By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 12 -- Syria has confirmed it gave a letter from Bashar al Assad to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for accession to the Chemical Weapons treaty of 1993 (Inner City Press put it online here).
But it remains murky to whom other than France Ban spoke last night about the UN report on the topic, when it will be released and what it will say.
Inner City Press at 10 am on Thursday asked France Ambassador Gerard Araud the basis of his foreign minister Laurent Fabuis saying the UN report will be submitted to the Security Council on Monday and will implicate Assad.
Araud said, we were told last night. When Inner City Press asked, by whom, Araud replied: the Secretary General.
But when Inner City Press asked Ban's associate spokesperson Farhan Haq to confirm what Araud said and who ELSE Ban spoke to, Haq refused. He said Ban speaks to a range of people.
Inner City Press asked: did Ban tell Russia or China last night? Haq wouldn't answer. On a second round of questions Inner City Press formally asked for a list of whom Ban spoke to about Syria yesterday.
It is similar to the ongoing request by the Free UN Coalition for Access for disclosure of whom Ban golfs with (beyond the pro-West troika of the Permanent Representatives of South Korea, San Marino and the UK). It should be disclosed.
When September's Security Council president Gary Quinlan of Australia came out, Inner City Press asked him about what Araud and Fabius had said, if to his knowledge Ban has spoken with all of the Permanent Five members, or even all 15 Council members including Australia.
Quinland replied that he did not know. So, not Australia. Who DID Ban give the heads-up to? And why? Watch this site.
