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7588th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Syria
Unanimously adopting resolution 2254 (2015), foreign ministers and others gathered in New York for the third meeting of the International Syria Support Group, the Council reconfirmed its endorsement of the 30 June 2012 Geneva Communiqué, and endorsed the “Vienna Statements” in pursuit of the Communiqué’s implementation as the basis for a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political transition to end the conflict.
“The Syrian people will decide the future of Syria,” the text stated. By other terms, the Council requested that the Secretary-General — through his good offices and the efforts of his Special Envoy — convene representatives of the Syrian Government and opposition to engage in formal negotiations on a political transition process “on an urgent basis”, with a target of early January for the initiation of talks. It expressed support for a Syrian-led political process facilitated by the United Nations which would establish “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance” within six months and set a schedule and process for the drafting of a new constitution.
By further terms, the Council expressed support for free and fair elections, pursuant to the new constitution, to be held within 18 months and administered under United Nations supervision, “to the highest international standards” of transparency and accountability, with all Syrians — including members of the diaspora — eligible to participate.
The Council acknowledged the close link between a ceasefire and a parallel political process, pursuant to the 2012 Geneva Communiqué, and that both should move ahead expeditiously. It requested that the Secretary-General lead the effort to determine the modalities and requirements of a ceasefire, and urged Member States — particularly members of the Support Group — to accelerate all efforts to achieve a ceasefire, including by pressing all relevant parties to adhere to one.
In that context, the Council requested that the Secretary-General report back on options for a ceasefire monitoring, verification and reporting mechanism that it could support within one month. It also welcomed Jordan’s efforts to develop a common understanding within the Support Group of individuals and groups for possible determination as terrorists, demanding that all parties immediately cease attacks against civilians.
At the outset of the meeting, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the critical initiative of the International Syria Support Group and the draft resolution to be adopted, saying the text was the first to focus on a political path to resolving the crisis in Syria. “This marks a very important step on which we must build,” he emphasized. The Support Group had made two major requests of the United Nations: to convene formal Syrian-led and transition-focused negotiations in January between the Government of Syria and opposition members, and in parallel, to determine the requirements and modalities of a nationwide ceasefire. “The United Nations stands ready to undertake these important tasks.”
He said he had urged the Support Group to apply the necessary pressure on the Syrian parties to put an immediate end to the indiscriminate use of weapons against civilians, to allow unconditional and unimpeded access for aid convoys, to halt attacks on medical and educational facilities, to lift all restrictions on medical and surgical supplies from humanitarian convoys, and to release all detainees. Calling upon the Security Council to show both vision and leadership in overcoming differences, he said a fleeting opportunity for peace had emerged, declaring: “Your duty is to seize it.”
Secretary of State John Kerry of the United States, Council President for December, spoke in his national capacity, saying the resolution just adopted sent a clear message that now was the time to stop the killing in Syria. A broadly supported process was needed to give the Syrian people a real choice between war and peace, and the test now was to defeat the terrorists and put Syria on the road to the political transition envisioned in the Geneva Communique. While there were obstacles and sharp differences in the international community, especially about the future of President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian leader had lost the ability and credibility to unite his country, Mr. Kerry said.
Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said that today’s resolution approved the 14 November 2015 agreement which referred to ways to re-implement the Geneva Communiqué. All three instruments constituted a platform for resolving the crisis in Syria. The Vienna format was the only one that brought together all influential players to find a sustainable and fair settlement through talks with the Government and the “whole span” of the opposition. “Only Syrian-led, inclusive dialogue can put an end to the untold suffering of the Syrian people,” he said, adding that today’s action was a response to the attempted imposition of an external solution on Syria. He called upon all parties not to engage in rhetoric and, instead, to be guided by the need to combat terrorism and find a political settlement of the conflict.
Philip Hammond, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, emphasized that a national ceasefire must be aligned with the political transition, a process that must involve the departure of President Assad. He said the threat posed by Da’esh must be confronted, stressing that all countries claiming to fight the group must do what they said rather than directing the bulk of their attacks against non-extremist opposition groups.
Nasser Judeh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and Expatriate Affairs of Jordan, said today’s meeting was a milestone in the international response to the crisis in Syria. Jordan had played the role it had been asked to play by starting a coordination process aimed at reaching a common understanding among groups and individuals described as terrorists, he said. The results, including those involving groups around which there was no agreement, had been handed to the International Syria Support Group. That process and a ceasefire could help to defeat Da’esh and Al-Nusra Front, he said, noting that terrorism soiled Islam. Describing the refugee crisis as one of the most painful humanitarian crises, especially for host countries like Jordan, with its limited means, he pointed out that his country was now the second largest host of refugees in the world.
Other speakers cited the need for a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political process that would include participation by women and preserve Syria’s unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity, while ensuring that State institutions remained intact. There was a need for a verifiable ceasefire and an end to the use of barrel bombs, as well as unfettered access for humanitarian aid.
Several speakers, including France’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Laurent Fabius, and Lithuania’s Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andrius Krivas, stressed that President Assad could not be seen as part of the solution to the crisis. However, Venezuela’s representative said that a positive aspect of the Vienna process was the willingness to engage with the Government of President Assad’s, one of the essential actors in the equation.
Syria’s representative said his Government was open to any sincere effort to overcome the crisis, and ready to participate in efforts whereby Syrians would take part in a Syrian process without foreign intervention, and which maintained its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Some countries affirmed Syrian sovereignty, yet violated it on the ground by supporting terrorist groups, sending military aircraft to bomb oil installations and imposing unilateral sanctions on the Syrian people. The success of a political process was predicated on the collective fight against terrorism, he said, adding that Syria was ready to end its fight in a manner that would restore normality to areas in which there were armed Syrian opposition members.
Others speaking today included Wang Yi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of China, Manuel Domingos Augusto, Secretary of State for External Affairs of Angola, and Ignazio Ybáñez, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Spain.
Also speaking were representatives of Malaysia, Nigeria, New Zealand, Chile and Chad.
The meeting began at 4:10 p.m. and ended at 6:15 p.m.
