On
Syria,
Annan Team
Won't Comment
on Funding
Rebels,
Confirms DPKO
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 2 -- In
the run up to
Kofi Annan's
closed door
briefing of
the UN
Security
Council about
Syria on
Monday, the
Friends of
Syria moved to
fund and aid
the rebels,
including a US
pledge of
communications
equipment.
Inner
City Press
asked Annan's
spokesman
Ahmad Fawzi
Does
the
Joint Special
Envoy have any
view of or
comment on the
decision
at the Friends
of Syria
meeting,
attended by
Deputy
El-Kidwa, by
Gulf
states to
start paying
money to armed
rebels in
Syria, andthe
possibility
that these
funds will be
used to
purchase
weapons? What
about the US
saying it will
provide
communications
equipment -
does
the JSE think
there should
be any
restrictions
on this? Will
you
confirm a DPKO
advance team
going early
this week, and
that the
proposal is
for 200 to 250
monitors?
Fazwi
responded,
but declined
comment on
assistance to
the rebels:
Subject:
Re:
Hi, Q on
outcome(s) of
Friends of
Syria meeting,
and DPKO
Date:
Mon, Apr 2,
2012 at 1:19
AM
To: Matthew
Russell Lee
[at]
InnerCityPress.com
From: Ahmad
Fawzi
I
will not make
any comment
unti after the
JSE briefs the
Council today
at
1000EST/1600CET.
I
can confirm,
however, the
DPKO advance
team getting
ready to send
advance team.
No comment on
figures, yet.
The
figures were
given out on
Thursday March
29 by a
"senior
Western
diplomat,"
seemingly
sourced from
the head of
DPKO, the UN
Peacekeeping
department,
who seen going
into the
Security
Council's
closed door
briefing on
Monday
morning. As
first reported
by Inner City
Press, he
has proposed
the use by the
UN of drones
-- some wonder
if they would
be useful, or
are already
fully in use
by various
parties, over
Syria.
Another
Security
Council
Permanent
Representative,
one of the
Elected Ten
and not
Permanent
Five, told the
press on
Friday March
31 on
background
that
what he knew
of DPKO's
plans he only
knew from
reading the
newspapers.
And so it goes
at the UN.
, 
