2 Aug 2012

UN / ARAUD

French Ambassador Gérard Araud, this month's president of the UN Security Council said today (2 August) that he believed the UN Observer Mission in Syria "will just disappear on the 19th of August." UNTV

Posted at: August 2, 2012 3:06 pm

Duration: 01:56

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: UN / ARAUD
TRT: 1.56
SOURCE: UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH/ NATS

DATELINE: 2 AUGUST 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

2 AUGUST 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2. Med shot, Araud at the dais
3. Wide shot, audience
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Gérard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations:
"I think that the Mission will just disappear on the 19th of August. It is quite clear positions taken at the highest levels by a number of Member States on both sides, means that I don't see a scenario – unless there are changes on the ground, it might happen, but I don't see a scenario, I might be wrong – that will allow us to maintain the Mission."
5. Med shot, reporters
6. SOUNDBITE (French) Gérard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations:
"We see where the Council might be helpful, but bearing in mind the political gap that exists and which has emerged between two Council Members and the majority of the Council. So we are trying to work on humanitarian questions. We hope that we'll be able to find again Council unity on humanitarian questions."
7. Med shot, reporters
8. SOUNDBITE (French) Gérard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations:
"It is not a contradiction to say that it is unavoidable and dangerous, and those responsible are the two countries who have vetoed the action of the Security Council. It's dangerous, you are quite right. In any case, politically speaking at the present we can't see what can be done in the Security Council. So, we are going to try to work with the Syrian opposition to see that it is united and has a unite platform so that when the time comes that opposition will be able to enter political dialogue should that prove possible."
9. Med shot, reporters
10. Wide shot, end of conference

STORYLINE:

French Ambassador Gérard Araud, this month's president of the UN Security Council said  today (2 August) that he believed  the UN Observer Mission in Syria  "will just disappear on the 19th of August."

Araud said that given the "positions taken at the highest levels by a number of Member States on both sides" he can not envision a scenario "that will allow us to maintain the Mission."

He added that "bearing in mind the political gap that exists and which has emerged between two Council Members and the majority of the Council," the focus will now be "to find again Council unity on humanitarian questions."

Responding to a reporter's question about the current Council deadlock, Araud said "it is not a contradiction to say that it is unavoidable and dangerous, and those responsible are the two countries who have vetoed the action of the Security Council." China and Russia have exercised their vetoes in the Council on Syrian issues.

He said the French Government will "try to work with the Syrian opposition to see that it is united and has a united platform so that when the time comes that opposition will be able to enter political dialogue should that prove possible."

Araud's comments came as the resignation of the United Nations-League of Arab States Joint Special Envoy for the Syrian crisis, Kofi Annan was announced.

Annan, a former UN Secretary-General, was appointed in late February to serve as the high-level representative of the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the League of Arab States on the Syrian crisis.

The Security Council scheduled closed  consultations on Syria for Thursday afternoon, and the General Assembly is expected to hold a meeting on same issue on Friday.

Filed under SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC .