By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 18 --
From the Istanbul
base of the
Syrian
Opposition
Coalition comes
word that the
coalition has
voted to attend
the Geneva II
talks: 58 for,
14 against,
and three
abstentions.
Less reported
is that some
44 members did
not attend or
vote. 44 plus
14 is... 58.
France back in
September
declared Ahmad
Jarba of the
Syrian
Coalition the
only
legitimate
representative
of the Syrian
people. Jarba
held a faux "UN
briefing" on
the clubhouse
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon gives
to the United
Nations
Correspondents
Association,
now known as
the UN's
Censorship
Alliance (they
also screened
a Sri Lanka
government
film denying
war crimes,
click here for
that.)
What will the
military
situation on
the ground in
Syria mean at
the talks in
Montreux and
then Geneva?
Well, at the
South Sudan
talks in Addis
Ababa, what
does the joint
SLPA - Ugandan
re-taking of
Bor mean? And
if Salva Kiir
can call in
Uganda to
"take out
rebels,"
without any
criticism by
the UN, why
can't...
We'll have
more on this.
Five
days before
the Geneva II
talks on Syria
begin (in
Montreux,
Switzerland),
the UN in New
York on
January 17 was
full of talk
about Syria.
There
are competing
events,
Norwegian
sponsored
Voices of
Syria
featuring
Amineh Sawan,
Heba Sawan,
Anas al-Dabas,
and another
event across
First Avenue
on
accountability,
featuring a pollster. There is
a Security
Council Arria
formula
meeting urging
women's
involvement in
Geneva II.
Back
on January
6, Inner
City Press asked
UN acting
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq if
the UN had
anything to
say about the
lack of women
in the South
Sudan peace,
or at least
ceasefire,
talks in Addis
Ababa:
Inner
City
Press: with
the talks in
Addis, many
people have
commented on
the lack of
women in
either side’s
negotiating
team, in light
of the things
the UN has
said under
resolution
1325 (2000)
and otherwise.
Does the UN
have any
response or
comment on
that?
Deputy
Spokesperson
Haq:
Certainly, we
support the
idea of the
parties coming
together at
Addis. This
is, as you
know, under
the auspices
of the
Intergovernmental
Authority on
Development
(IGAD). The
Secretary-General
has made very
clear that he
supports this
process and
you’ll have
seen the
statement that
we had issued
recently about
that. Beyond
that, of
course, we
hope that the
parties have
inclusive
delegations,
but I don’t
have any
specific
comment on who
is
representing
the various
parties.
Since
then, the UN
has said very
little about
the lack of
women in the
South Sudan
talks. On
Syria, two
days before
the Security
Council's
Arria formula
meeting about
women and the
talks, Syria's
mission to the
UN sent a four
page letter to
each Security
Council member
country. Inner
City Press has
obtained a
copy and puts
it online
here.
Notably,
Syria
contrasts the
status of
women before
2011 in Syria,
and since.
They pillory
an outside
cleric's call
for "marriage
Jihad"
(sometimes
called "sexual
Jihad") of
which they say
the marriages
can last for
as little as
an hour. They
denounce
"Takfiris and
Wahhabis."
They don't
directly name
Saudi Arabia,
but Inner City
Press has
confirmed the
obvious:
that's who
they mean.
Syria's
Permanent
Representative
to the UN
Bashar
Ja'afari, who
will attended
the talks, is
still in New
York, and will
speak at the
Security
Council's open
debate on
January 20
about the
Middle East,
then head to
Switzerland.
Ban Ki-moon
travels there
the same day:
same flight?
Seat or
cabin-mate?
There's still
that
outstanding "note
verbal," click
here for it.
At the
January 18
press
conference
after the
Arria formula
meeting on
women's
participation
in the Geneva
II talks on
Syria, Inner
City Press
asked Luxembourg
Ambassador
Sylvie Lucas
if the
Security
Council will
trying to same
approach to
the Addis
Ababa talks on
South Sudan.
Lucas replied
that this was
really a day
to talk about
Syria -- when
isn't it? --
but that on
South Sudan,
the hope is
for (more)
inclusive
participation
in a second
round of
talks.
But will there
BE a second
round, now
that Uganda
has helped
Kiir re-take
Bor? Watch
this site.
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