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STORY: GENEVA / SYRIA COI PRESSER
TRT: 2.04
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS
DATELINE: 16 SEPTEMBER 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RECENT 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide external shot, Palais des Nations, Geneva.
16 SEPTEMBER 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Wide shot, Press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Abu Zayd, Commission of Inquiry on Syria member, United Nations:
“The government is committing both war crimes and crimes against humanity; the opposition is committing, so far, just war crimes.”
4. Med shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Carla del Ponte, Commission of Inquiry on Syria member, United Nations:
“For sure we must enter Syria. To have a proper judicial formal investigation of that and to know exactly who were using these chemical weapons, yes we must enter Syria.”
6. Med shot, photographer and interns
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Carla del Ponte, Commission of Inquiry on Syria member, United Nations:
“If it is as said by the Government that they were not using chemical weapons it's time to invite the commission to investigate because we have jurisdiction to investigate.”
8. Med shot, journalists
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Paulo Pinheiro, Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, United Nations:
“First you'll have the report of Sellstrom, we need to enter in Syria then we decide and we will share with you, it will be not a secret how we'll be able or not, there is no doubt that this is the mandate of this commission and if it's a mandate, we are supposed to perform this mandate.”
10. Med shot, journalist
11. SOUNDBITE (English) ) Paulo Pinheiro, Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, United Nations: “Nobody can escape the charm and expertise of Carla del Ponte, but the problem is that Carla del Ponte is in a commission, and there is not such a thing as a personal capacity, this doesn't exist international law, personal capacity, now you invite Ban Ki-moon, please we want you just to come to have a chat with us but not as Secretary-General, this doesn’t exist.”
12. Wide shot, presser
A United Nations panel investigation into human rights abuses in Syria, says it is conducting its own independent investigations to establish who was to blame for the August 21 chemical attack in Damascus.
The work of the Commission of Inquiry into Syria, is separate from a specific UN investigation into last month's alleged attack east of Damascus, which will be published later today.
Commission chairman Paulo Pinheiro told a news conference today (16 September) in Geneva that, “There is no doubt that this is the mandate of this commission and if it's a mandate, we are supposed to perform this mandate.”
Earlier, in an address to the UN Human Rights Council, Pinheiro said it was within the commission’s mandate to establish who was to blame for the alleged chemical attack. He also said that his commission had found an increase in killings, crimes and other abuses by rebels, including foreign fighters invoking Jihad.
Commission member Karen Abu Zayd said both President Assad's government and the rebels were responsible for war crimes, but that the regime alone had perpetrated crimes against humanity. “The Government is committing both war crimes and crimes against humanity; the opposition is committing, so far, just war crimes.”
Pinheiro also said Syria had invited commission member Carla del Ponte to visit Syria in a personal capacity, but the commission wanted an official visit, including him. Del Ponte said it was assumed she had been invited because she said in May it had allegations that opposition groups had used chemical weapons.
