Ban to propose setting up UN "Political Office" for Syria

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 10 (KUNA) -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to propose the establishment of a UN "Political Office" for Syria as an alternative presence to the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) which will most likely cease to exist beyond August 19th when its current mandate expires, diplomats told KUNA late Thursday.
The diplomats indicated that the establishment of this Office for Syria, that would also handle humanitarian issues, will not need a Security Council resolution, and therefore there is no fear that any of the permanent members would veto it.
The UN Office, to be based in Damascus, they added, will be similar to the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) which was established by then Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali in 1995 to help him advance the cause of peace and reconciliation through contacts with Somali leaders, civic organisations and the states and organisations concerned.
The mandate of the UN Office for Syria would be to create conditions for a Special Representative to continue to make progress on the political process, coordinate all UN activities in Syria, provide good offices and political support for the efforts to establish lasting peace and stability in the country and mobilise resources and support from the international community.
The Office, to be proposed by Ban in a report to be issued in the coming few days, will be called something different than (UNPOS), will be administered by a Special Representative of the UN and Arab League Secretaries-General and provide them with periodic briefings and written reports to the Security Council. The Special Representative, the diplomats speculated, will likely succeed Joint Special Envoy for Syria Kofi Annan who resigned earlier this month out of frustration because of the militarization on the ground and the deadlock among Council key members on how to bring peace to Syria after 17 months of turmoil and some 20,000 deaths. Several names for this post have been tossed at the UN, including that of Algerian Former Foreign Minister Lakhdar Brahimi, 78, who handled UN files such as Iraq, Afghanistan, South Africa and Haiti. Any candidate will need Damascus' nod in order to get the job. Annan's successor will be announced shortly, before the Secretary-General issues his upcoming report in which he will propose the establishment of the UN Office for Syria and before the Council discusses UNSMIS fate on August 16th.
US Ambassador Susan Rice on Thursday said her delegation will not allow the extension of UNSMIS mandate beyond its expiration date of August 19th, but said the US is open to the recommendations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will have to propose.
She told reporters UNSMIS "will not continue as far as we're concerned. We would certainly be willing to entertain other conceptions of a UN presence. There will be a country team. There will be a humanitarian presence. Perhaps there will be recommendations that will be more political in nature that we can consider favorably." UNSMIS, which was established by the Council in late April to monitor a non-existant ceasefire between government and opposition forces, has suspended its activities in mid-June because of the increasesd level of violence, and has since cut its 3OO-strong force in half. The diplomats said the UN cannot afford not to have eyes and ears in the country, that's why the UN Office will open in Syria and Damascus will welcome the idea. (end) sj.rk KUNA 101026 Aug 12NNNN