By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 3 -- On April 30, Inner City Press published the Fourth Revision of the Qatari draft General Assembly resolution on Syria, as an exclusive, here.
Since then, Qatar and other sponsors have held a meeting at the French Mission to the UN, Inner City Press has learned, trying to decide whether to do a Fifth Revision or simply go to the vote on what they have.
The reported indecision of envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to quit or not, or to quit now or at the end of May, adds to the uncertainty.
Now, Syria's Mission to the UN has circulated a "Note Verbale" to all UN members, arguing why they should vote "no" on the draft resolution, if and when it is introduced in the General Assembly.
The Note Verbale, which Inner City Press immediately put online here as an update to its Rev 4 story (and is sure to appear elsewhere soon), take specific issued with Operative Paragraph 25 which welcomes the "National Coalition."
Syria disputes this, and the decision from which Algeria and Iraq have taken reservations, and Lebanon disassociated itself.
Brahimi's testimony and other studies, of foreign jihadists in Syria, are cited. The Note concludes, in bold, that even as revised the draft is a step toward contesting who should hold Syria's seat at the UN. Countries are asking themselves, what precedent would that set? Watch this site.
