UNSC Wrap-Up Grew to 74, UK Says Could Replace Lost Horizon Scanning Sessions

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 1 – During the UN Security Council “wrap-up” session on February 28, 74 member states came to listen, compared to only 23 at the end of January.

  Inner City Press on Friday asked Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant of the UK, which introduced a different reform with the “horizon scanning” Council briefing in 2010, how the two formats differ.

 “Both are useful,” Lyall Grant said diplomatically, not surprisingly. Wrap up session “could become as useful as horizon scanning, looking back but looking forward too, unrestricted, unrestrained.”

Inner City Press pointed out that the idea of horizon scanning was that the Secretariat could raise issues that the Council was not yet considering.

  Lyall Grant replied, “that was the original concept two and a half years ago, an unrestricted briefing from the Department of Political Affairs, right at the beginning of the month around agreement of the Program of Work. He could come in and say, 'you're deal with this, but what keeps me awake are x, y and z, which are not on the Program.'”

  Lyall Grant paused. “It hasn't worked that way for various and obvious reason. If the horizon scanning item have to be negotiated in advance it is less useful. Maybe wrap up is the best way to go.”

 As Inner City Press exclusively reported, this month's incoming Council president Russia once suggested that the next horizon scanning briefing should include Bahrain (or, why wasn't Bahrain on it.) Inner City Press got a lot of responses from the region interested in this. But the agenda item never happened.

 As Lyall Grant turned to go into the Council for his meeting with Russia's Vitaly Churkin, Inner City Press suggested that in some future wrap up sessions, which are closed to the press, the member states in the audience might be able to give their reviews of the Security Council's work.

  Lyall Grant laughed. And that's how it is, in the UN Security Council. Watch this site.

Footnote: while the February 28 session was closed, that evening one Council member told Inner City Press it had shortened its prepared statement while reading it - then another member “went out for more than 15 minutes.” For that, let the audience speak!

In UNSC in First Horizon Briefing by US Jeffrey Feltman, Russia Asks Why Not Bahrain?

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, August 7, updated -- In the run up to Tuesday's so-called "horizon scanning briefing" of the Security Council, the first by new Department of Political Affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman, the agenda items were only Somalia and the former Camp Ashraf in Iraq.

Then two other items came up, Inner City Press has learned. The first was without controversy, an information point about the attacks in the Sinai.

But, sources tell Inner City Press, Russia asked why Bahrain wasn't on the agenda, and asked how Feltman would choose agenda items in the future.

Feltman replied that he would follow the standard practices, according to sources. But these are described as murky: the Secretariat proposes topics to the Council's monthly presidency, which circulate to other members. If "one or two" object, items are stricken.

While Western members like France, the UK and Germany have been very upbeat about Tuesday DPA horizon session, others point out that "it is the US which killed the briefings," or at least broke the monthly streak.

Now with Russia's question, what comes next? Watch this site.

Update: When the meeting broke up, after publication of the above, Inner City Press asked UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant about Russia's intervention. He indicated he wasn't sure why Bahrain had not been put on the list, telling Inner City Press "we wouldn't have blocked it."

France's "Light" UNSC August Sets Syria August 16, Late on Sudans & Somalia

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 26 -- When France on July 25 prepared its "Program of Work" for its August UN Security Council presidency, it set in an otherwise empty week an August 16 consultation to consider whether to extended the UN Mission in Syria beyond the 30 days France agreed to on July 20.

Inner City Press has obtained the French Mission's July 25 program of work and puts it online here, summarizes it below.

The July 20 resolution requires a 15 day report, and says the mission can be extended. France set a meeting for this three days before the August 19 expiration, in a week with no other meetings. Some may leave town, others may not come. And if France has its way, the mission will fully be dismantled.

This is consistent with the action of Herve Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row to control UN Peacekeeping, who was ready on July 20 to pull the whole mission out until the resolution was passed, and has still sent half of the peacekeepers home.

There is also an UNSMIS (Syria) meeting listed on August 2. Perhaps after that Ladsous will try to send the rest of the observers home.

In fact, well placed sources in the Secretariat tell Inner City Press it is Ladsous' goal to reduce the number to twenty-some, from the UN Department of Safety and Security and not Troop Contributing Countries. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson's office has announced that it will neither confirm or deny things that (whistleblowing) UN staff tell Inner City Press.

France's focus it is said is on Mali, with briefings and consultations on August 8 followed by lunch with Ban Ki-moon.

Sudan and South Sudan will come up on August 9, a full week after the August 2 deadline for negotiations. Likewise, Somalia will be discussed on August 22, two days AFTER the deadline for the TFG.

  Other meetings ranging from Lebanon on August 23 and 30, through a Kosovo "debate" on August 21 and Central Asia on August 7. There is a "DPA briefing" that day.

  France's month is "very light," as one attendee of the July 25 Political Coordinators dinner hosted by France told Inner City Press. These are usually lunches, but because of Ramadan this was held in the evening. 

  The torch of being the "dean" of P5 Political Coordinators was passed from seasoned China to US team player Bill Grant.

Previously Inner City Press covered its passage from Russia's Vladimir Safronkov to the UK, then out of the hands of the UK's David Quarrey, who reappeared at the Syria meetings in Geneva, leading UK efforts on the Middle East. 

  France's Political Coordinator Emmanuel Bonne returned to Paris. But the beat goes on, even in France's "light" August. Watch this site.

UK Proposes Middle East Session "Perm Reps Only," Russia & US Oppose

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, March 2 -- Taking over the Presidency of the UN Security Council for March, UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant on Friday proposed that the Council meet "Perm Reps only" and was opposed by the US and Russia, among others, Inner City Press exclusively learned Friday morning.

Council sources told Inner City Press that Russia, for example, said that the Perm Rep only session held to consider the Russian amendments to the most recent vetoed Syria resolution was not an official meeting of the type the UK was proposing, consultations on the Middle East on March 27.

The US was said to argue that it can send whomever it likes to Council meetings; it is a team whose instructions from the the capital, Washington -- where its Permanent Representative often has to be.

Inner City Press asked Lyall Grant to confirm and explain his request, among other questions asked at his "Program of Work" press conference.

Lyall Grant acknowledged making the request, saying it was so that session could be "frank and interactive." He said even if others don't, the UK on March 27 will be represented only by its Permanent Representative - him.

He likened it to the UK's innovation of the "horizon" briefing by the Department of Political Affairs. That, too, was opposed by the US, some say due to a fear that such an unscripted session could turn into "Israel bashing." Some wonder if the US, which takes over the Council's presidency in April, will even hold a horizon briefing. Watch this site.

Inner City Press also asked Lyall Grant about Sudan, Myanmar and Sierra Leone. On Myanmar it appears any briefing of the Council by Vijay Nambair will await April. On Sierra Leone, Lyall Grant gave a long and reasoned answer to which we'll devote a separate piece.

On Sudan, he said there is a Presidential Statement in the works -- and an hour later, Inner City Press observed the experts working on it emerging from the Council. So much for Perm Reps only...

At UN, Syria Stasis Not "Bamboozle," Sahel Boondoggle, Libya Assets Unfreeze, Camp Ashraf to Base?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 16 -- As the UN Security Council met Friday morning about Camp Ashraf in Iraq and a surprisingly large UN entourage traipsing through the Sahel, the hot topic just outside the Council was Syria.

The draft resolution Russia introduced on Thursday -- click here to view -- is, Russian Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin told the Press, "still being absorbed" by Council members.

Since on Thursday he told Inner City Press they had "yet to digest" the draft, to some this seemed like progress.

This was quickly disputed by a European Permanent Representative, who questioned whether Russia is "serious on Syria." In response, South African Permanent Representative Baso Sangqu told Inner City Press he thinks Russia IS serious, but is moving methodically and not "bamboozling" other Council members.

One wag, and not Sangqu, said this could be contrasted to the pushing into blue and for a vote of the Council's Eritrea sanctions resolution, click here for that).

Churkin said "maybe Monday" for the next set of consultations, probably at the experts levels. The US has said it is ready to work with Russia, but has changes. One well places Permanent Representative predicted "two or three weeks." We'll see.

While the lame duck chief of the UN Department of Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe spoke behind closed doors to the Council about Camp Ashraf and the joint mission to the Sahel, he did not speak to the press afterward. One exiting diplomat who asks not to be quoted by name snarked "We've been to the Sahel and back."

UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant stopped and described to Inner City Press a mission consisting of DPA, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, CTED, the African Union; he said the UK had asked that the forthcoming report focus on proliferation, terrorism and migration.

The representative of one of the countries joining the Council in January told Inner City Press that added to that list should be drugs and the Taureg of Mali.

One wag called the venture, "Fowler II," a reference to the UN's stealth envoy to Niger whose mandate only became known, or created, after he was kidnapped. He recently wrote a book about his captivity and one hopes to hear him at the UN.

On Camp Ashraf, while most members only said that UN envoy Martin Kobler is trying to convince the Iraqi authorities to extend their year-end deadline to close the camp, two told Inner City Press that he is trying to move camp residents to an ex-US base, "near the airport... for processing." But would Camp Ashraf residents agree? Watch this site.

Footnote: there is a proposal pending in the Council on Libya to unfreeze all Central Bank assets by 5 pm; "if no one breaks silence," a Permanent Representative told Inner City Press, "it will be done." And whither (or wither) the Libya Sanctions Committee?

At UN, “Going Through Motions” on Syria Resolution, Attending Just to Listen

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 17 -- When UN Security Council experts met Friday morning about the long pending Syria draft resolution, China and Russia attended, unlike on Saturday, June 11. But China said they are not prepared to negotiate about the text, “just listen,” Inner City Press is informed.

The Permanent Representative of another Council member told Inner City Press, “With two veto threats, the West is just going through the motions.”

Three hours later outside the Security Council's so-called “horizon briefing” at which Syria was one of five agenda items, a Western Council member's representative told Inner City Press that in the closed door meeting, comments were made that the refusal to engage of “certain members” made the Council look bad. This did not seem to much impact those with a veto.

Rather, the resolution's proponents are now openly calling out those whose foreign ministers have made comments about the resolution, to come and negotiate around specifics in the text.

South African's foreign minister this week told the press that a Syria resolution could “insinuate regime change.” The response seems to be, show us where in the text the insinuation can be found. But the concern may not be only or even mostly textual.

Ban Ki-moon has been in Brazil, but his spokesperson's office's read-outs of meetings with the president and foreign minister do not mention any discussion of Brazil's position on the resolution. Ban is seeking a vote on a second five year term as Secretary General on June 21. Watch this site.

Footnote: the non-attendance at last Saturday's meeting on the draft Syria resolution was explained as a matter of worker's rights: only work on weekends if necessary, and since no change of voting Monday or Tuesday, why meet Saturday? So further weekend sessions, at least on Syria, seem unlikely.