Syria
Observing
Halt on
Fridays Not
Seen in Foggy
Bottom, W.
Sahara
Disparity
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
WASHINGTON
DC,
April 20 --
The US is
pushing for
full freedom
of movement
for UN
observers in
Syria, but was
apparently
beaten to the
initial punch
by
a resolution
circulated to
Security
Council
members by
Russia on
Friday
morning.
Inner
City Press
went to the US
State
Department
briefing and
asked
spokesperson
Victoria
Nuland about
the Russian
resolution,
and to compare
it on
the issue of
freedom of
movement to a
resolution the
US is prepared
to vote for
which accepts
surveillance
of the UN
Mission in
Western
Sahara by the
Moroccan
government.
Nuland
replied
that "I
understood
from my
colleagues in
New York, at
the US
Mission to the
UN, that we
are working
off a single
draft. I'm
going
to send you up
to them."
Not from them,
but even the
Russian draft
"Calls
upon the
Syrian
government to
ensure the
effective
operation of
UNSMIS by:
facilitating
the
expeditious
and unhindered
deployment of
its personnel
and
capabilities
as required to
fulfil its
mandate;
ensuring its
full,
unimpeded, and
immediate
freedom of
movement and
access as
necessary to
fulfil its
mandate;
allowing its
unobstructed
communications;
and allowing
it to freely
and privately
communicate
with
individuals
throughout
Syria without
retaliation
against any
person as a
result of
interaction
with UNSMIS."
On
the still
unanswered
contrast
between the US
position on UN
freedom of
movement
in Syria and
Western Sahara,
Nuland replied
that in
Morocco and
Syria
"the situation
is different,
the history is
different. In
case
of Syria, what
we have seen
all over the
country is
peaceful
protest
met with
regime
violence.. We
must make sure
we can
monitor."
Does
this mean
that the
people of
Western
Sahara's fight
for a
referendum on
self-determination
is not
peaceful? And
how about what
was said of
the UN always
standing up
for its
freedom of
movement?
In
fact, the
current UN
observers in
Syria seem to
be voluntarily
curtailing
their
movement, at
least on the
major protest
day of Friday.
Inner City
Press asked
Nuland about
this quote:
"'We
don’t
want to be
used as a tool
for escalating
the situation.
So we
will avoid
going out on
patrol on
Fridays,' said
Colonel Ahmed
Himmiche, head
of the initial
UN mission in
Syria."
This
was said
in
Damascus on
April 19,
and picked
up (and linked
to) by the New
York
Times on the
morning of
April 20.
Nuland said,
"I haven't
seen the
comments of
the Moroccan
lead" but the
issues "have
to be worked
out
through a
Security
Council
resolution."
A
meeting on
that
begins Friday
at 5 pm. Watch
this site.
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