After
Syria
Blocked a
Swede, Finns
Ready With 10,
UN Stonewalls
Still
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 25 -- As
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesman
refused for
the third day
in a row to
describe the
status
with the UN of
Norwegian
General Robert
Mood, the
Permanent
Representatives
of two member
states told
Inner City
Press that
that
nationality of
the individual
Syria blocked
was Swedish.
Why,
one of them
asked, would
Syria block a
Swede and
accept as
UNSMIS Force
Commander
a Norwegian?
Haven't both
countries been
affiliated
with the Group
of
Friends on
Syria?
But
that Group's
membership has
remained
fluid, with
few countries
attending the
last
meeting in
Paris. The
meeting in
Turkey was
better attend.
Will all
those
countries be
blocked?
Tuesday
evening
Inner City
Press asked US
Ambassador
Susan Rice:
Inner
City
Press: I saw
that General
Mood seemed to
at least, go
into
the-at the
beginning of
the meeting,
Major General
Robert Mood,
is he
the Chief
Military
Observer or
did he stay
for the
meeting, and
if
so, in what
capacity?
Ambassador
Rice:
He was in the
room. He
didn't speak.
And I can't
get ahead of
what the
Secretary-General
is going to
decide.
Nothing has
been
announced to
my knowledge.
Tuesday
night
there were
reports that
Mood already
had the job,
even talk of a
letter from
Ambassador
Rice "taking
note" of Ban's
appointment of
Mood. At the
UN's noon
briefing on
Wednesday,
Inner
City Press as
the only media
asked about
Mood's
presence in
the
previous day's
Security
Council
consultations,
and status
with the
UN.
Ban's
Deputy
Spokesman
Eduardo Del
Buey said he
"had nothing"
on that,
but might have
something
later. We'll
be waiting.
Inner City
Press also
asked about
the public
offer by
Finland to
send 10
observers, who
they are
already
training. Del
Buey declined
to respond to
the offer,
claiming that
UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
"The Drone"
Ladsous is
working as
fast as it
can. That's
not what some
Security
Council
members say.
Finland is a
candidate for
a Security
Council seat,
competing for
one of two
WEOG seats
with Australia
and
Luxembourg.
Will either or
both of these
countries also
offer
observers?
Watch this
site.
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