On
Syria,
A "P5 +
Morocco"
Slated for US
Mission, Of
Lavrov &
Kofi Funding
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 7,
updated -- On
Tuesday a US
drafted
resolution on
Syria was the
topic of a
meeting in the
Security
Council among
the Permanent
Five members
of the Council
plus Morocco
for the Arab
League.
Now
Inner City
Press has
learned from a
participant
that another
session is
planned for
Wednesday,
March 8 at the
US Mission to
the UN.
Notably,
the draft
would call on
the government
of Syria's
forces to stop
violence and
pull out of
towns, and
then for the
armed
opposition
groups to
stop. This
differs from
the Russia
proposed "in
conjunction"
amendment that
was rejected
before Russia
and China cast
vetoes a month
ago.
A
Council
member's
Permanent
Representative
told the Press
on Wednesday
that, "with
Russia and now
China visiting
Damascus
twice, and now
presenting a
six point
plan, we have
to be
optimistic."
Hardeep
Sing Puri, the
Permanent
Representative
of India,
again on
Wednesday
predicted no
Council action
until after
the trips to
Syria of envoy
Kofi Annan and
UN
Humanitarian
chief Valerie
Amos, who's to
brief the
Council on
March 13 from
Helsinki about
her visit.
With Russian
foreign
minister
Lavrov slated
to be at the
UN in New York
on March 12,
is it all
coming
together, this
time without
last minute
amendments and
rejections?
Inner
City Press has
again asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's top
two spokesmen
for specifics
about envoy
Kofi Annan's
mission, team
and funding.
Watch this
site.
Update
of 3 pm - as
the Security
Council
reconvened,
this time on
Libya,
Moroccan
Ambassador
Loulichki told
the press he
did not attend
the P5 &
Morocco - "my
assistant
did."
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