UN envoy’s ‘profound regret’ over failure to end suffering in Syria

NEW YORK: Geir Pedersen, the UN’s special envoy for Syria, gave a deep sigh on Monday as he began his latest briefing to the Security Council on a conflict he said will be remembered “as one of the darkest chapters in recent history.”
Speaking on the day that marked the 10th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, he noted that it has lasted approximately as long as the First and Second World Wars combined — and said that he regrets that the UN has been unable to help end the suffering of the Syrian people.
“Ten years ago, peaceful popular demonstrations were violently suppressed,” Pedersen told council members. “Syria was sent into a spiral of armed conflict. In time many countries and fighters from across the whole world came to Syria to fight in one form or another.
“It must sometimes feel to ordinary Syrians that they are all trapped in an endless and global conflict. (The) Syrian people are among the greatest victims of this century.”
During the past decade, Syrians have been “injured, maimed and killed in every way imaginable — their corpses even desecrated,” he said.
“They have been snatched from the streets, thrown into prisons or abducted, disappeared, mistreated, tortured, paraded in cages, and ransomed or exchanged in prisoner-swap deals.
“They have endured the unspeakable horrors of chemical weapons. They have seen foreign fighters flooding into their country,” where five foreign armies are actively involved in the conflict, he added.
“They have been displaced into city-sized camps, or to sleep in the open in olive groves and abandoned houses, only to be displaced again and again, in baking heat and freezing snow,” the Norwegian envoy said. “They have fled Syria, often only to face further poverty and discrimination, or worse, perishing at sea in search of refuge.
“They have experienced corruption, mismanagement, sanctions and economic meltdown. Syrian women have faced conflict-related sexual violence — from all parties — and a rise in early and forced marriages.”
Meanwhile, he added, the perpetrators enjoy “near-total impunity,” talks between the government and the opposition continue to stall, and the international community remains “divided, trapped in geopolitical competition, caught in their own competing narratives.”
Pedersen, the fourth envoy tasked with leading UN efforts to end the Syrian war, took over the role in January 2019.
“I express the profound regret of the United Nations that we have not yet been able to mediate an end to this tragic conflict,” he said on Monday. His three predecessors made similar statements.
However there are signs of hope, Pedersen added as he highlighted the fact that Syria is enjoying a period of relative calm and the front lines have not shifted for a year. He called for this fragile calm to grow into a nationwide ceasefire based on Security Council Resolution 2254.
At the same time, however, he warned of the danger of a “prolonged stasis,” during which Syrians will continue to pay a heavy price in terms of “despondency and despair,” if the international community does not work together to help resolve the crisis.
“That is a grave danger, especially if Syria does not receive high-level and creative international diplomatic attention,” said Pedersen. “After all, this is among the most deeply internationalized conflicts of a generation, with many of the issues that matter most to the Syrians not even in Syrian hands.”
Calling for an end to the “you first” syndrome that has dogged much of the international diplomacy on Syria, he emphasized the need for a reciprocal “steps-for-steps, step-by-step” approach from Syrian and international powers.
He also stressed the importance of progress on the issue of detainees, abductees and missing persons, which he said would be “an important humanitarian gesture and a vital confidence-builder.”
The envoy also reiterated the need for full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access to all parts of Syria.
Turning to the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, he said the upcoming sixth session of its small drafting body needs to have clear goals, more credible working methods, enhanced cooperation among the co-chairs, and a clear future work plan.
Pedersen urged the 15 members of the Security Council “not to lose sight of the fundamental importance of a peaceful resolution of the Syrian conflict.”
He added: “I am convinced that (a solution) is possible — in some ways, it is more possible now than before — but to turn those possibilities into realities, creative and high-level engagement from key international players with a stake in this conflict will be needed.”
The envoy also cautioned council members against continuing to engage in their “competing narratives” on Syria, yet as soon as he finished his briefing it was clear his plea had fallen on deaf ears.
Vassily Nebenzya, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN once again defended the Assad regime. He blamed “external forces” for tapping into the unrest that began in 2011 and stirring things up in an attempt to overthrow “the legitimate authorities.”
Although Syrians, 60 percent of whom face hunger, need collective international assistance, “simply distributing food is not going to solve the problem,” he said.
“There is a need to help orderly Syrians to rebuild their normal lives by carrying out infrastructure projects for early recovery. This approach will make it easier for refugees and IDPs (internally displaced people) to return home,” Nebenzya added.
International powers, including the EU, have made it clear on a number of occasions that there will be no reconstruction funds for Syria without progress in the peace process, the implementation of Resolution 2254, and steps to hold accountable the perpetrators of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity.
However, Russia has vetoed 16 Security Council resolutions on Syria in the past decade, in many cases backed by China.
“There’s only one reason we have not been able to enact this solution and resolve this crisis: the Assad regime’s refusal to engage in good faith,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN. “So we call on Russia to press the Assad regime to quit stalling.”
She also warned the international community “to not be fooled by upcoming Syrian presidential elections. These elections will neither be free nor fair. They will not legitimize the Assad regime. They do not meet the criteria laid out in Resolution 2254 — including that they be supervised by the UN or conducted pursuant to a new constitution.”
Thomas-Greenfield added: “Instead of delaying and distracting, the Assad regime should release those who have been arbitrarily detained, particularly women, children and the elderly.”

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