US Secretary of State John Kerry (centre) speaks ahead of a meeting with humanitarian organizations on the Syrian crisis on July 23, 2013 in the Treaty Room of the State Department in Washington, DC. Kerry is flanked by Valerie Amos (left), Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Antonio Guterres (right), UN High Commissioner for Refugees
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council will hold an informal meeting with members of the opposition Syrian National Coalition this week, Britain’s UN envoy said yesterday, but the chief rebel commander will not attend due to the situation inside Syria.
The meeting will take place on Friday and include political and military representatives of the Syrian opposition, British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said in a statement. Saudi-backed tribal leader Ahmed al-Jarba, the new president of the coalition, will lead the delegation, he said.
Lyall Grant said the informal nature of the meeting would “provide a forum for members of the council to have a frank and informal exchange with the National Coalition, to discuss key issues relating to the Syrian conflict.”
A spokesman for Moscow’s UN mission confirmed that Russia would join the other 14 Security Council members at the Syria meeting. Russia is Syrian President Assad’s main ally and arms supplier and has vetoed three Western- and Arab-backed council resolutions condemning Assad’s government. Lyall Grant said key issues to discuss included “ending the violence and preparing for the Geneva II conference, as well as addressing the issues of humanitarian access, human rights, refugees and protection of civilians.”
So far, attempts to organize a “Geneva II” peace conference on Syria to revive a political transition plan agreed in June 2012 in the Swiss city have come to naught. UN diplomats say it is looking increasingly unlikely that such a conference will take place anytime soon, if at all. Reuters
