By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 6 -- After the UN Security Council met Monday about Jordan's request for a Council visit, French Permanent Representative Gerard Araud emerged and said "of course" the trip would not happen, "China will block it."
Moments later, Chinese Deputy Permanent Representative Wang told Inner City Press that wasn't true, "we did not block it." He said it's a "refugee problem, it should be solved."
Inner City Press asked, if a Council trip should also include Palestine -- a long requested trip that another member, the US, has explicitly blocked.
Wang said, "we need a fuller discussion."
To try to resolve the inconsistency, Inner City Press asked May's Security Council president, Togo's Ambassador Kodjo Menan, of Araud's and Wang's statements. He said that as Council president he would not comment on that.
A second reporter, another member of the Free UN Coalition for Access, asked if any other aspect of the Syria issue had been discussed. (Earlier today, Inner City Press wrote, and at noon asked, of Carla Del Ponte's statement of strong suspicious of sarin gas use - by the opposition). Menan said no, only the trip was discussed. And so it goes at the UN.
Footnote: After a newsy morning in the Security Council -- Eastern Congo, Abyei and Syria / Jordan -- the only questions asked at the Council stakeout were by FUNCA members. This was true when UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous emerged, too.
One FUNCA member asked, very politely, if Ladsous would do a stakeout (as for example his predecessor Alain Le Roy would have done, if a peacekeeper was killed.) Ladsous said no. (This is a pattern: see video here.)
Inner City Press then asked, also politely, if his UNISFA mission had given notification of its travel. Ladsous refused to answer. Moment later at the stakeout, Menan said it would be for Ladsous to answer that question. Yes, it would be. Another spoon-fed briefing? Watch this site.
