By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, February 2 -- Thirty five minutes after Inner City Press published the UN Security Council's new Syria draft, which omits Paragraph 7(b) about "delegation by the President of Syria of his full authority to his Deputy," China's Permanent Representative to the UN Li Baodong told Inner City Press that this does not go far enough.
Inner City Press asked Li Baodong about his French counterpart Gerard Araud's claims that "we didn't drop the transfer of power... We are supporting the [Arab League] plan, and in the plan you have the transfer of power."
Li Baodong told Inner City Press, "They agreed to take out, 7a, b, c." But, Li Baodong continued, in the "current wording, there is a serious problem that we cannot accept. We may consider using wording like 'taking the initiative of the Arab League into consideration... the Security Council supports the efforts of Arab League,' rather than fully support."
Inner City Press asked Li Baodong about earlier statements of a BRICS diplomat that "only one or two members of the Council will claim that the delegation of power is called for by this resolution -- it is not... This time Russia will hold them to it."
(Speaking to gaggle of correspondents as he left the Council at the same time as US Ambassador Susan Rice, Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said it is heavy going, but we are working very hard.)
Speaking exclusively to Inner City Press, Li Baodong smiled and said, "I talked to some other ambassadors, still they have problems, I don't thing they can easy get that. You can expect there will be very heated consultations." Watch this site.
