UNITED NATIONS, April 26, updated -- Amid buzz about Syria at the UN Security Council Tuesday afternoon, Syria's Permanent Representative went into the Council, followed by a diplomat from Kim Jong-Il's Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The draft press statement circulated on Monday, sources tell Inner City Press, only referred to violence in Syria, without naming the government. The US, which is now on the record opposing Syria for the UN Human Rights Council, is said to want more direct finger pointing at the Assad government.
This would make Russian and Chinese opposition all the more certain. Lebanon, too, unlike on Yemen where it wanted a statement, is queasy about criticism of domineering immediate neighbor Syria, and more distant influencer Iran.
Within the UN Secretariat, there is a debate about trying to send an envoy as was done to Yemen. But a similar attempt to send Oscar Fernandez Tarranco of the Department of Political Affairs to Bahrain was shot down. Is Ban, even with this "Good Offices" power, running scared?
When the Security Council let out past 5 pm, Ambassador Cabral of Portugal told the Press that it will be discussed tomorrow. Asked if the statement he introduced can be adopted, he said "I hope so."
Update: Syria's Permanent Representative came and took a dozen questions. Inner City Press asked if Assad would accept an envoy from the UN, as Yemen did. No, he answered, it is too early.
Update of 6:26 pm - When Susan Rice finally took two questions, her spokesman had pre-selected the first, then pulled the plug after the second.
Update of 6:41 pm - the Arab Group met in the Security Council, heard from Lebanon expert. Exiting, a diplomat told Inner City Press that after Lynn Pascoe's briefing Wednesday afternoon on Syria, if there is no agreement on the draft press statement, an open meeting will be requested at which each member will have to make public its position, "so it doesn't die on the vine like the Yemen statement." We'll see.
The reasoning of the US, and its accommodation of Lebanon's position, were not immediately clear: the US Mission to the UN sent a heads-up of Ambassador Susan Rice's press availability to only some in the UN press corps.
The US position was also unclear on the pending Western Sahara resolution. Susan Rice “holds the pen” on that, but her position on the jurisdiction of Moroccan rights bureaucracy over Western Sahara, a major issue for the African Union, is not known. Watch this site.
