for such things as review of the voters' rolls. Is the Security Council's -- and the US' -- approach to democracy different in Syria and Guinea Bissau? It sure looks like it...

On Syria, a European source directed Inner City Press to the opposition's changing tactics in Aleppo, and to the number of pending visa requests for observers. UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous refused again to speak to the press.

French Ambassador Gerard Araud explained his own refusal to speak: "We are in an electoral period in France, so I am awaiting my new authorities to arrive." Some are hoping that means a new Permanent Representative, including in the spirit of the Arab Spring.

Other wonder if Francois Holland and his new foreign minister might move to replace Ladsous, who after all was an aide to Sarkozy minister Michele Aliot-Marie, when she flew on aircraft of cronies of Tunisian dictator Ben Ali. Watch this site.

From US Mission to the UN transcript:

Inner City Press: The Syrian government keeps saying that they're facing terrorism or foreign fighters. The ambassador just waived around a CD saying that these are confessions of foreign fighters, and he said that, if Al Qaeda attacks the United States, immediately people come to the Council but that the same thing should happen in this case. Is that totally specious? Are there any foreign fighters involved and what do you say about it? And I'm going to ask you one more thing about Guinea Bissau, I'm sorry to say, since it's on the Council's agenda-

Ambassador Rice: Hold on. Because Guinea Bissau and Syria are far apart, so let's take them one at a time. With respect to the challenge of terrorism and foreign fighters, I don't think anybody can say with complete certainty that there are not any foreign fighters in Syria. I mean we've seen-frankly seen foreign fighters in Syria-transit Syria-for years on their way into Iraq, and there may be a flow in the opposite direction. But this is substantially a diversion from the main point.

The main point is that the government continues to kill its own people, and having done so over the course of more than a year, it has created a situation in which people have taken up arms to defend themselves. Peaceful protesters and those who set out to address their concerns through peaceful means continue to do so. But there are some who have taken up arms in self-defense. And there are some who may be taking advantage of what is increasingly a violent and chaotic situation, who have extremist motivations and who may be doing this for reasons that have nothing to do with the aspirations of the peaceful protesters. And on Guinea Bissau?

Reporter: Very briefly. Some are saying that what the Council would consider doing or what ECOWAS is doing is essentially rewarding coups leaders-that there was a coup and that now the plan is to give them 12 months to make a transition and then have elections that were supposed to have already been held right about now. Does the U.S. support the ECOWAS plan and how does that comport with its commitment to democracy elsewhere?

Ambassador Rice: Well the United States has been very clear in condemning the coup. We have imposed sanctions on those who have committed the coup, and now Guinea Bissau's assistance is suspended pursuant to U.S. law. Our position on this and other situations where a government is overthrow by force is that that is completely unacceptable. We've said as a Council that there could potentially be consequences, including potentially sanctions on the coup regime. So, we're going to continue in partnership with others to increase the pressure on the regime and work toward the swiftest possible restoration of a democratic government.