Syrian Opposition Coalition Wants Airstrikes on Assad, Ahead of ECOSOC Coronation in UN

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 24 -- After approval by the US Congress to arm and train rebels in Syria, and the airstrikes in Syria that began on September 22, Free Syrian Army commanders are complaining the strikes hit only ISIL (and Khorasan).

  The Syrian Opposition Coalition, set to be presented as a government in an event in the UN's Economic and Social Council chamber on September 24, put this out:

"Nasr al-Hariri, Secretary General of the Syrian Coalition, said that the Syrian people will not trust the international efforts to fight ISIS as long as they ignore the voices of millions of Syrians who have been subjected to the terror of the Assad regime and its allies,” during a visit to the FSA battalions in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib, along with Mohammed Qaddah, Vice President of the Syrian Coalition. 'We regret that the international community has come up with partial solutions to the Syrian conflict in which hundreds of thousands were killed or detained by the Assad regime. The military strikes being carried out by the international coalition against the positions of ISIS and Al Nusra Front will be short of stemming the tide of extremism as long as they are directed against the symptoms of the problem and not its root cause. Moreover, these strikes will only be interpreted as an attempt to reproduce and rehabilitate the Assad regime and will prompt more Syrians to take up arms as long as the Assad regime is spared the military strikes.' 

"Hariri also stress that any solution other than helping the Syrian people topples the Assad regime will only serve to consolidate extremism in Syria and the region. Therefore, the international community must assume its responsibilities and deal with the situation in Syria in a more realistic and responsible way. Hariri stresses that the world is not yet aware that the battle against terrorism cannot be solved only militarily, but must include an organized political process capable of addressing the root causes of extremism. 

"The meager international support for the Syrian national projects, including the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian Coalition, has led to the emergence of other projects that attracted many young people who do not necessarily endorse those projects’ vision. However, we are quite certain that those young people, when provided with the suitable alternative, will be an essential part of the mosaic structure on which the new Syria will be built. 

"The Syrian people cannot accept watching the international coalition’s warplanes avenging the killing of journalist James Foley while failing to do justice to Hamza al-Khatib, Abdul Qader Al Saleh, Ghiath Matar and hundreds of thousands of Syrians. Furthermore, terrorism cannot be fought piecemeal, but its root causes must be addressed to save Syria and the whole world from the threats imposed by the extremist groups.” It is worth mentioning that many FSA commanders expressed their willingness to cooperate in order to further institutionalize the FSA and prepare it to effectively lead the struggle against the Assad regime and ISIS."

  On September 23, the UN's new (third) Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura was supposed to take questions from the press at 4:50 pm on September 23. But he did not appear. After a time the UN said he was lost: he had gone to the wrong stakeout, but Spokesman Stephane Dujarric was looking for him.

   Finally after 6 pm de Mistura and Dujarric arrived. But de Mistura declined to comment on the airstrikes on Syria, deferring to Ban Ki-moon. Dujarric chose six questioners, three of whom were from Italian media. Dujarric called out "ANSA;" de Mistura said, "bongiorno" This is what the UN and this post have become: de Mistura is half-Italian, with little chance of success or even relevance it becomes a "local boy makes good" story.

  (Certainly, de Mistura may see it differently: Inner City Press has heard from a range of UN sources that de Mistura feels he could and should be Secretary General.)

  Normally Inner City Press would not comment on the nationality of the questioners selected. But earlier on September 23, Dujarric who is French was involved in aproblematic French-only use of the UN Press Briefing Room by President Hollande. 

  Dujarric peeked out of the door while Inner City Press was being told to leave the UN Press Briefing Room, partial video here; the Free UN Coalition for Accessunderstands that Media Accreditation was told to back off from the French event by the Spokesman's Office. So. Noon briefings where this could be asked have been canceled; written questions have not been answered. This too is today's UN.

  On September 22 after a day of UN formalities, and with John Kerry with the Syrian Opposition Coalition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the US started bombing in Syria, see below. It cited help from five Arab Kingdoms in hitting ISIL by Raqqa, but went it alone against the Khorosan group near Aleppo.

  On September 23 when UK Development Secretary Justine Greening spoke about aid to Syria, Inner City Press asked her if these airstrikes were coordinated in any way with humanitarians on the ground, amid reports one was close to a hospital.

  Greening declined to get into the specifics, saying the UK was not part of the airstrike but supported them. She said that the spread of ISIL had hurt humanitarian efforts, which is certain. 

  Greening said, "I won't get into the details, the UK was not part of the airstrikes. The advance of ISIL placed pressure on the ability of humanitarian workers." 

   But why not coordinate with aid workers on the ground?  And what about this Khorosan group, until now mentioned only once in a White House briefing?

  On a background White House press call, a Senior Administration Official said that the US long told Russia that its support for Assad would lead to the rise of extremism. Unsaid was Russia's position that US allies' support of fighters in Syria led to extremism. 

  Tellingly, Ban Ki-moon has yet to speak about the air strikes. Inner City Press asked his spokesman for a comment on the night of September 22, and saw this spokesman on September 23. But no answer.

  Inner City Press has put these questions to Dujarric:

Press questions on deadline: what is Ban Ki-moon's response to US on the record (and reportedly Saudi Arabia, Jordan and UAE) bombing in Syria without consent of Syrian government, or approval of the UN Security Council? Separately, was Ban Ki-moon informed in advance?

  Hours later, no response from the UN.

   Back on  September 19 while the UN Security Council's meeting on Iraq went on, Canada's Foreign Minister John Baird came out to take questions at the Council stakeout.

  Inner City Press asked him if Canada thinks that for airstrikes in Syria against ISIL, the consent of the Assad government or of the Security Council should be sought.

  Baird said that on "intervention in Syria there are two views. One could say that every country has a right to defend itself. Iraq is being attack by terrorists in the neighboring country. We take great issue with Assad... That has yet to be determined."

  The Syrian Opposition Coalition, it emerges, will hold a press conference inside the UN building on September 22. But it will not be a UN press conference - instead, it will be in the clubhouse the UN gives to what has become itsUN Censorship Alliance (having tried to get the investigative Press thrown out of the UN), publicized only to those who pay money to UNCA in dues.

  Why not go through the front door, and have a member state like Canada sponsor the Syrian Coalition's Hadi Al Bahra in the UN Press Briefing Room, as others do? We'll have more on this.

  On September 18, the day after the US House of Representatives voted to arm and train "moderate" rebels in Syria, the Syrian Opposition Coalition said training 5,000 will not be enough. An hour later, they put out a statement about ISIL stranding 7,000 civilians on the Syrian - Turkish border:

"As the 'Islamic State' intensifies shelling on Ayn al Arab (Kobanê in Kurdish) in northern Syria, thousands of people remain trapped in the towns and villages in the area. As as a result, activists reported a mass exodus of civilians from the neighboring villages of Kaalak, Zark Qumshi, Zalkhek, and Turaman. The Syrian Coalition condemns ISIS's brutal tactics and calls on Turkish authorities to open borders in the area and provide refuge to those fleeing from the barbaric group. More than 7000 civilians are reported to be stranded along the Turkish Syrian borders since Thursday, most of them women and children."

 Echoes of Mount Sinjar in Iraq - and that led to airstrikes. Earlier on September 18, the Syrian Coalition put this out:

"Abdelahad Astepho, member of the political committee, said that the US Congress’s vote in favor of President Obama’s plan to train and equip the Free Syrian Army is 'a step in the right direction though it was made late. Limiting the training and equipment program to 5,000 FSA fighters is not enough to counter the threat of the Assad regime and ISIS. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the number of trainees to solve the whole problem of terrorism once and for all. Moreover, limiting the program to this small number may prolong the bloody conflict, thus prolonging the suffering of the Syrian people.' Astepho calls on the US Senate 'to back the training and equipment program and for its immediate implementation, as any delay will cost Syrians more lives. Any delay in the implementation of this plan will lead to further expansion of the terror practiced by the Assad regime and the terrorist group ISIS.'"

 This after on the Senate floor just who these "moderate" rebels are was still being questioned. If 5000 is not enough, how many would be? To the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 17, former Ambassador Bob Ford said there are 80,000 "non-Nusra, non-ISIL" rebels. Where do these figures come front?

   Back on September 13, hours after US President Barack Obama's speech, the Syrian Coalition put out a press release requesting airstrikes and cash from Congress, pronto.

While more than two dozen countries pledged support for Iraq against the Islamic State in the Security Council on September 19, who would speak on UNTV about it?

  For more than an hour the media was told that French foreign minister Laurent Fabius would be “coming to the stakeout” to take questions on UNTV. It was pushed back, then when finally Fabius emerged he rushed past the stakeout into the hallway, where he spoke only in French.
 
 Update: to be fair, the French Mission put out this transcript.

  So too with Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. When he emerged from the Security Council, hesummoned Turkish media down the hallway for a private stakeout. Some non-Turkish journalists weren't allowed to go, something protested by the Free UN Coalition for Access. But why not openly take questions?

  The three on-camera stakeouts that occurred were by Syria's Bashar Ja'afari, Iraq's Foreign Minister Jaafari (no relation, if that needs to be said), and Canada's John Baird. To the last of these, Inner City Press asked if before any bombing in Syria consent should be sought from Damascus or the Council. That has “yet to be determined,” Baird replied.

  Iraqi FM Jaafari, when Inner City Press asked if the Coalition should speak with Syria, seemed to dodge the question. But at least he took questions on camera, as did Syria's Ja'afari. Where were the others? Is this how GA Week will be? FUNCA in is on the case, including aboutfaux UN press conferences like those held in the private club handed out by the UN to its Censorship Alliance. That group tried to get the investigative Press thrown out of the UN, now masquerades on media freedom. This is how the UN works. Watch this site.

   

In Arab League Run-Up, Syria Coalition Wants Seat, UNRWA Wants Support

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 6 -- Starting from the beheading of US journalist James Foley, the Syrian Coalition has pushed harder to equate Assad and the Islamic State, and to present themselves, based in Turkey, as a key to fighting ISIL.

  On September 6 the Syrian Coalition issued a statement that:

"Nasr al-Hariri, Secretary General of the Syrian Coalition, calls on the Arab League to go beyond political recognition of the Syrian Coalition and grant it full legal recognition as the representative of the Syrian people during a meeting held today with Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi. 

 "Al Arabi invited the Syrian Coalition to occupy Syria’s seat in the Arab League tomorrow and speak on behalf of the Syrian people. 'Fighting terrorism cannot be done piecemeal, therefore the Arab League’s resolution must include putting an end to the terror practiced by the Assad regime against the Syrian people,' Al Hariri said commenting on the Arab League’s intention to pass a resolution to confront terrorism during the upcoming ministerial meeting."

  There were other statements aimed in advance at this Arab League ministerial meeting, including about Gaza, from UNRWA:

"In a speech to be delivered tomorrow (Sunday), to Arab League Foreign Ministers in Cairo, UNRWA’s Commissioner General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, will ask for 47 million dollars for 4 weeks emergency work in Gaza.

"In his first major policy address since the ceasefire, Krahenbuhl will tell the ministers that 'there is a crying need for financial support now, today. Longer term reconstruction must be addressed but will depend on the outcome of negotiations on access for building materials. My main message to you today is please do not wait for weeks before providing support.'

"In a message to Arab League Secretary General, Nabil al-Arabi he will say 'UNRWA can only carry out these tasks if it has the funds to do so. We depend almost entirely on voluntary contributions. Secretary General, you kindly co-chaired a meeting with Mr Ban Ki-Moon in New York a year ago which generated a renewal of the commitment of Arab governments to aim at providing 7.8 % of UNRWA’s programme budget. I have to say that performance at 4% still falls well short of this target. I urge your members to give more generously to allow UNRWA to continue its vital work.'

"The UNRWA chief will outline the Agency’s plans to open all its school institutions in Gaza in 7 days time:

'In exactly one week from today the schools will reopen, a remarkable achievement so soon after the end of the conflict. We aim to open 252 schools in over 130  school buildings educating nearly a quarter of a million children, many of them deeply traumatized, but who will be happy to see their friends after the war. I wish I could take you all there so you could see for yourselves both the laughter and the tears. I am sure you all agree that nothing is more important than the education of the next generation and of nowhere is that more true than in Gaza today.'"

   We'll see how much support for UNRWA comes out of the Arab League -- and how much support for the "coalition" against ISIL.

Footnote: Agence France Presse, purporting an info-graphic of journalists killed last year, listed four as killed "in Gaza." Since all other listed jurisdiction are full UN member states, some surmised AFP's nomenclature let off the hook the killer of those journalists. Despite calling it social media, 17 days later AFP has not responded.

   

After Foley, Talk of Bombing Syria With Or Without Assad - or UN Security Council? Syrian Coalition Speaks Again

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 25 -- With the beheading of US journalist James Foley as the trigger, talk has turned to a wider campaign against ISIL, not only in Iraq but now in Syria.

   Syria's foreign minister Walid al-Moallem has expressed a willingness to fight ISIL -- which just took over the government air base at Al Taqaba -- but pointedly said that any airstrikes on ISIL in Syria would require approval from the government or be considered an intervention.

 The US Statement Department's spokesperson on August 25 said that if Americans are at risk, the US won't be looking for the approval of Assad. One wondered, would the US look for the approval of the UN Security Council?

   Meanwhile the Syrian Coalition from Turkey jumped later on August 25 with this:

"Nasr al-Hariri, Secretary General of the Syrian Coalition, said that ISIS’s takeover of the Tabaqa Air Base in eastern Syrian comes within a series of the Assad regime's systematic handover of its positions in eastern Syria to ISIS. 'The Assad regime is seeking through this tactic to win the sympathy of the international community and to give the impression that it is a target for terrorism. Moreover, Assad’s scarifying of 650 soldiers who were left to die in the air base while sending helicopters to evacuate the officers clearly shows that Assad’s sole concern is not the safety of his soldiers but the survival of his regime. It also proves that Assad is ready to sacrifice his own soldiers in return for achieving political ends.'

"Hariri described the remarks made today by the Assad regime’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem as 'an attempt to politically rehabilitate the Assad regime through announcing its readiness to be part of an international coalition to fight ISIS, which was allowed to grow and fester by the Assad regime itself. The loophole in the UN Security Council resolution No. 2170, which excluded pro-Assad militias from the terrorism list, has emboldened Assad to unabashedly declare himself as a partner in the fight against terrorism. Therefore, the international community should realize that stemming the tide of extremism in the region requires a political process in parallel with military action, and that the root of the problem can be tackled only when the circumstances that led to the surge of terrorism are eliminated. It has been proven time and again that the Assad regime’s militarization of the popular uprising has created a vacuum that was exploited by extremists, and created the ideal environment for ISIS to grow and expand. We are confident that the Assad regime’s incessant imploration to be a partner in the fight against terrorism will not succeed in winning over the international community’s tolerance of its wholesale crimes against the Syrian people. The Assad regime is undoubtedly the root problem of terrorism and cannot be part of the solution. More importantly, the decision to fight the terrorism of the Assad regime and ISIS must before everything else take Syria’s national interests into account, and it is a decision that Syrians have long made without waiting for instructions from the international community or the friendly countries.'"

 Only the day before on August 24, the Syrian Coalition pronounced that "James Foley was Victim of the Failure to Empower Syrian Rebels."

  Meanwhile on CNN's Sunday morning talk show State of the Union on August 24, host Candy Crowley badgered UK Ambassador to the UN Peter Westmacott, when will the UK use its planes? When will they arm the "Free Syrian Army" as Francois Hollande has bragged France has already done?

  Westmacott said that Iraq and the KRG haven't yet asked the UK for airstrikes; he said the UK will NOT provide lethal aid to the FSA, in light of ISIL's recapture of others' weapons.

  Did France not consider this? And doesn't Hollande bragging about providing weapons to rebels in Syria undercut his legal argument about arms going into Ukraine?  (On which, see this.) 

Footnote: Agence France Presse, purporting an info-graphicof journalists killed last year, listed four as killed "in Gaza." Since all other listed jurisdiction are full UN member states, some surmised AFP's nomenclature let off the hook the killer of those journalists. Despite calling it social media, days later AFP has not responded.

   

After Murder of James Foley, Francois Hollande Brags France Had Armed Free Syrian Army, Syrian Coalition Blames Obama, UK Has Doubts

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 24 -- With the beheading of US journalists James Foley as the trigger, talk was turned to a wider campaign against ISIL, not only in Iraq but now in Syria.

   Opportunistically, the Syrian Coalition from Turkey is saying "James Foley was Victim of the Failure to Empower Syrian Rebels" (see below).

  Meanwhile on CNN's Sunday morning talk show State of the Union, host Candy Crowley badgered UK Ambassador to the UN Peter Westmacott, when will the UK use its planes? When will they arm the "Free Syrian Army" as Francois Hollande has bragged France has already done?

  Westmacott said that Iraq and the KRG haven't yet asked the UK for airstrikes; he said the UK will NOT provide lethal aid to the FSA, in light of ISIL's recapture of others' weapons.

  Did France not consider this? And doesn't Hollande bragging about providing weapons to rebels in Syria undercut his legal argument about arms going into Ukraine?

 Here is what the Syrian Coalition put out:

"Mohammed Qaddah, vice president of the Syrian Coalition, said that the terrorist attack on the United States did not begin with the murder of journalist James Foley, as was stated by deputy national security advisor to the White House Ben Rhodes. “Rather, the terrorist attack against not only the United States but against all humanity began with the Assad regime’s murder of the Syrian people amid an unprecedented silence by the international community. The United States bears much of the responsibility for this horrible crime when it did not react to the Assad regime’s repeated crossing of the red lines it had drawn and warned against crossing."

  How will Obama react?

Footnote: Agence France Presse, purporting an info-graphicof journalists killed last year, listed four as killed "in Gaza." Since all other listed jurisdiction are full UN member states, some surmised AFP's nomenclature let off the hook the killer of those journalists. Despite calling it social media, days later AFP has not responded.

   

After James Foley's Murder by Islamic State, UN Echo of "Journalist as Agent," Hypocrisy of UNCA, the UN's Censorship Alliance

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 22 -- Following the outrageousbeheading of journalist James Foley by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the UN Security Council on August 22 issued a press statement, to be on its website here.

  The UNSC statement calls for accountability and states that "journalists, media professionals and associated personnel engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict are generally considered as civilians and shall be respected and protected as such.”

   That journalists should be respected was a position the UN itself took in April 2014 after then Security Council participant Gerard Araud of France told a Lebanese correspondents whose questions he didn't like, "You are not a journalist, you are an agent." Click here for that, including video. 

   Inner City Press on behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric about this. Dujarric said that journalists should be treated with respect -- but declined FUNCA's request that he convey this position to Araud (who has since left the UN.)

  Back in April, it was notable but not surprising to Inner City Press, which co-founded FUNCA, that the supposed representative of journalists at UN Headquarters the UN Correspondents Association never admonished Araud. 

   UNCA's Executive Committee has functioned as the UN's Censorship Alliance, trying to get the investigative Press thrown out of the UN, and then for example seeking to censor -- by getting Google to ban from its Search -- leaked evidence of its anti-Press complaints to the UN, here.

  Given this record within UNCA, with no reforms since, it was not surprising but all-too-UN for this UNCA Executive Committee to issue its own grandiose statement about James Foley. They didn't do this for journalists killed in Eastern Ukraine... and see above.

 Hypocrisy at the UN is not in limited supply, for example the Secretariat refusing to accept responsibility for bringing to cholera to Haiti - but this is particularly grating.

  In 2012 members of the UNCA Executive Committee tried to get the investigative Press thrown out of the UN following a dispute about reporting on Sri Lanka and conflicts of interest, click here for that.

  Inner City Press quit UNCA after that and co-founded the Free UN Coalition for Access.

  Since then this same UNCA executive committee, without any reforms, has bragged that it is meeting with UN Security Council ambassadors about, what else, journalists' rights and protection. What a travesty.

  Since being exposed, by documents released under the US Freedom of Information Act, for having secretly asked Dujarric to throw out the investigative Press, there have been no reforms at UNCA. One of the "for the record" complaints has been Banned from Google's search under a bogus copyright claim by Reuters bureau chief Lou Charbonneau,here. This is outright censorship.

  Earlier this year the head of the UN Correspondents Association felt comfortable trying to dictate how and who UN Television filmed on World Press Freedom Day.  

  According to multiple sources, Pamela Falk of CBS complained to the top of the Department of Public Information that UNTV dared cut away to a shot of a skeptic during her speech claiming UNCA protects journalists. Video here on Inner City Press' YouTube channel (on full video on UN website, here, from Minute 30).

  After the video and the UNCA attempt to censor that it spawned were known, other critics came forward. This doesn't represent us, said one.  An UNCA member, rather than obediently tweeting the contrived tag, had noted online that when Falk claimed the "GA commends UNCA every year," UNTV camera cuts to @innercitypress shaking head in disbelief, too funny.”

 (The UNTV video, which we went back and found for the reasons below is online here, from Minute 30.)

  As we first diplomatically recorded, the UNTV control room got a complaint about their camera angles. This is called attempted censorship, as is this Digital Millennium Copyright Act filing with Google, here.

  Now we can report based on multiple sources that Falk herself complained to the top of DPI - and that this complaint, rather than being as it should have been laughed at and rejected, was passed on to the control room, trying to dictate even what the camera operators film as cut-aways. 

  This is outright censorship: the UN's Censorship Alliance's reverse flow.

  In 2012, some on UNCA's Executive Board tried to pursue the investigative Press for its coverage of UN official Herve Ladsous and also separately of France's ambassador Gerard Araud, then moved for expulsion based on coverage of Sri Lanka. In 2014, UNCA's president has demanded that the UN itself change how it films, to censor opposition.

  Out in the real world, the UN Secretariat had no comment on Ethiopia's jailing of journalists including the Zone 9 Bloggers, when asked about it by the new Free UN Coalition for Access. As we covered on May 8, the UN has yet to speak on Yemen's deportation of one of the few (but more than two) non-Yemeni journalists working in the country.  We'll have more on all this -- watch this site.

   

After ISIL Beheads James Foley, US Cites Attempt to Free Him in Syria; On Journalists' Deaths, AFP Portrays Them "In Gaza"

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 20 -- After the US confirmed that it was journalist James Foley who was beheaded by ISIL after being forced to read a statement, later on August 20 the Pentagon issued this:

"The United States attempted a rescue operation recently to free a number of American hostages held in Syria by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). This operation involved air and ground components and was focused on a particular captor network within ISIL. Unfortunately, the mission was not successful because the hostages were not present at the targeted location."

  In light of the reference to "ground components," some wonder if Syria will assert a violation of its sovereignty. Why make this announcements?

  Agence France Presse, purporting an info-graphic of journalists killed last year, listed four as killed "in Gaza." Since all other listed jurisdiction are full UN member states, some surmised AFP's nomenclature let off the hook the killer of those journalists. Despite calling it social media, hours later AFP has not responded.

    Inner City Press on August 18 asked the Security Council's president for August Mark Lyall Grant of the UK if the Council gets reports:

Inner City Press: You said that Iraq came up, so I wanted to know, the US has providing publicly these updates of airstrikes by the Mosul damn. I’m just wondering, is there any, under your Presidency, is the Security Council, is there any mechanism for getting, I guess, reports of these from countries taking military action or arming the Peshmerga? And just separately, in Mali, these two peacekeepers were killed by suicide attack and I’m wondering is there any movement in the Council to have a Press Statement, or some response to this Peacekeeping attack in Mali?

Amb Lyall Grant: Yes, on the second point, France did signal that it was circulating, and indeed has now has circulated a draft Press Statement with the deadline of 3 o’clock this afternoon, of silence procedure, on the UN Peacekeepers tragically killed in Mali. On the Iraq situation, the representative of the United States, did indeed give a very short update on action that the United States had been taking including the role of the UK and Australia in humanitarian airdrops.

 Both Australia and obviously the US are also on the Security Council, but from the answer it appears that the US representative -- Samantha Power? -- was the one to report on their role in the airdrops. And what of France providing weapons in Kurdistan? We hope to have more on this.

   President Barack Obama's dual rationale for the campaign of airstrikes in Iraq had been the plight of the Yazikis on Mount Sinjar and the protection of US personnel in Erbil and Bagdad.

  Then the US began airstrikes around the Mosul Dam. Now Obama's War Powers Resolution letter to Congress, as the NSC's gloss puts it, says this new bombing "is consistent with President Obama's directive that the U.S. military protect U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq, since the failure of the Mosul Dam could threaten the lives of large numbers of civilians, threaten U.S. personnel and facilities -- including the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad -- and prevent the Iraqi government from providing critical services to the Iraqi populace."

  Helping the Iraqi government provide services doesn't appear to have been part of the initial mission. So what will be next?

 A variety of talking heads on the Sunday news shows in the US demanded to know why Obama has not bombed in Syria as in Iraq -- ignoring that only in the latter has bombing been invited by the government, and the vetoes in the UN Security Council. We'll have more on this.

 On August 14 the UN had at its noon briefing a call-in the spokesperson of its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Kieran Dwyer. Inner City Press asked Dwyer if airdrops now promised by Australia and Germany are still needed -- and about a UN map showing humanitarian problems and lack of access in Ninewa and Anbar provinces. Click here to view.

   Dwyer replied that bilateral requests are up to Iraqi authorities, and said, yes, there are problems and lack of access in Anbar and Ninewa (where ISIL held Mosul is).

  At the US State Department briefing less than an hour later, the Department's deputy spokesperson Marie Harf was asked if the US might now provided airstrikes or "assistance" in Anbar, and if this would be covered by the last War Powers notice Obama gave to Congress.

  I am not a lawyer, Harf said, adding in essence that the US acts when it can be useful with its "unique capabilities." She was asked why the US did not use military force to protect civilians in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo or Central African Republic -- Sri Lanka could be added -- and called each case unique.

  The line-of-the-briefing at the State Department was that seven airstrikes to prevent a genocide is not a bad deal. Indeed.

   Smaller gauge, Inner City Press is still asking how exactly the UN is "coordinating" aid, for example could he say why the UK had aborted an airdrop of aid as reported by BBC?

 OCHA's Dwyer on August 11 made various claims about coordinating then couldn't or wouldn't explain the UK's abortive aid delivery, telling Inner City Press to ask the UK or BBC. What kind of coordination is this?

  After the US on August 8 announced completion of its second air-drop of aid to Sinjar Mountain in Iraq, President Barack Obama on August 9 said “I don't think we're going to solve this problem in weeks."

   Obama said that the Iraq military when far from Baghdad did not have the commitment to hold ground against an aggressive adversary: that is, ISIL.  So, Obama said, would move to "play some offense."

  So, the question arises, who else is going to play? Now, after the US was given first shot, France is mulling arming the Kurds.

 On August 9 Inner City Press was reliably and for then exclusively informed that Iraq had written to the UN Security Council invite any and all UN member states to deliver aid to areas controlled by Islamic State, with Iraq's agreement. [On August 9, the UK mission confirmed this to Inner City Press.]

  And so the question arises -- what about aid from Iran? From Russia? From China -- which has told the Press of $4.9 million in medical supplies to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone for ebola?

  At the US State Department's briefing on August 8, much as made of Iraq inviting the US, and only the US, in . But now, would others including Iran be welcome? Shouldn't they be?

  Aid is needed, and not only in Sinjar. We'll have more on this.

(Given the numbers cited on Sinjar mountain, Inner City Press couldn't help wondering about 2009 when 40,000 people were cornered & killed in Sri Lanka.)

On August 7 after 6:30 pm, Council president for August Mark Lyall Grant emerged to read a press statement, followed by question and answer stakeouts by French deputy Alexis Lamek and Iraqi Permanent Representative Alhakim.

  Inner City Press asked Lamek if France will take military action. While we'll await the French mission's transcript, Lamek eventually said "that needs to be done indeed."

  There is a draft resolution in the works, with UK Ambassador Lyall Grant saying that a new draft would be circulated later on August 7. The Security Council left on August 8 for a week-long trip to Europe and South Sudan and, it is now widely reported, Somalia. Now what? 

On July 25 after the UN Security Council met behind closed doors with the Syria Commission of Inquiry's Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and Karen AbuZayd, the two Commissioners and UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant came to take questions from the press.

  Karen AbuZayd spoke of abuses not only by the government but also, in response to a question, by what she called the Islamic State of Iraq and [Syria], ISIL. 

  Inner City Press when called on asked her about ISIS' takeover of border crossing, renaming as Islamic State and attacks on non-Sunni Muslims in Mosul.

In this context, what did she think of hers or another Commission of Inquiry covering the group's abuses in Iraq as well? Bigger picture, does the state by state focus of the UN make sense in this context?

  AbuZayd said she prefers not to call them “Islamic State,” it give them too much credit. Pinheiro resisted any talk of expanding his Commission's mandate -- Syria is enough.

  A US state media asked about foreign fighters, including pro-government; Pinheiro said that Hezbollah is the only group of foreign fighters he's away of.

 This is strange, given that the UN's own recent report on Syria humanitarian access notes that “on June 29, the Islamic State issued a statement announcing that the Caliphate included people from the following nationalities: Caucasian [sic], Indian, Chinese, Shami (Levantine), Iraqi, Yemeni, Egyptian, North African, American, French, German, and Australians." Watch this site.

Footnote: one wanted to ask AbuZayd about developments -- to put it mildly -- in Gaza, where she used to head UNRWA, but this too was deemed beyond the scope of the stakeout. Another former Gaza hand, John Ging, has been speaking on the topic this week. Perhaps we'll hear from Ms. AbuZayd. We'll be watching.