Discredited in Syria, Ahmad Al Jarba Holds Court in Midtown Manhattan Hotel, His Spokesman Citing Hitler, Rarely a Good Sign

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 27 -- Friday it was reported that "FSA's chief, Salim Idriss, was forced to cut short meetings with French defense and intelligence officials in Paris to head to Syria to ascertain the degree ofdissatisfaction with the SNC and FSA. Jarba also left for Syria on Friday."

  As late as 2 pm on Friday, Jarba was fielding questions in a small room in the Intercontinental Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Tweeted photograph here.

 Twice during the week, his dubious press conference had been scheduled for inside the UN, the type of faux UN briefing he held in July in the locked-up clubhouse of the UN Correspondents Association.

  The UN was never willing to answer whether that was, in fact, a UN briefing. The Free UN Coalition for Access @FUNCA_info asked, why not have the Saudi Mission to the UN book a regular press conference, and call it what it is? Instead, after a postponement then cancellation, Jarba held his presser in the Intercontinental.

  With him, translating, was Louay Safi, "Spokesperson for The Syrian Coalition," who would go on to compare Assad to Hitler (never a good sign in an argument). 

  Also present was Khalid Saleh, "President of the Media Office," to whom Inner City Press directed two questions Thursday evening (YouTube video here:http://youtu.be/tmGdFDJ2D7E)

They rejected any participation by Iran in the so-called Geneva Two process; they chided mainstream media for not being hard enough on Hezbollah.

  Meanwhile back at the UN, more and more ambassadors marveled at France bringing Jarba in as the so-called only legitimate representative of the Syrian people. One Permanent Representative asked Inner City Press, who elected him? Fabius and Francois Hollande? Actually, look to Riyad. Watch this site.

   

On Syria, Russian Draft Called Inadequate or Enriched, SNC Money Claims

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 17, updated -- On the eve of the scheduled vote on Syria resolution(s), Security Council deputies met for nearly two hours about the Russian draft. Afterward Russian Deputy Alexander Pankin called his draft "enriched."

  UK Deputy Philip Parham, on the other hand, called the Russian draft "inadequate." Another Council source told Inner City Press that in the meeting on the Russian draft, Chapter Seven was pushed as an amendment, as something lacking from the draft.

  Pankin was asked if his enrichments included Chapter Seven or Article 41. He scoffed and said, why would we put one of our red lines in. My minister has been very clear.

  And so a showdown is set up, for July 18 at 3 pm. Parham said actually voting at that time will depend on what happens in the "next twelve to twenty four hours."

  There was pressure from across First Avenue as well. On the 28th floor of the Millennium Plaza Hotel, representatives of the Syrian National Council held a press conference, featuring Najib Ghadbian, Bassma Kodmani and Khalid Saleh of the SNC Executive Office

They said that if the Security Council doesn't include Chapter Seven, they will go in another direction, to regional organizations.

   They said that the Syrian National Council has received $15 million, and has spend 94% of it on aid inside Syria.

   That would leave $900,000 for all the SNC's expenses. One wondered, how much is this hotel meeting room, and rooms for five representatives, flights, and other meetings? But this question was not taken. Yet. 

  One wag mused maybe these are the ones enriched, using Pankin's word for his draft. 

Footnote: The Kosovo meeting which preceded the consultation on Russia's Syria draft led, it seemed, to nothing. Afterward a participant told Inner City Press that briefer Herve Ladsous said he didn't know who killed the two Serbs in Kosovo, and on fighters from Syria visiting Kosovo Ladsous had only press reports. 

  That's why they call Ladsous "Mister Press" -- or not.Ladsous on Tuesday refused, on camera, to answer Press questions on Lebanon and UN Peacekeeping killing in Congo. Watch this site.

Update of 6:34 pm - as Colombia's Nestor Osorio, president of the Security Council for July, left for the evening, he stopped and told the Press that if there's "no movement" by noon or 1 pm on July 18, there will be a vote at 3. If there is a veto - he called it a "niet" -- there might be a rollover to allow UNSMIS to pull out, as the SNC also said earlier. Showdown...