With Iran as Co-Host, Nowruz Boycotted by UK Not US, Rice Has Other Worries

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, March 21, updated -- Tuesday night's celebration in the UN General Assembly of Nowruz was interesting for those who were and weren't there.

The UK has confirmed that it was not there, because Iran was the co-host. [Ambassador Lyall Grant confirmed this to Inner City Press, on UNTV camera, at the stakeout.]

But Inner City Press greeted and spoke with US Mission's affable Deputy Permanent Representative Rosemary DiCarlo as she exited the GA Hall.

The following morning at the Security Council, with not only Syria but also Iran sanctions on the agenda, Inner City Press asked US Ambassador Susan Rice as she entered the Council, the UK boycotted but the US went to Nowruz.

Rice told Inner City Press, "I've got enough trouble without worrying about their social schedule."

Rice had been down in Washington at the House Appropriations subcommittee, speaking about Iran and resolution 1929, and calling Palestine's move to join UNESCO "reprehensible," and referring to attempt as UN membership as line cutting. (Somehow this doesn't apply to Kosovo, an issue close to the heart of Ambassador DiCarlo.)

Inner City Press notes that the other co-hosts included Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and others, each of which laid out a spread containing meat and rice. There would have been a rationale for the UK to go. France also was there, in the form of its Deputy Permanent Representative Martin Briens who when spotted told Inner City Press he didn't know about Thursday's Arria formula briefing about Syria.

But the UK, for example, recently blocked Sri Lankan Deputy Permanent Representative Shavendra Silva from attending a Commonwealth reception with Foreign Secretary William Hague, given Silva's association with war crimes. While this is commendable, when Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant to explain banning Silva (as Ban Ki-moon has not done), Lyall Grant declined to speak about it. So it goes at the UN.

On Syria, Russia Says Steps "General," No Answers on Kidwa, Rice on Nowruz

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 21, updated -- After the modified Syria Presidential Statement was read out in the UN Security Council on Wednesday morning, five Permanent Representatives came out to speak to the press: UK, France, Germany, Morocco and then Russia. US Ambassador Susan Rice commented later, as did Kofi Annan.

Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador Lyall Grant, this month's president of the Council, to explain the change in the draft Statement from "further measures" to "further steps," and the deletion of seven day reporting by Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan.

Lyall Grant, "I don’t want to go into the negotiations of PRST." When Inner City Press asked him about Russia's Vitaly Churkin's criticism of the UK delaying on the anti-terrorism press statement they proposed, Lyall Grant said, "we had some amendments to the original Russian draft of the press statement. Those amendments were agreed and the press statement has now issued."

Minutes later, Inner City Press asked Churkin the same two questions. He said that "steps" is obviously "more general" then the term "further measures." Russia subsequently indicated that the UK amendments were all agreed to on Tuesday but that the UK still wanted to delay, ostensibly to "get instructions."

As Indian Permanent Representative Hardeep Singh Puri told the Press on Tuesday, the draft press statement was delayed "for leverage" to get the PRST agreed to.

Another member of the Council criticized what the UK did, telling Inner City Press that "once you start playing with the Council's condemnation of terrorism, it will happen more and more."

Yet another Council diplomat told Inner City Press that the UK's "open" actions -- actually, in closed consultations -- might give the impression that condemnation of terrorism against some states is no longer automatic.

Inner City Press asked French Ambassador Gerard Araud how this Presidential Statement could be seen as "unambiguously" supporting the Arab League plan, including political transition. He said that the Statement refers to the General Assembly resolution, which refers to the Arab League plan. He said that Kofi Annan's six points are similar to the Arab League plan. But what about political "transition"?

On Tuesday Inner City Press learned of and reported a German sponsored Arria formula meeting of the Council on March 22 with the head of the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, Paulo Pinheiro.

On Wednesday Inner City Press asked Wittig to confirm it; he did. Inner City Press then asked why it had been so little publicized. This Wittig did not answer, ostensibly so that others could ask questions. But despite hands apparently having been raised, no other questions were asked.

Morocco's Ambassador Loulichki spoke mostly in Arabic. Inner City Press asked him about Syria blocking Annan's Arab League designated deputy Nassar Al Kidwa, which Inner City Press reported last week and Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi confirmed to Inner City Press on Tuesday. Loulichki didn't answer that question, though he did refer to "a democratic exit" to the crisis. Does that mean exit of Assad?

From the UK Mission transcript:

Inner City Press: Can I ask a question about the press statement? There was some complaint by Russia that...the linking of the two. They say that the press statement was a very straight forward condemnation of terror but sort of got swept up....I guess to get leverage. What’s your response to that?

Amb Lyall Grant: We had some amendments to the original Russian draft of the press statement. Those amendments were agreed and the press statement has now issued.

Inner City Press: Is there a difference between further steps and further measures, and not reporting every seven days in the PRST?

Amb Lyall Grant: I don’t want to go into the negotiations of PRST. The PRST stands on its own merits.

Just after noon, Annan through his spokesman Fawzi said that he "is encouraged by the united support of the Security Council behind his efforts and urges the Syrian authorities to respond positively."

Footnotes: It was notably that the US did not speak at the stakeout. There had been a briefing for select UN scribes set up at the US Mission at 9:30 am with Mike Hammer, but Inner City Press is informed that it was canceled. Hammer will appear for the "foreign" press at 4 pm. At 11 am Wednesday, one of Ambassador Susan Rice's bodyguards was just outside the Council. Should we expect an appearance? Let's see what happens.

As this went to press past 11 am, the following quote came in from Ambassador Rice:

“The United Nations Security Council has come together today to support Joint Special Envoy Annan’s efforts and his proposal to the Syrian regime. While this is a modest step, it is indeed a step forward for the Security Council towards a more unified approach to the crisis in Syria. As the Council recognized, Annan’s proposal is the best way to put an end to the violence, facilitate much needed humanitarian assistance, and advance a Syrian-led political transition. We urge the Syrian authorities to respond swiftly and positively.”

Others noted that while the UK boycotted Tuesday night's "Nowruz" event at the UN because it was co-hosted by Iran, the US was represented, by Rice's deputy Rosemary DiCarlo. At 11:11 am, Ambassador Rice arrived and Inner City Press asked, the UK boycotted but the US went to Nowruz. She told Inner City Press, "I've got enough trouble without worrying about their social schedule." And so it goes at the UN.

At UN on Syria, 7 Days Out, New Draft Here, Arria Formula on Thursday

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, March 20 -- Tuesday night at the UN, Security Council Ambassadors told Inner City Press about their discussion that afternoon on Syria. "The reporting in seven days is out," one Permanent Representative said proudly, quickly confirmed by two others. "But Kofi's six point plan remains in."

Another Permanent Representative emphasized the switch from "further measures" down to "further steps."

Later Inner City Press obtained a copy of the revised Presidential Statement, and is putting it online below, where it can be compared with the original version which Inner City Press put online here.

Meanwhile it emerged that Germany has scheduled an "Arria formula" meeting of the Council on Thursday morning, with the head of the UN International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, Paulo Pinheiro. "We should schedule our own Arria formula meeting," a less pro Western Permanent Representative told Inner City Press.

For the record, Syria's Perm Rep Bashar Ja'afari told Inner City Press that the sides "are still far apart," and predicted that the French "will be surprised when silence is broken," before 9 am on Wednesday.

The locus of all this back and forth was the celebration of Nowruz in the General Assembly Tuesday night. Attendees, just from among the Council's Permanent Five, included Vitaly Churkin of Russia, Deputy Wang of China, Deputy DiCarlo of the USA, and Deputy Briens of France, who told Inner City Press he had not heard about the Arria formula meeting about Syria.

Churkin told Inner City Press that he had been ready to agree earlier on Tuesday. Wittig of Germany told other reporters that it was Russia that asked to check with Moscow. We'll see.

DPR DiCarlo, notably pleasant, attended the Nowruz, as Ambassador Susan Rice was said to be in Washington after telling the House of Representative that Ban Ki-moon is a great partner in reform (though he has without comment an alleged war criminal as an adviser) and that the UN helped in Haiti, with no mention of cholera or rape. Apparently not Rice by Mike Hammer will brief select UN scribes -- not this one -- on Wednesday at 9:30 am, then the "foreign" press at 4 pm.

The re-draft under silence procedure:

PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT ON THE JOINT SPECIAL ENVOY on Syria

The Security Council recalls its Presidential Statement of 3 August 2011 and its Press Statement of 1 March 2012.

The Security Council expresses its gravest concern at the deteriorating situation in Syria which has resulted in a serious human rights crisis and a deplorable humanitarian situation. The Security Council expresses its profound regret at the death of many thousands of people in Syria.

The Security Council reaffirms its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, and to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

The Security Council welcomes the appointment of Joint Special Envoy for the United Nations and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan, following the General Assembly resolution A/RES/66/253 of 16 February 2012 and relevant resolutions of the League of Arab States.

The Security Council expresses its full support for the efforts of the Envoy to bring an immediate end to all violence and human rights violations, secure humanitarian access, and facilitate a Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, plural political system, in which citizens are equal regardless of their affiliations or ethnicities or beliefs, including through commencing a comprehensive political dialogue between the Syrian government and the whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition.

To this aim, the Security Council fully supports the initial six-point proposal submitted to the Syrian authorities, as outlined by the Envoy to the Security Council on 16 March 2012, to:

1) commit to work with the Envoy in an inclusive Syrian-led political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people, and, to this end, commit to appoint an empowered interlocutor when invited to do so by the Envoy;

2) commit to stop the fighting and achieve urgently an effective United Nations supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians and stabilize the country. To this end, the Syrian government shall immediately cease troop movements towards, and end the use of heavy weapons in, population centres, and begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centres. As these actions are being taken on the ground, the Syrian government shall work with the Envoy to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism, and similar commitments shall be sought by the Envoy from the opposition and all relevant elements to stop the fighting and work with him to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism;

3) ensure timely provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and to this end, as immediate steps, to accept and implement a daily two hour humanitarian pause and to coordinate exact time and modalities of the daily pause through an efficient mechanism, including at local level.

4) intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons, including especially vulnerable categories of persons, and persons involved in peaceful political activities, provide without delay through appropriate channels a list of all places in which such persons are being detained, immediately begin organising access to such locations and through appropriate channels respond promptly to all written requests for information, access or release regarding such persons;

5) ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists and a non-discriminatory visa policy for them;

6) respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully as legally guaranteed.

The Security Council calls upon the Syrian government and opposition to work in good faith with the Envoy towards a peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis and to implement fully and immediately his initial six-point proposal.

The Security Council requests the Envoy to update the Council regularly and in a timely manner on the progress of his mission. In the light of these reports, the Security Council will consider further steps as appropriate.