Syria
Coalition
Returns
Through UN's
Backdoor, UN Told
ICP, "Ask
UNCA"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 23
-- What is the
backdoor
through which
the Syria
rebels try to
get into the
United Nations?
It's through
the Executive
Committee of
the United
Nations Correspondents
Association.
In July 2013
they got in,
though after
questions in
September they
sent to a hotel.
Today they
entered again
through UNCA.
What changed?
As
noted, UNCA's
Executive
Committee,
described by
some in the UN
as heavy with
"Gulf and
Western media"
such as
Reuters, CBS,
Al Arabiya and
Agence France
Presse, previously
sponsored
Jarba in July,
and called it
a "UN
briefing."
Now, after
questions and
taking their
show on the
road to a
hotel during
the General Debate,
on March 14
the "UNCA
Office" under
President
Pamela Falk announced
UNCA
will hold a
press
conference
with the
Syrian
Opposition's
Chief
Negotiator in
Geneva Mr.
Hadi Al Bahra,
TODAY, Friday,
March 14th at
1:00pm in the
UNCA Meeting
Room S-310.
Please
see Mr. Al
Bahra's bio
below: Hadi Al
Bahra: Mr.
Hadi al Bahra
is the
Syrian
opposition's
Chief
Negotiator in
Geneva,
Secretary of
the
Political
Committee of
the National
Coalition of
Syrian
Opposition
and
Revolutionary
Forces'
(Etilaf), and
adviser to
Syrian
Coalition
President
Ahmad
al-Jarba.
Bahra received
his bachelor's
degree from
Wichita State
University in
Kansas. He has
been an active
contributor
to the
opposition's
media activity
and relief and
political work
in
Syria. He will
be in DC March
16-19.
In an
abundance of
fairness,
Inner City Press
now publishes
what Al Bahra
had sent out
about his
"UNCA
Briefing" --
Press
Statement,
Hadi al Bahra,
Member of
Syrian
Coalition
Political
Committee,
March 14, 2014
Earlier
today,
the Syrian
Coalition
briefed the
members of the
Security
Council, one
day before the
third
anniversary of
the start of
the
Syrian
uprising.
Later this
afternoon, we
will be
briefing
several
other
countries,
including the
members of the
Delegation of
the
European
Union.
Our
delegation has
separately met
with several
other
countries,
including
the UK, Saudi
Arabia,
France, Rwanda
and Chad.
Later this
afternoon,
we will be
meeting with
the US
Permanent
Representative
to the UN,
Samantha Power
and the Joint
Special
Representative
to Syria.
We
have made the
following
points during
our meetings:
Until
now, the
international
community has
failed Syria.
The Security
Council and
the broader UN
membership
have been
unable to
protect the
Syrian people
from a brutal
dictator.
The
Syrian
Coalition
remains
committed to
the political
process.
However
negotiations
have stalled
because the
Syrian regime
refuses to
discuss the
core purpose
of talks,
namely the
formation of a
Transitional
Governing
body.
For
peace talks to
succeed the
Security
Council must
make it clear
to the
regime that it
must comply
with the
Geneva
Communiqué and
engage in
talks to
discuss the
formation of a
Transitional
Governing
Body. If
they do not,
then there
must be
consequences,
including the
implementation
of coercive
measures
through the
adoption of a
Chapter
VII
resolution.
Free
and fair
elections
cannot be held
in Syria in
the present
violent
circumstances.
Any attempt to
hold elections
risks
undermining
the
Geneva talks
which remain
the only
political
track to find
a solution
to Syria’s
conflict.
The
Syrian
Coalition is
committed to
upholding
international
humanitarian
law and
providing
urgent
humanitarian
support, which
is why we are
working with
our allies to
swiftly to
implement
UNSCR 2139
swiftly in
the areas we
can.
Despite
the
adoption of
UNSCR 2139,
the Syrian
regime
continues to
obstruct
and violate
international
law. As a
result, the
humanitarian
situation in
Syria
continues to
deteriorate
and millions
of people
remain in
critical need.
Back on
September 23,
2013 Inner
City Press
asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
then
spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky's
office to
explain
whether an
event in UN
Room S-310
with Jarba
could properly
be called a UN
briefing.
Ban's
spokesperson's
office under
Nesirky
replied, "Your
question on
briefings in
Room S-310:
please direct
your question
to UNCA."
But
UNCA has yet
to explain,
for example,
documents
Inner City
Press obtained
under the
US
Freedom of
Information
Act from
Voice of
America
and others
showing that
its first
vice
president,
Louis
Charbonneau of
Reuters, gave
UN
accreditation
official
Stephane
Dujarric
an anti-Press
internal UNCA
document three minutes
after
promising not
to. Story
here, audio here,
document
here.
UNCA's
2013-2014
president
Pamela Falk of
CBS, who sent
out the July
and September,
2013 Jarba
invitations
only to those
who pay money
to UNCA, has
not explained
the
organization's
role in, well,
spying for the
UN.
Inner
City Press
quit UNCA and
co-founded the
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
@FUNCA_info
-- and, as the
UN works, soon
had its accreditation
threatened
with
suspension or
withdrawal for
merely hanging
a FUNCA sign
on
the door of
its shared
office, an
elevator
corridor away
from "UN
briefing" room
S-310.
Shouldn't
the
UN answer
about the use
of a UN room,
one story
above the
Security
Council, to
host a "UN
briefing" by a
Saudi-sponsored
rebel, the one
now dubbed as
"Jarbucks" or
perhaps better
as "JarBUNCA"?
Back
on July
26, Inner
City Press asked:
Inner
City
Press:
currently,
there is a
meeting in the
North Lawn
Building of
the Syrian
coalition with
members of the
Security
Council. I’ve
seen, although
it wasn’t sent
to me, a
notice of a
press
conference in
the UN
building by
the Syrian
Coalition in
room 310 of
the United
Nations, and I
wanted you to
describe what
this press
conference is.
Is it a UN
press
conference? Is
it only open
to individuals
who have paid
money in order
to attend it?
And I saw one
of the
speakers
described as
the Special
Representative
of the Syrian
Coalition to
the United
Nations, and I
wanted to
know, is there
such a thing?
Is there
official
representation
to the United
Nations by the
Syrian
opposition and
on what basis
does the UN
give a large
room to the UN
Correspondents
Association
for meetings
of this type,
which they
only promote
to members
that pay them
money?
Deputy
Spokesperson
Del Buey:
Well, I’ll
have to check
on that,
Matthew. I
don’t have the
information
with me, but
we’ll check on
that and get
back to you.
Inner
City
Press: Okay,
I’d really
like an answer
soon, before
the meeting
takes place
would be
ideal.
Deputy
Spokesperson
Del Buey:
Well, we’re
going to try.
Now
under new UN
spokesperson
Stephane Dujarric,
demonstrably
close with the
UNCA
"leaders," basic
questions
about the
spending of UN
money have
done unanswered
for his entire
first week.
The SNC is back
in the room
the UN gives
to its
Censorship Alliance.
Where is this
headed? Watch
this site.
* * *
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