By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
22 -- In the
run up to the
vote on a
resolution to
refer parts of
the conflicts
in Syria to
the
International
Criminal
Court, the Syria
Coalition
quotes French
president
Francois
Hollande that
""France will
spare no
effort in the
Security
Council to
pass a
resolution
allowing the
referral of
the Syrian
file to the
International
Criminal
Court."
Russian
Ambassador Vitaly
Churkin
already
announced
Russia will
veto the
resolution,
calling it a
"publicity
stunt."
Ahmad Jarba,
president of
the Syrian
Coalition,
announced that
“we along with
our allies are
going to take
moves to stop
the farcical
elections that
the Assad
regime intends
to hold."
According to
the Syrian Coalition,
"Hollande
denounced the
presidential
elections
which the
Assad regime
intends to
hold 'in utter
disregard for
the grave
times Syria is
going through
and at a time
when millions
of Syrians
have been
displaced.
These
elections are
illegal, and
the situation
in Syria
requires more
attention by
the
international
community.'
Hollande also
said that an
embassy for
the Syrian
Coalition in
Paris will be
opened in
Paris."
But the Syrian
Coalition's
representative
in France
Munther
Makhous
complained
about Francois
Hollande, as
so many in
France do:
"The
French
president
pledged that
he would give
the Paris
office of the
Syrian
Coalition all
the legal
powers
necessary to
operate as an
official
Syrian Embassy
in the future,
but designated
no official
target date
for it to be
done. Hollande
also told us
that he hoped
that all the
legal and
political
powers enjoyed
by an embassy
would be
granted to the
Syrian
Coalition
which has
already been
recognized as
the sole
legitimate
representative
of the Syrian
people.
However, the
granting of
legal powers
to the Syrian
Coalition
needs to be
approved by
the UN
Security
Council."
This last is
unclear --
France
certainly
didn't get a
Security
Council vote
to host an
event in the
UN last
September at
which it
declared Ahmad
Jarba the sole
legitimate
representative
of the Syrian
people.
But some
wonder, if
France is
handing out
"diplomatic
mission"
status, why
not to the
MNLA? Click
here for that.
Back on May 14
when the
Syrian
Coalition's
Special
Representative
to the UN, Dr.
Najib
Ghadbian, held
a press
conference in
New York,
Inner City
Press asked
him of the
significance
of the Obama
administration
designating
the Coalition
as a “foreign
mission,” and
of responses
to the
Coalition's
requests for
weapons. Video
here.
Ghadbian
called
US “foreign
mission”
status
symbolic and
political as
well as legal.
He said the
Coalition
would like to
take over
Syrian
embassies and
consulates,
and to get
Syria's seat
at the League
of Arab States
which it had
in one Summit
but not since.
On
weapons
Ghadbian
called the
Coalition's
meetings in
Washington
with members
of both houses
of Congress,
from both
parties,
productive,
and said
they'd like a
pilot program
like the TOW
missiles. Video here. This may cause some
response.
Inner
City Press
also asked
about the
pending
France-US
draft Security
Council
resolution to
refer some
parts of the
conflicts in
Syria to the
International
Criminal
Court.
Ghadbian
acknowledged
that some --
he mentioned
African
countries --
don't like the
ICC but said,
these are the
international
institutions.
He predicted
that Russia,
but perhaps
not China,
will veto any
ICC referral.
Human Rights
Watch did not
appear, as
advertised, at
the press
conference;
Ghadbian
apologized,
and thanked
his staff. He
said he will
be back soon
to talk about
starvation.
Watch this
site.
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