As
Brahimi
Claims
Ceasefire, UK
Wants Access
in Statement,
Russia on
Spoilers
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 24,,
updated -- As
envoy Lakhdar
Brahimi
proceeds
apparently
without a full
time
spokesperson,
reportedly
saying early
Wednesday
in Cairo that
Syria agreed
to an Eid
ceasefire, at
the UN
Security
Council in New
York a Russian
draft press
statement is
still pending.
It
was deferred
on Tuesday in
order to get a
video briefing
from Brahimi
on Wednesday
morning.
Tuesday night
at a reception
for Hungary's
national day,
two well
placed
diplomats
predicted to
Inner City
Press
that a press
statement on
the ceasefire
-- not on
"terrorists
attacks in
Damascus" --
would issue on
Wednesday,
with language
urging the
Assad
government to
allow
humanitarian
access added.
Wednesday
morning
in front of
the Security
Council after
UN officials
including
Oscar
Fernandez
Taranco filed
in for
Brahimi's
video
briefing, UK
Ambassador
Mark Lyall
Grant was
asked about a
ceasefire and
statement. He
said
humanitarian
access should
be included in
any
ceasefire.
And, a wag
wondered, in
any Security
Council press
statement?
Russian
Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin
was asked if a
ceasefire
could hold. He
replied there
are "too many
players, too
many
spoilers,"
but said let's
hope so.
French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
was asked
about a
ceasefire. He
said, not for
the first
time, "the
proof of the
cake is in the
eating."
In English
that's usually
"pudding," but
who's
counting?
Also
discussed on
Syria at the
Hungarian
Mission on
Tuesday night
is a
draft Third
Committee
resolution, on
which Egypt
has had the
pen and
has convened
meetings
including
other Arab
states, and
some
Europeans. The
resolution may
soon be
introduced by
an Arab state.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
after
the
resignation or
end of mandate
of Brahimi's
spokesman
Ahmad
Fawzi, a point
was made of
naming two
separate
spokespeople
in his
place. But
hours after
Brahimi gave a
press
conference in
Cairo, the
transcript had
not been
e-mailed out
to the press,
as happened
under
Fawzi.
Update
of 10:50 am --
Inner City
Press is
informed that
Syria has
submitted
another letter
to Security
Council on 25
civilians
killed in
Douma in
an area it
says has no
Assad army
presence...
, 
