On
Syria, Feltman
on Arms Flows
Cites Iran,
Ja'afari Says
Brahimi Was
Misinterpreted
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 22 --
For
Wednesday's UN
Security
Council open
meeting on the
Middle East,
there was only
one speaker:
Jeffrey
Feltman, doing
his first such
briefing since
arriving from
the US State
Department.
Even
without the
ability to
reply, Syria's
Ambassador
Bashar
Ja'afari,
Palestine's
Riyad Mansour
and
representatives
from countries
ranging from
Egypt to North
Korea streamed
into the
Security
Council
chamber to
listen, and to
watch.
Afterward,
Inner City
Press asked
Palestine's
Mansour what
he thought of
Feltman and
his
presentation.
Mansour
exclusively
told Inner
City Press, "He
needs more
time to get
accustomed to
the culture
that exists
here."
On
Syria, Feltman
said he would
be brief: the
UNSMIS mission
is over, new
Joint Special
Representative
Lakhdar
Brahimi is
coming to New
York later
this week.
Feltman
said
that Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon is
concerning
about the flow
of arms to all
parties in
Syria -- then
mentioned only
Security
Council
Resolution
1747 on Iran
arms exports.
While it is
argued that is
the only
directly
applicable
Council
resolution,
Ban is allowed
to be
concerned, and
Feltman, to
speak about
arms flows
such as those
from Qatar and
Saudi Arabia.
But it did not
happened on
Wednesday.
After
the meeting,
Ja'afari was
asked about
Brahimi's
comment that
Syria is a
civil war,
which drew a
rebuke from
Damascus.
Ja'afari said,
"it's the
media, he was
misinterpreted."
But what about
the Syrian
National
Council's
angry claim
Brahimi said
it's too early
for him to say
Assad should
go? On that
Brahimi said
the SNC should
apologize to
him. Unique
mediation.
French
prime
minister
Ayrault
bragged that
his country
has said "yes"
to the SNC's
request for
protection,
presumably
meaning body
armor. But
will Brahimi
need
protection
from the SNC?
Again, on the
Palestine and
Israel part of
the briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Palestine's
Mansour what
he thought of
Feltman and
his
presentation.
Mansour
answered, "He
needs more
time to get
accustomed to
the culture
that exists
here. You're a
smart
journalist,"
you interpret.
OK. Watch this
site.
, 
