On
Syria,
Annan to Brief
SC on April 2,
Resolution on
Monitors,
Contact
with
Opposition?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 27 --
Things are moving fast
on Syria at
the UN, at
least
apparently.
Hours after
Joint Special
Envoy Kofi
Annan
announced that
the Syrian
government had
agreed to
his Six Point
Plan, Security
Council
president for
March Mark
Lyall Grant of
the UK
told the press
that Annan
himself will
brief the
Council Monday
at 10
am.
Inner
City Press
asked Lyall
Grant if the
Council
expected the
Syrian
opposition to
agree to
Annan's plan.
Lyall Grant
replied that
members of
Annan's
team are in
touch with the
opposition and
might have
something to
say
before Monday
at 10 am, or
at that time.
Inner City
Press has
inquired with
Annan's team.
Sources
in the
Council told
Inner City
Press that
already there
was discussion
of a
resolution for
sending UN
monitors to
Syria. The
source was
skeptical:
would they be
peacekeepers
from UNMIL or
UNDOF or
civilian
monitors?
A
well placed
European
source said
Assad can't
use lack of
opposition
agreement to
"stop shelling
villages." But
can he? Or
might a single
car
bomb derail
Tuesday's good
mood?
On
the way into
the Council
Tuesday
morning,
German
Ambassador
Peter Wittig
told the
press to be
cautious,
citing the
Syrian
government's
"credibility
gap."
Similarly,
France's
Gerard Araud
made a
gastronomic
reference,
that "the
proof is in
the" eating,
or pudding.
But
so too the
Council's
even-handedness.
During
Tuesday's
briefing by
the UN's
Robert Serry,
a Syrian
diplomat
complained to
Inner City
Press that
Serry had not
even mentioned
"the Syrian
Golan." Inner
City
Press asked
Lyall Grant if
this was true
and he
acknowledged
that it
was.
Inner
City Press
also asked
Lyall Grant if
his proposed
"Permanent
Representatives
Only" or PR
Plus 1 format
had made a
difference.
He called
things
slightly more
interactive,
noting that
some
countries came
with larger
teams. Watch
this site.
From
the
UK Mission
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: On
Syria, was it
the Council’s
expectation
that he
would seek a
similar
agreement from
the
opposition, or
members of
the
opposition?
Amb
Lyall
Grant: On the
first issue
there are
members of Mr
Annan’s
team that are
in touch with
the
opposition.
That clearly
is an
important
aspect of his
remit. And no
doubt there
will be
further
contacts
between now
and Monday
when he briefs
the Security
Council...
Inner
City
Press: Was the
Golan
discussed at
all? There was
some complain
that somehow
it hadn’t come
up. And also
what about
this new
format? This
format of PRs
only or PR
plus one. Was
it useful? Do
you
think it made
a difference
in the way
that issues
were
discussed?”
Amb
Lyall
Grant: Well,
the Golan
didn’t come up
at this
particular
discussion. In
terms of the
PR only
format, there
were some
Member
States who
were PR only,
there were
some that were
PR plus one,
and
there were
others that
had rather
more officials
with them. It
was an
initiative
that we tried
to develop – a
more
interactive
dialogue.
I think there
was a good
dialogue. It
was perhaps a
little bit
more
interactive, a
little bit
more frank
than some of
the
consultations
I’ve
participated
in, but it’s
an initiative
which we hope
that
other
presidencies
might look to
follow and
that may build
a bit of
steam in the
future. Thank
you very much.
, 
