(ANSAmed) - WASHINGTON, APRIL 13 - Foreign Ministers from the
G8 are appealing to the UN for swift measures to check and
guarantee the correct implementation of Kofi Annan's Syrian
peace plan, with the situation in the country currently
described as "a fragile truce". After an unprecedented
"openness" was shown by Russia at the meeting of the G8 in
Washington, the process to turn the appeal into real action
began apace yesterday, with a draft resolution completed during
the afternoon in New York (late in the evening, Italian time),
in which "the Security Council authorises 30 unarmed UN
observers to be sent to Syria". Approval of the measure is
expected today. The eight major countries say that they are
"pleased with the reports by the special envoy Kofi Annan of a
subsiding of the violence in Syria, at least for the moment,"
according to the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who was
speaking at the end of the meeting between the eight Foreign
Ministers at Blair House, a few yards away from the White House.
However, she added, "this is not enough". The ministers agree, saying that the current truce will not be sufficient to work towards a definitive solution to the Syrian crisis.
Despite being considered a close ally of Damascus, Russia seems to agree with its G8 partners (US, Germany, Italy, France, UK, Japan, Canada) and yesterday demonstrated an "openness", as long as all measures are discussed by the Security Council, of which it is a permanent member. As a result, and with unexpected speed, Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Ciurkin, announced that "the United Nations Security Council will this afternoon begin discussing a draft resolution on a mission of UN observers to be sent to Syria, and the document could be approved as early as tomorrow". Speaking in New York while the final document from the G8 meeting was still awaited, Ciurkin added: "Observers will need to be in the country as soon as possible, we hope that 20 or 30 will be in Syria at the beginning of next week, or at best in the next 48 hours". The call by the eight nations aims to deal with what Italy's Foreign Minister, Giulio Terzi, has called a "fragile truce", to ensure that the measure does not become another vain manoeuvre, of which there have been many in a year of bloodshed in Syria. The failure of initiatives taken in recent months, beginning with the mission by Arab League observers who returned home empty handed, means that "precautions" are now the order of the day. Guidelines for the initiative presented at the UN have been drawn up by the US, France and the UK, and will see a sort of "avant-garde" of observers, a team of a few dozen people tasked with preparing the ground for a much larger group of experts, who will themselves "need to have the guarantee of moving freely" in the country, a fundamental condition, according to the French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppé. The move is yet another attempt by the international community to advance on the Syrian issue. But it is now considered "a small concrete step forward" on many sides. In the meantime, a serious humanitarian emergency linked to the Syrian situation still remains, with thousands of refugees crossing the Turkish border every day, an issue that the international community will soon have to challenge, and in no uncertain terms.(ANSAmed).
However, she added, "this is not enough". The ministers agree, saying that the current truce will not be sufficient to work towards a definitive solution to the Syrian crisis.
Despite being considered a close ally of Damascus, Russia seems to agree with its G8 partners (US, Germany, Italy, France, UK, Japan, Canada) and yesterday demonstrated an "openness", as long as all measures are discussed by the Security Council, of which it is a permanent member. As a result, and with unexpected speed, Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Ciurkin, announced that "the United Nations Security Council will this afternoon begin discussing a draft resolution on a mission of UN observers to be sent to Syria, and the document could be approved as early as tomorrow". Speaking in New York while the final document from the G8 meeting was still awaited, Ciurkin added: "Observers will need to be in the country as soon as possible, we hope that 20 or 30 will be in Syria at the beginning of next week, or at best in the next 48 hours". The call by the eight nations aims to deal with what Italy's Foreign Minister, Giulio Terzi, has called a "fragile truce", to ensure that the measure does not become another vain manoeuvre, of which there have been many in a year of bloodshed in Syria. The failure of initiatives taken in recent months, beginning with the mission by Arab League observers who returned home empty handed, means that "precautions" are now the order of the day. Guidelines for the initiative presented at the UN have been drawn up by the US, France and the UK, and will see a sort of "avant-garde" of observers, a team of a few dozen people tasked with preparing the ground for a much larger group of experts, who will themselves "need to have the guarantee of moving freely" in the country, a fundamental condition, according to the French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppé. The move is yet another attempt by the international community to advance on the Syrian issue. But it is now considered "a small concrete step forward" on many sides. In the meantime, a serious humanitarian emergency linked to the Syrian situation still remains, with thousands of refugees crossing the Turkish border every day, an issue that the international community will soon have to challenge, and in no uncertain terms.(ANSAmed).
