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CNN Live Sunday
Syria Condemns Attack Against Camp Inside Their Territory
Aired October 05, 2003 - 18:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Syria condemned the attack as a serious escalation of the Middle East conflict. It complained to the United Nations and asked for a meeting of the U.N. Security Council. That special session began two hours ago.
CNN's Michael Okwu is there.
Michael, is there any word and any results out of that meeting just yet?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, it's turning into one of those sort of marathon speaking sessions that we've become very familiar with here at the United Nations. Various countries, at this point, making their statements known for the public record.
But earlier in the session, it looked something like a diplomatic mud throwing contest with both the Syrians and the Israelis taking to the floor. This is what the Syrian ambassador had to say earlier this afternoon.
FAYSAL MEKDAD, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (through translator): Syria has exercised maximum self-restraint because it recognizes that Israel is provoking pretexts here and there with a view to export its current domestic crisis to the entire region, thus endangering it -- thus causing -- exposing it to further escalation and volatility.
OKWU: Now, the Israeli ambassador, for his part, called the Syrians a known harbor of terrorists, and this is what he had to say.
DAN GILLERMAN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (through translator): The membership of this arch sponsor of terrorism on this council is an unbearable contradiction and an embarrassment to the United Nations. For Syria to ask for a debate of the council is comparable only to the Taliban calling for such a debate after 9/11. It would be laughable if it wasn't so sad.
OKWU: For his part, the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, just moments ago, released a statement in which he said -- and I'm quoting now -- "the secretary general strongly condemns the horrific suicide bombing that killed at least 18 people in Haifa, Israel today."
His thoughts and prayers are with the families and the victims. He calls on the Palestinian Authority to do everything in its power to halt these vicious attacks, which only harm the Palestinian cause. The secretary general urges all parties to show utmost restraint during this extremely dangerous and difficult period.
We understand that a list of at least 15 additional speakers, outside of the Security Council members, are scheduled to speak. It's unclear whether they will continue this meeting throughout the course of the evening. They may very well carry on tomorrow or into the coming days.
But we understand, again, that the Syrians have a draft resolution on the table that would condemn Israel's last act as the first aggression on Syrian soil since 1973 and ask the secretary general to monitor their behavior in the coming year -- Carol.
LIN: Michael, it's probably too early to really assess whether Syria would get its condemnation from the U.N. Security Council. If it does, though, get that condemnation, does it, in effect, restrain officially restrain Israel from any further military action outside its boarders?
OKWU: Well, that's certainly what this resolution says, in effect, but that's going to be a very long road, Carol. The fact is the United States has veto-bearing power on the council. They are the president of the Security Council this month.
They have made it very clear in the past that they will not likely support any resolution that condemns Israel without wording that includes an overall condemnation of terrorists and countries that support terrorists, and that is code word here at the United Nations. Sometimes it's viewed by diplomats for countries like Syria -- Carol.
LIN: So, Michael, is there a sense, in the diplomatic circles there, that the United States had to have prior knowledge or at least some sense of approval of Israel's strike inside of Syria?
OKWU: There's absolutely no word about that. That would certainly be jumping the gun. Nobody is suggesting that the United States knew about Israel's actions, and it certainly has not come up in the past hour or so. Diplomats have been all taking the floor, speaking on the record, many of them condemning Israel's act and some of them including France or Russia and Germany condemning terrorism in general.
So they're very balanced attacks here, if you will, very balanced statements about Israel's reaction. Nobody's talking about the U.S.'s role in this at all -- Carol.
LIN: All right. Thank you very much -- Michael Okwu, covering the United Nations for us today. Those talks are continuing, as Syria seeks its condemnation of these actions by the Israelis.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 5, 2003 - 18:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Syria condemned the attack as a serious escalation of the Middle East conflict. It complained to the United Nations and asked for a meeting of the U.N. Security Council. That special session began two hours ago.
CNN's Michael Okwu is there.
Michael, is there any word and any results out of that meeting just yet?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, it's turning into one of those sort of marathon speaking sessions that we've become very familiar with here at the United Nations. Various countries, at this point, making their statements known for the public record.
But earlier in the session, it looked something like a diplomatic mud throwing contest with both the Syrians and the Israelis taking to the floor. This is what the Syrian ambassador had to say earlier this afternoon.
FAYSAL MEKDAD, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (through translator): Syria has exercised maximum self-restraint because it recognizes that Israel is provoking pretexts here and there with a view to export its current domestic crisis to the entire region, thus endangering it -- thus causing -- exposing it to further escalation and volatility.
OKWU: Now, the Israeli ambassador, for his part, called the Syrians a known harbor of terrorists, and this is what he had to say.
DAN GILLERMAN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (through translator): The membership of this arch sponsor of terrorism on this council is an unbearable contradiction and an embarrassment to the United Nations. For Syria to ask for a debate of the council is comparable only to the Taliban calling for such a debate after 9/11. It would be laughable if it wasn't so sad.
OKWU: For his part, the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, just moments ago, released a statement in which he said -- and I'm quoting now -- "the secretary general strongly condemns the horrific suicide bombing that killed at least 18 people in Haifa, Israel today."
His thoughts and prayers are with the families and the victims. He calls on the Palestinian Authority to do everything in its power to halt these vicious attacks, which only harm the Palestinian cause. The secretary general urges all parties to show utmost restraint during this extremely dangerous and difficult period.
We understand that a list of at least 15 additional speakers, outside of the Security Council members, are scheduled to speak. It's unclear whether they will continue this meeting throughout the course of the evening. They may very well carry on tomorrow or into the coming days.
But we understand, again, that the Syrians have a draft resolution on the table that would condemn Israel's last act as the first aggression on Syrian soil since 1973 and ask the secretary general to monitor their behavior in the coming year -- Carol.
LIN: Michael, it's probably too early to really assess whether Syria would get its condemnation from the U.N. Security Council. If it does, though, get that condemnation, does it, in effect, restrain officially restrain Israel from any further military action outside its boarders?
OKWU: Well, that's certainly what this resolution says, in effect, but that's going to be a very long road, Carol. The fact is the United States has veto-bearing power on the council. They are the president of the Security Council this month.
They have made it very clear in the past that they will not likely support any resolution that condemns Israel without wording that includes an overall condemnation of terrorists and countries that support terrorists, and that is code word here at the United Nations. Sometimes it's viewed by diplomats for countries like Syria -- Carol.
LIN: So, Michael, is there a sense, in the diplomatic circles there, that the United States had to have prior knowledge or at least some sense of approval of Israel's strike inside of Syria?
OKWU: There's absolutely no word about that. That would certainly be jumping the gun. Nobody is suggesting that the United States knew about Israel's actions, and it certainly has not come up in the past hour or so. Diplomats have been all taking the floor, speaking on the record, many of them condemning Israel's act and some of them including France or Russia and Germany condemning terrorism in general.
So they're very balanced attacks here, if you will, very balanced statements about Israel's reaction. Nobody's talking about the U.S.'s role in this at all -- Carol.
LIN: All right. Thank you very much -- Michael Okwu, covering the United Nations for us today. Those talks are continuing, as Syria seeks its condemnation of these actions by the Israelis.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
