Daily
Press Briefing
Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
October 25, 2005
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MR.
ERELI: Moving on. George.
QUESTION:
There are ramblings of a resolution in New York on Syria.
Do you have anything to contribute?
MR.
ERELI: In the Security Council today the members
heard Judge Mehlis present his report. I'd simply underscore
what we've said previously, that it's a very disturbing
report. It points to Syrian involvement, the assassination
of Rafik Hariri, as well as Syria's non-cooperation in
the investigation of Mehlis, contrary to 1595. The President
has made clear that Syria needs to take the report seriously
and cooperate fully with Judge Mehlis's continuing investigation.
I think our objective at the Security Council is to make
clear to Syria that demands of the international community
are clear and unmistakable, that they need to cooperate
with the Mehlis investigation and not to intimate the
Lebanese people or to interfere in the affairs of Lebanon.
And we will be working with our Security Council partners,
I think, on a resolution to that effect.
Yes.
QUESTION:
Do you expect anything more than a mere appeal to Syria
to cooperate because they --
MR.
ERELI: I don't think -- I wouldn't qualify that
as a "mere" appeal to Syria to cooperate. I
would qualify that -- I would characterize our approach
with the French and with the other members of the Security
Council to put forward a serious and tough resolution
that makes it clear to Syria what it needs to do.
QUESTION:
Why would Syria not already know what it needs to do?
What good is a resolution -- they know that they're --
the resolution authorizing this investigation should comply
them to cooperate?
MR.
ERELI: Well, I guess -- I guess that's a question
to ask the Syrian Government. You're right, 1595 is pretty
clear. What's also clear is that, according to the Mehlis
report, they haven't cooperated as they should. So this
is conclusion that the Security Council is discussing
in deciding what's the most appropriate action to take.
QUESTION:
So why not move forward from simply reminding them of
that? Why not take further action?
MR.
ERELI: We'll see what -- as I said, I would expect
a tough resolution, moving forward based on the report
of Mehlis.
Yes.
QUESTION:
Adam, shortly before you came here into the briefing room,
over the hourly news, it was reported that a bullet or
bullets were flying from Syria into Lebanon and evidently
-- I don't know if that's just an isolated incident aimed
at some contractors. What would the UN do with respect
to this? And is this, in your estimation, a --
MR.
ERELI: It's hard to speak to the question. I
don't know -- I'm not familiar with the facts of the incident,
what happened -- I think, we've been making very clear,
the Secretary has made it very clear, I think, in her
remarks yesterday as well as today that Syria should be
under no illusion about where the international community
stands. They've got to cooperate with Mehlis and they've
got to refrain from interfering in Lebanon and intimidating
the Lebanese people. And that's the way we would view
any such incident.
QUESTION: Or what?
MR.
ERELI: I think -- let's leave it where it is.
Yeah.
*
* *
QUESTION:
I have a couple -- go back on Syria. Did you yet get the
confirmation from allies that there will be a meeting
on Monday?
MR.
ERELI: I don't have anything to confirm for you.
QUESTION:
Do you still believe they will have a -- there'll be a
ministerial on Monday?
MR.
ERELI: Still our goal, still working towards
it.
QUESTION:
Well, yesterday, Sean seemed a little more certain than
that.
MR.
ERELI: I don't --
QUESTION:
Well, he gave us a date and he said the (inaudible) ministerial.
MR.
ERELI: We are working to set up a ministerial
on May 31st and that continues to be --
QUESTION:
October 31
MR.
ERELI: -- I'm sorry -- October 31st.
QUESTION:
We may make it by May 31st.
MR.
ERELI: And that continues to be our goal.
QUESTION:
What's the hold-up?
MR.
ERELI: You've got a number of Security Council
members that all have to be in sync, so that's not something
that's done automatically.
QUESTION:
But do they not want to hold -- I mean, do people not
want to hold a ministerial --
MR.
ERELI: I'd say, they're working it.
QUESTION:
Okay. All right.
MR.
ERELI: Follow-up? Anything else?
QUESTION:
On this issue?
MR.
ERELI: On this issue.
QUESTION:
The Syrian President today -- has said today that Syria
has completely cooperated with Mehlis and this committee.
MR.
ERELI: That's not the conclusion of Judge Mehlis.
I think -- and that's obviously something the -- if you
look at his report, it's fairly specific about the areas
in which Syria did not cooperate. So again, I think that
the Security Council is taking stock of the Mehlis report,
that's what they're doing today. There is a firm and I
think growing international consensus that, once again,
Syria has demonstrated by its policies and its actions
that it's out of step with the international community
and in this instance specifically by its failure to correctly
read the tea leaves and fully cooperate with Mehlis. And
that is why you have a Security Council that's meeting
to come to some conclusion about what to do about that
failure to cooperate. So it's a little late now for Syria
to try to be making up for past failures.
Yes.
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