On Syria, If US Has No Use for SC or Waiting for UN Report, Why in UN? Why Not Stakeout in Hollywood?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 5 -- After US Ambassador Samantha Power on Thursday said that the UN Security Council is blocked and not necessary for the US to take military action on Syria, the issue of why not at least wait for the UN report on chemical weapons was not answered or allowed.

  Inner City Press asked a range of Security Council members, beyond the one who earlier told Inner City Press he was not convinced, about what had been shown. A Security Council member who went to the show at the mission told Inner City Press it was the same shown "back in the capital."

  So why NOT wait for the UN report? The US must be paying for 25% of that report, right?

  But more fundamentally, if the Obama Administration has no use for the Security Council, and now not for the UN Secretariat either, what does it say about its claimed multi-lateralism?

  Why even was Samantha Power's staged stakeout held inside the UN? Or is the UN just a stage at this point? One wag, particularly in light of the questions, mused why not move it to Hollywood?

   The staged stakeout preempted the Council president Gary Quinlan's question and answer session on Sudan and South Sudan. Inner City Press returned to the Council at 2:45 seeking information. Quinlan graciously indicated that he would like to say something on Abyei - but, it seems, not today. That's just a footnote now.

  As Samantha Power came into the Council at 3:08 pm for the meeting on Iran, Inner City Press asked about the UN report. She gestured she was in a rush to get into the Council. And, she was among the first speakers. And left at 3:26 pm. She'll spend longer on Friday at the Center for American Progress in Washington. 

Maybe there she'll answer, Why not wait for the UN report? We will keep asking, on the record, on this: why NOT wait for the UN report? Watch this site.

   

At UN, US Samantha Power Calls Putin Patron of Assad, Takes 3 Questions from Jarba's Hosts, None on UN Report on Syria Chemical Weapons

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 5 -- The UN Security Council stakeout was jammed when US Ambassador Samantha Power came to say that Russia has blocked the Council and that military action against Syria is legitimate, there was a simple question not answered or allowed: what about the UN Report?

  Many countries say, wait and see the UN report. Other say, act only through the Security Council. But the UN report question was neither answered nor allowed.

  The US Mission chose three questions: from CBS, Al-Arabiya and Reuters. And these three did not ask about the UN report. In fact, all three questioners selected by the US Mission are Executive Committee members of the UN Correspondents Association, which hosted Saudi-funded Syria rebel boss Jarba for a faux "UN briefing" in July.

  So, what about the UN report?

After Power and her entourage had left, Inner City Press asked a Russian Mission diplomat of the invitation to the US Mission. Yes, this morning, he said.

  Inner City Press asked, Were you convinced by the evidence?

  No, he said.

So what about the UN report? Watch this site.

Footnote: confined to a footnote by this above-described three question stakeout, nothing was said about Sudan and South Sudan (a more deadly conflict), and the President of the Security Council, Gary Quinlan, did not come to do a stakeout about those consultations and those on Guinea-Bissau. Much respect to the UN.