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7687th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Middle East, Syria
Syria’s Representative Accuses ‘So-Called Moderate Opposition’ of Killings.
Indiscriminate bombardments, harrowing attacks targeting civilians and medical facilities, and widespread carnage had left Aleppo a shell of its former self, with “no corner of the city” spared, the ranking United Nations political and humanitarian affairs officials told a Security Council meeting this afternoon.
Government aerial bombardment of Aleppo over the last two weeks represented some of the worst of the five-year-long war, said Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefing the 15-member Council on the current situation on the ground. The pattern of systematic destruction was evident he said, urging all parties to abide by the cessation of hostilities agreement. He also underscored the importance of the principles set out for a political transition, to be found in Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), the Vienna statements and the Geneva communiqué. “We cannot waste the opportunity of the negotiations in Geneva,” he emphasized.
“Allowing the parties to the conflict to play for time or territory on the ground to strengthen their position at the negotiating table would be a mistake,” he continued. “The United Nations will strive to resume the negotiations as soon as feasible, in the hope that, meanwhile, efforts to put the cessation of hostilities back on track will bear fruit.” Nothing should prevent those aims, he said. Efforts to tackle terrorism should not stop the parties from advancing the negotiations nor hinder progress on the transition process. A comprehensive political transition to an inclusive, democratic and participatory State, reached through the political process, would be one of the greatest contributions that could be made to the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Nusra Front, he added.
Providing a more detailed snapshot of Aleppo’s current state, Stephen O’Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, said life was horrendous and had lost all sense. Access to water and electricity was sporadic at best, and the estimated 300,000 people remaining in the eastern part of the city were living in constant fear of the next barrel bomb attack from the air, he noted. The estimated 1.3 million people in western Aleppo were seeking refuge from the shells and mortars slamming into their homes. “There can be no explanation or excuse, no reason or rationale, for waging war on civilians,” he said, emphasizing that such attacks must stop immediately. Urging full, unhindered and safe access to all those in need of medical, surgical and other assistance, including those in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, he said all parties must live up to their obligations under international humanitarian law and Council resolutions.
Syria’s representative voiced regret over recent violence in Aleppo and noted that, in the past 10 days, the so-called moderate opposition had, in fact, killed 118 people and wounded more than 200 others in attacking civilians and hospitals alike. The Government of Syria had participated in the Geneva peace talks in good faith and abided by the cessation of hostilities accord, and remained interested in joining any sincere effort to reach a solution, he said.
Council members expressed alarm over recent attacks and welcomed the announcement by the United States and the Russian Federation of a new ceasefire agreement extending to Aleppo.
The representatives of France and the United Kingdom, who had jointly requested this afternoon’s meeting, called for reinvigorating the peace talks. The United Kingdom’s representative said the Council had an obligation to the people of Aleppo to seek a political settlement of the war and end the violence. Doing nothing was not an option, he said, adding that his delegation was drafting a Security Council press statement that would address some of the pressing challenges.
Indeed, Senegal’s representative said, it was the Council’s duty to ensure that peace talks would resume with a genuine ceasefire in place, and that a political transition would unfold, bringing meaningful change. Given the ongoing attacks against civilians, it was necessary for the Council to publish a statement sending a clear message to all warring parties.
Concurring, Angola’s representative said that, even though Council statements had had little effect on the parties in the past, it was important to act because inaction would be felt for generations to come. He urged all parties to put down their weapons and return to the peace talks.
In order to achieve that end, States should use every means possible to influence the parties, some speakers said. The representatives of the United States and the Russian Federation, Co-Chairs of the International Syria Support Group, discussed their joint efforts to restore calm to Aleppo and suggested paths for further progress.
The representative of the United States called upon all those with influence, especially the Russian Federation and Iran, must press the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to cease the hostilities and facilitate a political transition. Voicing concern over externally funded groups operating in Syria, the Russian Federation’s representative said there seemed to be a lack of political will to influence Syrian opposition groups to distance themselves from terrorist organizations.
Some speakers agreed, with Egypt’s representative, the Council President for May, saying that reluctance among certain States was hampering progress in the peace talks. That reluctance had allowed Al-Nusra Front and Al-Qaida to gain ground and recruit fighters. To reverse that trend, the International Syria Support Group should address that concern. “Al-Nusra Front is as dangerous as ISIL,” he said, emphasizing that the Geneva process remained the only beacon of hope for settling the conflict.
Also speaking were representatives of Spain, New Zealand, Ukraine, Japan, Uruguay, Venezuela, China and Malaysia.
The meeting began at 2:07 p.m. and ended at 4:01 p.m.
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