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STORY: UN / SYRIA
TRT: 2.31
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 26 JULY 2013, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
RECENT 2013, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations
26 JULY 2013, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
2. Wide shot, British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant takes the microphone
FILE – UNTV – RECENT, NEW YORK
3. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
26 JULY 2013, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations:
“We heard a very positive message from President Al-Jarba who made a very strong statement of commitment to the unity of Syria, to democracy and to plurality. He condemned the extremism and he rejected terrorism.”
FILE – UNTV – RECENT, NEW YORK
5. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
26 JULY 2013, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations:
“No he did not raise that with members of the Security Council though he did refer to the fact that there were some countries who were continuing to arm the regime.”
7. Wide shot, UK Ambassador Lyall Grant leaves microphone behind while French Ambassador Gerard Araud approaches the microphone
FILE – UNTV – RECENT, NEW YORK
8. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
26 JULY 2013, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Gerard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations:
“You know, he has said really without any conditions, he has said we want to go to Geneva too. He simply said, I think he stated the obvious. He said in Geneva I we supposed to have a transition government with full executive powers. He simply said full executive powers means of course the control of security, the army and the police. How can you imagine a real transition government in the middle of a civil war, you know, without the control of the army and the security? It’s very clear all the executive powers and it means what it means.”
FILE – UNTV – RECENT, NEW YORK
10. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
26 JULY 2013, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Gerard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations:
“He clearly recognized that there were radical groups now in Syria on both sides. He simply said that these groups are foreigners, they are contrary to the Syrian way of thinking, way of living and he emphasized also that’s important to say that you have Alqaida on one side but on the other side you have also the Iranian Pasdaran, you have also the Hezbollah. So there are a lot of radical groups.”
FILE – UNTV – RECENT, NEW YORK
12. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
26 JULY 2013, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
13. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador vitally Churkin approaches the microphone
FILE – UNTV – RECENT, NEW YORK
14. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
26 JULY 2013, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Vitally Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
“Certainly this meeting was not about any kind of official recognition the National Coalition and there was a clear understanding to that effect among members of the Security Council.”
FILE – UNTV – RECENT, NEW YORK
16. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
26 JULY 2013, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Vitally Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
“I think that still there are sort of good chances for the Geneva to be convened because the alternative would be so horrifying. So its definitively better to keep trying.”
18. Wide shot, Ambassador Vitally Churkin leaves microphone behind
British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said today (26 July) that the Security Council members heard “a very positive message” from the Syrian National Coalition President Al-Jarba.
Lyall Grant was talking to journalist at the United Nations (UN) in New York following an “Arria Formula Meeting” the Council held in the morning.
He also said that Al-Jarba “made a very strong statement of commitment to the unity of Syria, to democracy and to plurality. He condemned the extremism and he rejected terrorism.”
Responding to whether Al-Jarba had made any mention concerning countries sending arms to Syria, Lyall Grant said that he hadn’t but he said that Al-Jarba “did refer to the fact that there were some countries who were continuing to arm the regime.”
The UN, the United States, and the Russian Federation are working to convene a meeting in Geneva, Geneva II between the Syrian government and opposition groups to try and come up with a peace deal.
French Ambassador Gerard Araud who also briefed the media said that Al-Jarba expressed his willingness to attend the meeting in Geneva too.
Concerning the presence of radical groups in Syria, Araud said that Al-Jarba “clearly recognized that there were radical groups now in Syria on both sides.”
Next Russian Ambassador vitally Churkin emphasized that “Certainly this meeting was not about any kind of official recognition the National Coalition and there was a clear understanding to that effect among members of the Security Council.”
And regarding the possibility of a second Geneva meeting he said, he though that still there were good chances for that to happen and added that “the alternative would be so horrifying. So its definitively better to keep trying.”
The "Arria-formula meetings" are very informal, confidential gatherings which enable Security Council members to have a frank and private exchange of views, within a flexible procedural framework, with persons whom the inviting member or members of the Council (who also act as the facilitators or convenors) believe it would be beneficial to hear and/or to whom they may wish to convey a message.
They provide interested Council members an opportunity to engage in a direct dialogue with high representatives of Governments and international organizations, often at the latter’s request, as well as non-State parties, on matters with which they are concerned and which fall within the purview of responsibility of the Security Council.
The process is named after Ambassador Diego Arria of Venezuela, who, as the representative of Venezuela on the Council (1992-1993), initiated the practice in 1992. Although Ambassador Arria, as the then President of the Security Council, had himself convened in 1992 as an “Arria-formula meeting”, the recent practice suggests a preference for such initiatives to be taken by members of the Council other than the President. The convening member is also chairing such meetings.
