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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Cautious Welcome for U.N.-Arab League Mission in Syria
2012-02-10
[An Nahar] The major powers gave a cautious welcome on Thursday to proposals to send a joint Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
-United Nations
...an international organization whose stated aims of facilitating interational security involves making sure that nobody with live ammo is offended unless it's a civilized country...
mission to monitor Syria's deadly crackdown on protests.

La Belle France said there had to be "guarantees" for the mission. The U.S. and German ambassadors to the United Nations said their countries were studying the idea raised by U.N. leader the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
on Wednesday.

Ban said the head of the vaporous Arab League had told him that he would be sending observers back to Syria, where Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad's
The Scourge of Hama...
crackdown has cost thousands of lives, and wanted it to be a joint UN-Arab League operation.

The UN leader said consultations would be held with the Arab League and U.N. Security Council members in coming days "before fleshing out the details." Arab League foreign ministers are to meet in Cairo on Sunday and could follow up the proposal.

Ban said international action had to be taken as he fears the violence will worsen after the Security Council failed to agree to a resolution condemning the Syria violence.

It was not immediately clear whether the new proposal would need formal Security Council approval but diplomats said it could not work without the backing of the major powers.

"We are going to study it," U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said of the proposal without adding any further comment.

La Belle France called the return of observers to Syria "a step in the right direction if they can freely and completely carry out their mandate."

The observers must be able to travel freely and meet anyone they wish, said La Belle France's foreign ministry front man Bernard Valero in Gay Paree.

"Cooperation between the United Nations and the Arab League on this return must allow it (the mission) to work credibly and efficiently," Valero said.

Germany's UN ambassador Peter Wittig said his government had spoken to Arab League head Nabil ElAraby on Thursday to discuss the proposal.

"We will take a close look at it," Wittig told news hounds, calling it a "very serious" idea. "There are of course conditions that have to be fulfilled before such a joint mission can take place."

Morocco's UN envoy, Mohamed Loulichki, the Arab representative on the 15-nation council gave implicit backing to the scheme.

"As far as Morocco is concerned any initiative that could help to implement the Arab initiative, which is very comprehensive, is most welcome."

Russia and China on Saturday vetoed a Security Council resolution -- proposed by Arab and European nations -- which aimed to back an Arab League plan for Syria.

The League plan calls for the Syrian president to hand over powers to a deputy so new elections can be held.
Posted by:Fred

#1  Fred,

Help me here with the diplomatic parlance, what does "cautious" mean in diplomatic circles?

Assad hid under his desk during the meeting?

The UN mission was chased out of the office by dogs?

Assad's bodyguards had their weapons drawn during the entire meeting?

What was it?
Posted by: Bill Clinton   2012-02-10 13:10  

00:00