Worsening Conditions in Syria Need Urgent Concerted Efforts from All Parties to Resume Syrian-led Political Process, Special Envoy Tells Security Council
The worsening security, economic and humanitarian situation in Syria requires urgent concerted efforts from all parties to the conflict to resume a Syrian-led political process, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the country stressed, as the Security Council today took up that file once again this month.
Geir O. Pedersen, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, warned that the Syrian people both inside and outside Syria continue to suffer acutely from the conflict in all its dimensions. The economic situation has gotten worse, with the Syrian pound losing over 80 per cent in three months of its value, and prices from essential goods spiralling out of control. While minimum State salaries have been doubled to roughly $13 per month, a monthly food basket in June cost at least $81, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
“Syria cannot fix its economy while it is in a state of conflict,” he stressed. He welcomed the understanding reached on the continued use for the next six months of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need in north-west Syria. Nonetheless, this year’s Humanitarian Response Plan is funded at 25 per cent, he reported, underscoring that any adverse effects of sanctions that could aggravate the predicament must be avoided.
It is a simple fact that no one actor or group of actors can determine the outcome of the conflict or bring about the kind of steps needed for a political solution to emerge, he emphasized. Voicing concern that, for over a year, the intra-Syrian political process has been in a deep freeze, he underscored that “the only path out of this is a political process that involves the Syrian parties themselves, in line with resolution 2254 (2015).”
Lubna Alkanawati, Deputy Director of Women Now for Development, spotlighted the efforts of Syrian women and men who have documented grave human rights violations and have briefed the Council and other international bodies “time and time again”. Despite their efforts, “you have afforded war criminals total impunity, with many countries warmly welcoming Bashar al-Assad, the main perpetrator of war crimes”, she said. “I have witnessed and survived many of these violations,” she added, recalling the mustard gas attack on Harasta and the chemical weapons massacre on Ghouta in 2013.
She further noted that, in the past 12 years, 100,000 people have been detained or forcibly disappeared, the majority at the hands of the Syrian regime. However, Islamic State of the Levant (ISIL), also known as Da’esh, as well as other armed forces, has used this practice as a weapon of war. Citing the newly established United Nations institution investigating missing persons in Syria as “a positive step”, she informed the Council that if she were to return to Syria from France, where she currently lives as a refugee, she would be detained, tortured or killed.
In the ensuing debate, although the recent convening of the Arab Contact Group/Arab Liaison Committee with the Syrian Foreign Minister was highlighted by some speakers, many echoed warnings about the worsening condition of Syria on all fronts, amid calls for the Constitutional Committee to, after more than a year, meet again, while others condemned foreign intervention and the pernicious effects of Western sanctions.
The representative of the United States, Council President for August, spoke in her national capacity to underscore that while resolution 2254 (2015) remains the road map, progress continues to be elusive due to “steadfast opposition by the Assad regime and its backers, including Russia”. More so, while discriminatory laws still exacerbate women’s challenges, they must have a seat at the head of the table towards a political solution. Recalling that it has been more than a year since the Constitutional Committee last met, she noted that that United States sanctions will remain in place until there is measurable progress towards a political solution.
In that vein, France’s delegate recounted that the United Nations has extensively documented the systematic use of torture and sexual violence by the regime. Accordingly, sanctions adopted by the European States aim to prevent these crimes. She also noted that, since the peaceful uprising of Syrian protesters in March 2011, the regime’s record is grim: 500,000 dead, 130,000 forcibly disappeared and 12 million displaced or turned into refugees.
Malta’s representative said that “much greater investment” is needed to support the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in the stalled political process. Calling for urgent political will from both Damascus and key regional and international stakeholders in Syria to ensure a nationwide ceasefire, he said that this would facilitate desperately needed confidence measures and “allow real progress to be made”.
However, the Russian Federation’s representative expressed regret that the United States presidency of the Council has turned the meeting “into a useless anti-Syrian comedy show”, adding that there is no alternative to advancing a Syrian-led political-settlement process. While terrorism continues to be a major threat to Syria and the region, the illegal military presence of the United States is another destabilizing factor. He therefore called for the withdrawal of all military contingents illegally located in that country.....
https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15393.doc.htm
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