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7834rd Security Council Meeting: Situation in Middle East; Syria
The current battle in Syria must be followed by an immediate end to violence by all sides, unfettered humanitarian access and genuine engagement without preconditions on finding a political solution to stop the conflict, the Security Council heard today in a meeting called by France and the United Kingdom.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, addressing the 15-member body on the situation in Aleppo, said that, during the last 48 hours, the international community had witnessed an almost complete collapse of armed opposition front lines, leaving them with only 5 per cent of their original territory in the city. Expressing concern about reports documenting intense bombardment that killed scores of civilians and summary executions by pro-Government forces, he said that, as the front line had shifted, children had fled across dangerous routes and families had lost contact with their loved ones.
“We have collectively failed the peoples of Syria,” he declared, emphasizing that the Council had not exercised its pre-eminent responsibility. In solidarity with the people of Aleppo, the immediate task was to stop the carnage, he said, calling on the Syrian authorities and their allies to honour their obligations under international humanitarian law and to allow the remaining civilians to leave the area.
In recent days, he said, the world had seen nothing less than an all-out effort by the Syrian Government and its allies to end the country’s internal conflict through a military victory. However, military solutions would neither end the conflict nor solve the refugee crisis. The consequences of such a dehumanizing approach could be to further accelerate radicalization, leading to the next iteration of Al-Qaida and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) while sending a frightening signal to the millions who had fled the violence.
In the ensuing discussion, the representative of France said he had, together with the United Kingdom, called for the meeting because the worst-case scenario was now taking place in Aleppo. Before the eyes of the international community, massacres of civilians were being committed, filling the roads of Aleppo. The city was a black hole that had destroyed all the values of the United Nations and carried the promise of more tragedies to follow, he said, calling on those who had the means to act, foremost the Russian Federation, to put an immediate end to the bloodbath.
Echoing that sentiment, the United Kingdom’s delegate expressed concern that pro-Government forces were going door to door executing people, none of whom were terrorists. The Council had failed because the Russian Federation had misused its veto, even to prevent a seven-day ceasefire, he said, expressing hope for an agreement that would grant the United Nations access to Aleppo.
Joining them, the representative of the United States said it was extremely difficult to get information from the area that was held by the opposition, calling on the Assad regime and the Russian Federation to stop their assault on Aleppo and to allow impartial observers into the city. The ghastly tactics being used would not stop when the city fell, but would continue elsewhere, she said.
The Russian Federation’s delegate said that the rise of terrorism in Syria had been a result of the invasion of Iraq by the United Kingdom and United States. Drawing attention to the latest developments, he said that the Syrian authorities were back in control of Aleppo, while militants only held 3 square kilometres. For its part, the Russian Federation had helped more than 100,000 civilians to leave eastern Aleppo and had completed the demining of more than 31 hectares of urban structures and 18 kilometres of roads.
Other speakers encouraged parties to the conflict to abide by international humanitarian and human rights law. Angola’s representative underscored that the Government of Syria and the opposition had a difficult path ahead, requiring dialogue in order to avoid civilian deaths. He strongly urged parties to choose the path of dialogue instead of violence.
Syria’s representative said that, since the beginning of the war, some Council members had attempted to submit draft resolutions and called emergency meetings on the basis of false testimonies. The Secretary-General had also rushed in to make a statement on Aleppo on the basis of unconfirmed information. Describing his Government’s actions in Aleppo as an expression of its constitutional rights to protect its citizens, he said that Syria had abided by international law. It was hypocritical to judge the Syrian authorities on the basis of unverified testimonies, he said, emphasizing that his Government had counter-testimonies detailing the actions of armed terrorists. “This is not the fall of Aleppo, this is the liberation of Aleppo,” he said, adding that the terrorists had threatened the security of that city.
Also delivering statements were the representatives of New Zealand, Ukraine, Uruguay, Malaysia, China, Japan, Egypt, Senegal, Venezuela and Spain.
The meeting began at 12:13 p.m. and ended at 1:54 p.m.
