On
Syria,
Russia Won't
Accept Chapter
7, China Too,
Rice Won't
Discuss Red
Lines, Araud
Will
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Partial
exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 12,
updated -- In
what several
Security
Council
members tell
Inner City
Press is
"brinksmanship,"
US Ambassador
Susan
Rice's July 11
closed door
statement
first reported
by Inner City
Press that the
US will only
support a
Syria
resolution
under Chapter
7 was
countered July
12 by Russia.
Russian
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Pankin came
out of the
Security
Council
before 10 am
from a meeting
of the five
Permanent
Members and
joked
to Inner City
Press that
things looked
"bright and
shiny."
Moments
later he
clarified his
bright line,
saying the
Russia will
not agree to
Chapter 7,
that it is a
"red line."
Later China's
Li Baodong
exclusively
told Inner
City Press "we
have a problem
with that as
well. We
support a
renewal of the
mandate, as
requested by
Kofi Annan."
Inner
City
Press asked
Ambassador
Rice about
this as she
left the
Peacebuilding
debate in the
Security
Council later
on July 12.
She
answered that
she does not
like to
disclose the
US' red lines,
"especially
not in the
press." Or
would that be
the Press?
Meanwhile
the 11 am
experts
meeting on
Syria that had
been scheduled
as reported by
Inner
City Press for
the UK mission
was moved to
the
consultations
room of
the Security
Council. Why?
A member told
Inner City
Press, "we
have two
drafts" - the
UK and the
Russian -- "so
we had to
find a neutral
venue." And so
it goes at the
UN.
Update
of 1 pm --
Inner City
Press asked
French
ambassador
Gerard Araud
if Chapter 7
is a red line.
"Yes," he
said. "On both
sides." Watch
this site.
, 
