France
Says Russia
& China
Didn't Want
Syria Briefing
But
"Obliged to
Accept"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 9 --
The day after
France
was accused by
several
other UN
Security
Council
members of
"grandstanding"
on
Syria,
Inner City
Press asked
French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
on his
way into the
Council if
they thought
there will be
a procedural
vote,
as Araud had
requested or
threatened,
about
scheduling a
briefing on
Syria by High
Commissioner
on Human
Rights Navi
Pillay.
After
Araud
requested the
briefing and
threatened the
procedural
vote on
Thursday,
Russian
Ambassador Vitaly
Churkin came
out and told
Inner
City Press
that "before
anything
happened they
spread the
rumor
that Russia
and China were
against,
and they start
writing that
Russia and
China are
against it. We
almost had a
deal on how to
do
it. The usual
culprits were
as usual all
confused about
things."
Friday
morning
Araud answered
Inner City
Press'
question of if
he expected a
procedural
vote (in
fairness we
transcribe in
full) -
"No,
I
don't think,
actually,
because by
asking for a
procedural
vote,
everybody had
to reveal its
position, so
the opponents
saw they were
in the
minority so
they will be
obliged to
accept, that
was the whole
of what I've
tried. Of
course we were
not going to a
procedural
vote.
But it meant
that Russia
and China who
didn't want to
hear Mrs.
Pillay have
been obliged
to discover
they were
ready to
accept it. So
we will have
Mrs. Pillay. I
am sure that
today they
will say they
accept to have
it but in
consultations."
Consultations
are
closed to the
press and
public. Inner
City Press
asked, so you
mean a
closed
briefing?
"Yes,"
Araud
said.
(c) UN Photo
Araud
previously at
a stakeout,
humanitarian
corridors not
shown
Previously,
after French
foreign
minister Alain
Juppe
said he had
charged Araud
with pushing
for
consultations
in the
Security
Council about
France's
proposal of
humanitarian
corridors in
Syria, Churkin
told Inner
City Press
that Araud in
his bilateral
meeting with
Churkin as
December's
Council
president had
not even
mentioned
Syria.
While
the Pillay
briefing
may well now
take place,
some wonder if
pre-picking
fights and
gloating about
winning a
fight that,
according to
Churkin, was
illusory or
misrepresented
is the best
way to
actually seek
Council action
on
Syria, or is
simply...
grandstanding,
as several
Council
members put
it on
Thursday.
We'll see --
watch this
site.
, 
