At
UN,
China Proposes
If Pillay
Briefs on
Syria,
Palestine
Should Be
Covered Too
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 9 --
Hours after French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
bragged on
Syria that
"Russia and
China who
didn't want to
hear
Mrs. Pillay
have been
obliged to
discover they
were ready to
accept
it," China has
proposed that
if Pillay
briefs on
Syria, she
should cover
Palestine as
well, Inner
City Press has
learned.
This
has thrown the
Council into
some chaos,
with Deputy
Permanent
Representative
emerging from
the Council to
seek
instructions
by cell phone
and
stern faced
proponents of
a Syria-only
briefing
declining to
speak.
Word
of the impasse
spread. Syrian
Permanent
Representative
Bashar
Ja'afari told
Inner
City Press, if
she briefs it
should be on
more than one
topic --
precisely the
position put
forward by
China. Higher
level
diplomats
began to
arrive at the
Council at
1:30 pm, after
the normal UN
lunch
hour.
(c) UN Photo
Pillay,
d'Escoto and
HRW, Palestine
briefing not
shown
Inner
City Press
asked Gerard
Araud of
France,
"Palestine
briefing, is
there a
problem?"
"No,"
he
said, raising
his hand and
marching on.
Marching to
where? Watch
this
site.
Update
of
1:45 pm: now
it appears
that Council
chamber is
being set up
for a
procedural
vote, which
Araud had said
in the morning
would be
avoided.
Council mavens
say the last
procedural
vote was in
2007. And
now it comes
together:
Syria and
Palestine.
Watch this
site.
, 
