On
Syria, Brahimi
Tells ICP
Atrocities on
Both Sides,
"Not in
Number But
Yes"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 29, updated
-- After
Lakhdar
Brahimi
briefed the UN
Security
Council on
Tuesday,
Council
President
Masood Khan of
Pakistan came
out to speak
to the media.
Inner City
Press asked
him about the
follow up
meeting of
Brahimi and
the Permanent
Five members
of the
Council:
didn't this
devalue the
Council as a
whole?
Khan
said no, the
P5 meeting
could be very
valuable.
When
Brahimi came
out, the
Department of
Political
Affairs
spokesman is
the one who
chose the
questions.
They went one
way; afterward
Brahimi
walked over to
Inner City
Press, what
was the
question?
"Did
you tell the
Council that
both sides
have committed
"equally
atrocious
crimes"?
Not
by numbers,
Brahimi said.
But yes,
atrocities.
During
the
meeting, a
Security
Council
diplomat told
Inner City
Press that
while Brahimi
was pushing
for a
resolution
based on the
Geneva
declaration,
he wants Assad
to go. The
diplomat,
anonymous
because
not the
Permanent
Representative
authorized to
speak on the
record,
said that made
it a
non-starter.
Another
pointed out
that what
Brahimi
actually said
was that the
Geneva
communique
clearly means
that Assad
should have no
role in the
transition,
which is
(slightly)
different. We'll
see. Watch
this site.
, 
