On
Syria,
Power Changes
Sequence of
Stalling &
Requests, US
Blocked
Statement
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 6 --
After US
Ambassador Samantha
Power took
only
three
questions at
the on
September 5,
from CBS,
Reuters and a
Gulf
media,
some thought
she would take
more during
her hour-long
appearance
today at the
Center for
American
Progress in
DC. In this they
were
disappointed.
It
was supposed
to run from 2
pm to 3 pm.
But Power's
appearance was
20
minutes late.
The speaker
who introduced
her was openly
pro missile
strike. Then
Samantha Power
began.
It
was an edited
and selective
history of the
Syria issue at
the UN, to
say the least.
Power said
that the US
worked to set
up the UN
chemical
weapons
inspection
team -- but
did not
mention that
Syria was the
first to ask
for a UN
probe, of
chemical
weapons at
Khan al Asal,
Syria says by
the rebels.
Power
said that
Russia and
sometimes
China blocked
press
statements,
but
did not
mention for
example
the draft
press
statement on a
car
bombing in
Damascus
that, as Inner
City Press
covered, the
US blocked
in February of
this year.
The
promised
Geneva Two
talks had
already long
been delayed
before the
August 21
incident. But
Power said
that diplomacy
was stalled BY
the
August 21
incident at
Ghouta.
The
day after the
US invited
Security
Council
members and
some other
states, those
that asked the
UN to focus on
Ghouta, to the
US Mission
to see
evidence,
Power spoke of
countries
being
convinced. But
as
Inner City
Press reported
yesterday, one
attendee said
he was not
convinced by
the evidence;
another
said it was
the same shown
"back
in the capital."
Since
then other
attendees have
told Inner
City Press the
US invitation
was
directed
beyond the
Security
Council
members to
those
countries
which
wrote to
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon asking
for an
investigation
into the
August 21
incidents.
That's
the same group
the UN's
Angela Kane
invited to a
stealth
meeting in
the North Lawn
building
earlier this
week -- but
that, Syria's
Permanent
Representative
Ja'afari also
attended (and
spoke
afterward,
see Inner City
Press YouTube
here.)
While
some make much
of a Saudi
draft General
Assembly
resolution,
other
interested
countries tell
Inner City
Press "that's
on hold"
and speak of
another, quite
different
resolution.
There's
also
this question,
for the US:
would it
support a
Uniting for
Peace
resolution
which could
empower to act
on the issues
the US uses
its
veto for in
the Security
Council?
These
are questions
that should
have been, and
should be,
answered. But
well before 3,
when Samantha
Power stopped
talking, she
walked out
stage
left. The last
line? "Watch
for a Replay
at
video.state.gov."
President
Barack Obama
will give a
speech on the
evening of
September
10. Watch this
site.
Footnote:
left as a
footnote
because Darfur
is now being
turned into
one, Inner
City Press
asked the UN
on Friday
about reports
of deadly Sudanese army bombing in East Jebel Marra.
For UN
humanitarian
chief Valerie
Amos the UN
spokesperson
said, "Syria
only." Is that
the case at
the Mission
too?
, 
