As
Annan
Briefs UN SC,
Syria's Six
Point Response
Put Online by
ICP: Discussion
in Damascus
Sunday
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 16, updated
-- Syria
asked Kofi
Annan as Joint
Special Envoy
of the UN and
Arab
League
to get
guarantees
from
neighboring
states not to
arm the
opposition,
accoring to a
translation of
Syria's answer
obtained by
Inner City
Press. Only
after that
could there be
monitoring.
Inner City
Press obtained
a copy of the
"unofficial
translation"
of the
"non-paper
answer of
the Syrian
government,"
which ICP
is now
exclusively
putting online
here.
Update:
Inner City
Press asked
Syrian
Ambassador
Ja'afari about
the
"non-paper." He
said that this
"Syrian
answer" is in
the nature of
an "aide
memoire,"
informal, and
will all be
discussed as a
"comprehensive
political
process," not
as
preconditions,
"on the
technical
level"
beginning
Sunday in
Damascus. He
did not answer
if Arab League
selected
Deputy Nasser
al Kidwa can
go. Video
here, from
Minute 3:10.
In Point 2
Syria stated:
"it
is
requested from
the Special
Envoy to
provide
guarantees to
the
Syrian
government
that the armed
groups will
cease all
armed
aggressions
and give up
their weapons
to the
dedicated
authorities in
exchange for a
full pardon.
"It
is also
demanded from
the Special
Envoy that the
neighboring
countries take
necessary
measures to
control the
traffic of
armaments
through their
borders.
"It
will be
requested from
the Special
Envoy that the
countries who
have called
publicly to
finance and
provide
weapons to the
armed groups
to stop
from doing so.
"When
the Special
Envoy could
provide the
above-mentioned
guarantees,
the Syrian
government can
discuss with
him the idea
of putting in
place a
neutral
monitoring
system. Hence
it seems at
this stage too
premature to
discuss this
mechanism."
The answer
does express a
willingness to
arrange
another visit
of the central
prison in
Allepo.
Before
Kofi Annan
briefed the
Security
Council
on Friday
morning,
German
Permanent
Representative
Peter Wittig
stopped and
told the press
of increased
defections of
Syrian
soldiers
who will not
kill "for a
ruling
family."
An
Annan
press
conference
which had been
expected for
Thursday in
Geneva
was canceled,
replaced by
selective
quotes from
former UN
communications
official Ahmed
Fawzi.
Update:
When
the Security
Council
session ended
Friday
morning, Inner
City Press
asked Council
president Mark
Lyall Grant
about the
non-paper
answer. He
would not
comment on it.
From the UK
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: this
non-paper
answer of
Syria to Kofi
Annan. It says
that he will
have to get
guarantees
from
neighbouring
states that
the
the opposition
wouldn’t be
armed before
they could
even discuss
monitoring. I
just want to
ask you: one,
have you seen
the document,
and two: is
that your
understanding
of what
they’ve said
to Kofi
Annan?
Amb.
Lyall
Grant: I’m not
going to
comment on any
details, you
can ask
Mr Annan that
question.
But
no one in
Geneva did ask
Kofi the
question. In
New York,
another
Permanent
Representative
told Inner
City Press
that the
Council
members got
nothing in
writing.
Sources
told
Inner City
Press that
Annan had not
directly
conveyed to
Council
members
Assad's first
answer, but
rather asked
Russia to help
with
persuading
Assad. Inner
City Press
obtained a
copy of the
"unofficial
translation"
of the
"non-paper
answer of
the Syrian
governemnt,"
which ICP
is now
exclusively
putting online
here.
There
are six
points,
beginning with
cooperation
with Annan,
through the
Ministry
of Foreign
Affairs.
Syria asks
Annan to get
guarantees
from
neighboring
states not to
arm the
opposition --
only after
that could
there be
monitoring.
The rest of
the points are
online here -
more to
follow.
, 
