By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, March 21 -- When Kofi Annan gave a closed door briefing to the UN Security Council on March 16, his statement now obtained by Inner City Press and put online here called President Assad's first response, that day obtained and put online by Inner City Press, "disappointing."
Council members that day did not have a copy of Assad's first "non-paper" response. But Annan recounted that Assad "insisted that any pause for humanitarian access would need to be on an ad hoc basis [and] gave general answers which can only be tested by observing actions on the ground. I would characterize the response as disappointing."
After that there was a second response, according to Annan, in which Assad "agreed that the aim was to halt the violence." Annan "appeal[ed] to the Council for unity behind my effort. The stronger and clearer the message you can collectively send, the better the chance that we can begin to shift the worrying dynamics of the conflict."
In the five days since, the Council has negotiated a draft presidential statement which Indian Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri told the Press he and Togo and South Africa suggested, and France drafted.
On the evening of March 20 in front of the "Nowruz" or Iranian New Year celebration in front of the General Assembly, Security Council Ambassadors told Inner City Press about their discussion that afternoon on Syria. "The reporting in seven days is out," one Permanent Representative said proudly, quickly confirmed by two others. "But Kofi's six point plan remains in."
Another Permanent Representative emphasized the switch from "further measures" down to "further steps."
Later Inner City Press obtained a copy of the revised Presidential Statement, and put it online, where it can be compared with the original version which Inner City Press also put online.
Meanwhile it emerged that Germany has scheduled an "Arria formula" meeting of the Council on Thursday morning, with the head of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria. "We should schedule our own Arria formula meeting," a less pro Western Permanent Representative told Inner City Press.
For the record, Syria's Perm Rep Bashar Ja'afari told Inner City Press that the side "are still far apart," and predicted that the French "will be surprised when silence is broken," before 9 am on Wednesday.
The locus of all this back and forth was the celebration of Nowruz in the General Assembly Tuesday night. Attendees, just from among the Council's Permanent Five, included Vitaly Churkin of Russia, Deputy Wang of China, Deputy DiCarlo of the USA, and Deputy Briens of France, who told Inner City Press he had not heard about the Arria formula meeting about Syria.
Churkin told Inner City Press that he had been ready to agree earlier on Tuesday. Wittig of Germany told other reporters that it was Russia that asked to check with Moscow.
Annan told the Council, "I have been in constant contact with Foreign Ministers and Ambassadors from of many states inside and outside the Council. I have appreciated the counsel and help received from all quarters. I would hope that the proposals put by me to the Syrian authorities could attract wide international support."
On March 20 Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi confirmed to Inner City Press what it had been first to report: that Syria will not let Annan's Arab League designated deputy Nassar al Kidwa in, because Assad does not agree to the Arab League plan. So Al Kidwa, now in Geneva according to Fawzi, will be in " contact with Foreign Ministers and Ambassadors from of many states." We'll see - watch this site.
