6 Mar 2013

UN / UNDOF

The Security Council issues a press statement read by the President of the Security Council, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, strongly condemning the detention of a group of more than 20 peacekeepers of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) earlier today by armed elements of the Syrian opposition. UNTV

Posted at: March 6, 2013 5:58 pm

Duration: 02:03

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: UN / UNDOF
TRT: 2.03
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 6 MARCH 2013, NEW YORK

SHOTLIST:

FILE – 2011, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters

6 MARCH 2013, NEW YORK

2. Wide shot, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin approaches microphone
3. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of the United Nations, and President of the Security Council for the month of March:
"The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the detention of a group of more than 20 peacekeepers of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force within the Area of Limitation, east of the B-Line, earlier today by armed elements of the Syrian opposition. The members of the Security Council demanded the unconditional and immediate release of all the detained UN peacekeepers, and called upon all parties to cooperate with UNDOF in good faith to enable it to operate freely, and to ensure full security of its personnel."
5. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of March:
"This is a tricky situation because, as you know, it is an area of separation so it is not really controlled by either Syria or Israel, and the fact of the matter is that recently armed groups, obviously associated in some form and shape with the Syrian opposition, have been showing up there and that was causing situations when the Syrian armed forces were also engaged. This is something which is not in any way addressed or envisaged for by the UNDOF mandate. So UNDOF is caught up in a predicament where they're clearly threatened and impeded in terms of carrying out their activities, but they cannot do much about it. In this particular case the situation of course has even gotten worse because they actually were captured and some demands are made by those who captured them, on the Syrian government. So there are talks now between the Secretariat, the United Nations, and the captors and we hope that, as demanded by the Security Council, also the UN personnel they are going to be released immediately."
7.Cutaway, journalist taking notes
8.Wide shot, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin leaves microphone behind

STORYLINE:

The Security Council strongly condemned the detention today (6 March) by "armed elements of the Syrian opposition" of a group of United Nations (UN) peacekeepers who monitor the ceasefire in the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria, and demanded their immediate release.

More than 20 peacekeepers from the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) were being held, according to Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, which holds the March presidency of the 15-member Council.

Ambassador Churkin, in a statement read out to the press following closed-door consultations on the matter, said that "the members of the Security Council demanded the unconditional and immediate release of all the detained UN peacekeepers, and called upon all parties to cooperate with UNDOF in good faith to enable it to operate freely, and to ensure full security of its personnel,"

A spokesperson for Security-General Ban Ki-moon said that approximately 30 armed fighters had stopped and detained the peacekeepers within the area of limitation.

Asked if President Assad of Syria was going to be held accountable for the detention, Churkin explained that it was a "tricky situation" because the area where the peacekeepers were detained was not controlled by either Syria or Israel, and that the situation had not been addressed or envisaged for by the UNDOF mandate.

Therefore, the President of the Council said that UNDOF was "caught up in a predicament where they're clearly threatened and impeded in terms of carrying out their activities, but they cannot do much about it."

Churkin said that there were talks presently between the Secretariat, the United Nations, and the captors. He expressed his hope that "as demanded by the Security Council" and also by "the UN personnel" that "they are going to be released immediately."

Peacekeepers serving with UNDOF monitor the 1974 disengagement accord between Syria and Israel after their 1973 war. In December, the Security Council extended the mission's mandate for another six months, until 30 June 2013.