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UN / SYRIA PEACE TALKS WRAP

A UN spokesperson today (20 January) said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was “dismayed” by the latest developments regarding participation in the Geneva Conference on Syria as “some key participants have conditioned their acceptance to the inclusion or exclusion of other delegations.”  Martin Nesirski, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said Iran, “despite assurances provided orally to the Secretary-General, has made a disappointing public statement that suggests Iran doers not accept that the basis for the Geneva Conference, as defined by the two initiating states, the Russian Federation and the United States, is the full implementation of the 30th of June 20012 Geneva Communiqué, including the establishment by mutual consent of a transitional governing body with full executive powers.” UNTV
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STORY: UN / SYRIA PEACE TALKS WRAP
TRT: 2.56
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 20 JANUARY 2014, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

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Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN building

16 JANUARY 2014, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Martin Nesirski at the dais
3. Wide shot, audience
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Nesirski, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General:
“The Secretary-General, who has expended extraordinary efforts to try to end the suffering in Syria, is dismayed by the developments regarding participation in the Geneva Conference on Syria scheduled to begin Wednesday in Montreux. Some key participants have conditioned their acceptance to the inclusion or exclusion of other delegations. Iran, despite assurances provided orally to the Secretary-General, has made a disappointing public statement that suggests Iran doers not accept that the basis for the Geneva Conference, as defined by the two initiating states, the Russian Federation and the United States, is the full implementation of the 30th of June 20012 Geneva Communiqué, including the establishment by mutual consent of a transitional governing body with full executive powers.”
5. Wide shot, audience
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. Zoom out, Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“We welcome the Coalition’s courageous decision this past weekend to participate in the talks, the purpose of which is implementation of the Geneva Action Group Communiqué. That document calls for the establishment, based on mutual consent, of a transitional governing body with full executive authority, including over military and security entities. It is vital that all participants in the opening ministerial and subsequent talks support that core goal. As of this morning, Iran still has yet to demonstrate its willingness to explicitly and publicly subscribe to the full implementation of the Geneva Communiqué, that is a minimal requirement for participation in this peace process.”
9. Wide shot, Security Council
10.Wide shot, press conference
11. Med shot, delegates
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
“As I have said repeatedly, I believe strongly that Iran needs to be part of the solution to the Syrian crisis. I have spoken at length in recent days with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Javad Zarif. He has assured me that, like all the other countries invited to the opening day discussions in Montreux, Iran understands that the basis of the talks is the full implementation of the 30 June 2012 Geneva Communiqué, including the Action Plan.”
13. Med shot, delegates
14. Wide shot, end of presser

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Storyline

A UN spokesperson today (20 January) said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was “dismayed” by the latest developments regarding participation in the Geneva Conference on Syria as “some key participants have conditioned their acceptance to the inclusion or exclusion of other delegations.”

Martin Nesirski, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said Iran, “despite assurances provided orally to the Secretary-General, has made a disappointing public statement that suggests Iran doers not accept that the basis for the Geneva Conference, as defined by the two initiating states, the Russian Federation and the United States, is the full implementation of the 30th of June 20012 Geneva Communiqué, including the establishment by mutual consent of a transitional governing body with full executive powers.”

Earlier today, US Ambassador Samantha Power welcomed the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces’ “courageous decision” to participate in upcoming peace talks in Montreaux, Switzerland, expressing doubt over Iran’s inclusion in the talks.

Speaking to the Security Council, Power pointed out that the purpose of the talks is the implementation of the Geneva Action Group Communiqué, which “calls for the establishment, based on mutual consent, of a transitional governing body with full executive authority, including over military and security entities.”

She said it was “vital that all participants in the opening ministerial and subsequent talks support that core goal” and added that “as of this morning, Iran still has yet to demonstrate its willingness to explicitly and publicly subscribe to the full implementation of the Geneva Communiqué, that is a minimal requirement for participation in this peace process.”

According to published reports, Syria’s political opposition said today it will withdraw from the talks unless Ban retracts the invitation to Iran to attend the conference in Switzerland, which he announced last night.
The United States has suggested it could support Iran’s participation if it explicitly declares its support for a June 2012 plan for a political transition that Washington says means that President Bashar al-Assad would have to step down, according to these reports.

Ban announced last night that after intensive meetings and telephone conversations with many global leaders and others who are part of the diplomatic effort on Syria, he has decided to also invite Iran together with Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Greece, the Holy See, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands and the Republic of Korea to the 22 January opening gathering in Montreux, near Geneva.

Well over 100,000 people have been killed and more than 8 million others driven from their homes since the conflict erupted in March 2011 between the Government and various groups seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
The Geneva Conference on Syria, which will be chaired by Mr. Ban, will open on 22 January in Montreux, Switzerland. It will then move on 24 January to the Palais des Nations in Geneva where the Joint Special Representative of the UN and the League of Arab States for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, will facilitate the talks between the two Syrian parties.

The conference seeks to achieve a comprehensive agreement between the Syrian Government and the opposition for fully implementing the decision of an earlier Geneva conference in 2012, which called for the creation of a transitional government that would lead to the holding of elections.

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