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STORY: UN / SYRIA
TRT: 03:31
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / FRENCH
DATELINE: 03 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
03 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, French ambassador approaching stakeout
3. SOUNDBITE (French) François Delattre, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, France:
“For the month of June, the Syrian authorities did not accept all the requests for access by the United Nations. Therefore in accordance with the ISSG’s (International Syria Support Group) request, the United Nations will ask Damascus on Sunday to authorise humanitarian airdrops to reach localities for which land access was denied by the Syrian regime.”
4. Wide shot, French ambassador approaching stakeout
5. Pan left, British ambassador approaching stakeout
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United Kingdom:
“If the Assad regime chooses to block land access or blocks the World Food Programme from delivering aid by air, then the United Kingdom and other ISSG members will consider further action to ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered.”
7. Med shot, reporter asking question
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United Kingdom:
“Stephan De Mistura warned us that the chances are that the regime will be stop-go about this. They’ll stop it one day; they’ll let it in the next day; they’ll stop it the next day; they’ll let it in the day after that. That is not acceptable. That is not meeting the requirement of the whole international community. Only full unimpeded access will meet the requirement.”
9. Pan left, Syrian ambassador approaching stakeout
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Bashar Ja’afari, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syria:
“If the Syrian government did not cooperate with the UN with regards to humanitarian aid, millions of Syrians would have died. People do not survive five years of the crisis if they are not fed; if they don’t eat. This is wrong. The information you are hearing is wrong.”
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
11. Close up, reporter writing
03 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Bashar Ja’afari, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syria:
“The Syrian government takes into its consideration the safety and security of the humanitarian personnel and the safety of the roads they take. As well as guaranteeing the delivery of the assistance to those in need and not to the hands of terrorist groups. If it was up to some members in the Security Council they would wish to deliver, by air dropping as they call it, weapons to the terrorists not food, not medical supplies.”
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
13. Close up, reporter writing
03 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Bashar Ja’afari, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syria:
“No one can drop by air, land, or sea any assistance to the Syrians in need, if there is a need for that, without going through an official channel called the Syrian government. No one can succeed, neither in the humanitarian field nor in the political field, while ignoring the role of the Syrian government.”
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
15. Close up, reporter writing
03 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Bashar Ja’afari, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syria:
“Of course you will not see pictures on Al Jazeera; they will not show these pictures. They will not show that on Al Arabia. They will not show that on CNN, on France 24. They will not show you that because they are part of the problem. Your channel is part of the problem from the beginning. What we are saying is that, when we make our statements in the Council, please listen to what we are saying. We are a partner whether some people in the Council like it or not, we are the main interlocutor in the country. You cannot do whatever you want without consulting and coordinating with the Syrian government. We are not Somalia. Syria is Syria.”
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
17. Close up, reporter writing
03 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
18. Zoom out, Syrian ambassador leaving stakeout
The President of the Security Council for the month of June, French ambassador François Delattre said the United Nations (UN) will request authorization by the Syrian government for humanitarian airdrops in the country. Speaking to the press today (3 Jun) following closed consolations in the Council, Delattre said the move for airdrops came as a result of the Syrian government not accepting all the requests for access made by the UN for June.
Earlier last month, the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) agreed that if humanitarian aid was being denied to any area in the country by the first of June, the UN would launch a program for emergency deliveries by air.
British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said requests for access were not meant as an initial bargaining chip, rather were requirements by the international community. He said, “If the Assad regime choses to block land access or blocks the World Food Programme from delivering aid by air, then the United Kingdom and other ISSG members will consider further action to ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered.”
He said the UN was asked to report very regularly on the day to day implementation of its plan for action however he noted, “Stephan De Mistura warned us that the chances are that the regime will be stop go-about this. They’ll stop it one day; they’ll let it in the next day; they’ll stop it the next day; they’ll let it in the day after that.” Rycroft said that would not be acceptable and “only full unimpeded access will meet the requirement.”
Syrian ambassador Bashar Ja’afari expressed frustration with the use of the term “regime” by his counter-parts. He said his government has fully complied with the UN in regards to aid delivery, otherwise he said “millions of Syrians would have died.” Ja’afari said, “People do not survive five years of the crisis if they are not fed.”
He said his government takes into its consideration the safety and security of the humanitarian personnel and also wants to ensure assistance is reaching those in need and does not fall into “the hands of terrorist groups.” He added, “If it was up to some members in the Security Council they would wish to deliver, by air dropping as they call it, weapons to the terrorists not food, not medical supplies.”
Pressed by a reporter on weather his government would approve the airdrops on Sunday, Ja’afari said his government allowed dozens of trucks to enter hard-to-reach areas today. He said, “Of course you will not see pictures on Al Jazeera; they will not show these pictures. They will not show that on Al Arabia. They will not show that on CNN, on France 24. They will not show you that because they are part of the problem. Your channel is part of the problem from the beginning.”
Ja’afari said “no one can drop by air, land, or sea any assistance to the Syrians in need, if there is a need for that, without going through an official channel called the Syrian government.” He said, “You cannot do whatever you want without consulting and coordinating with the Syrian government. We are not Somalia. Syria is Syria.”
