LOC09:22
06:22 GMT
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 24 (KUNA) -- Western members of the Security Council
late Monday met with "like minded" Ambassadors from the Arab group and
interested parties to seek a briefing in the Security Council later this week
by Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Al-Arabi and the Chairman of the
follow-up Committee on Syria Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassem.
It is hoped the officials would shed more light on the Arab peace
initiative on Syria adopted in Cairo, Egypt, last Sunday, a diplomat told
KUNA, Tuesday.
The diplomat said the western Council members want the briefing to take
place by Thursday or Friday, to pave the way for the adoption in the Council
next Monday of a western draft resolution that would express support for that
initiative.
The representatives of Council members - the US, UK, France, Germany,
Portugal, Colombia, and Guatemala - met at the British Mission to the UN late
Monday with their counterparts from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United
Arab Emirates, Jordan, Morocco - a Council member - and Turkey to coordinate
the next steps regarding the crisis in Syria, including a Council invitation
to the league officials to brief the members on their initiative.
According to the diplomat, a Qatari letter is on its way to the UN
Secretary General about the Arab League peace plan on Syria adopted on Sunday
in Cairo.
The Secretary General will forward the letter to the Council President,
South Africa, which will circulate it to all Council members. Morocco, the
Council's only Arab member, is expected to request the Council President at
that time to issue the invitations to Al-Arabi and Sheikh Hamad to come to New
York to brief the Council.
KUNA had reported on Monday that Russia also wants the Council President to
invite the head of the league's monitoring group in Syria Gen. Mohammed Ahmed
Al-Dabi of Sudan to brief the Council.
Al-Dabi gave mixed signals in his report to the league on Sunday on the
work of the mission, whose mandate has been extended for another month.
The diplomat said western Council members "do not mind" Al-Dabi briefing
the Council too, along with Al-Arabi and Sheikh Hamad.(end)
sj.wsa
KUNA 240922 Jan 12NNNN