7931st Security Council Meeting: Situation in Middle East

Emergency Relief Coordinator stresses urgent need for ‘real progress’ by Security Council to ‘stymie tide of death’ in Syria, at 7931st meeting.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 01:57:22
• Production Date: 27 April 2017
• Asset Language: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish
• Personal Subject: STEPHEN O'BRIEN
• Corporate Name: OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA
• Subject Topical: CHEMICAL WEAPONS; CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS; TERRORISM; VIOLENCE
• Geographic Subject: MIDDLE EAST; SYRIA
• MAMS Id: 1876865
• Parent Id: 1876568

Description

Government Holding Own People Hostage, Says United States, As Russian Federation Cites Local Truces, Continuing ‘Double Standards’

Condemning the latest attacks on civilians in Syria today, the United Nations humanitarian chief told the Security Council that real progress was needed to “stymie the tide of death” in that country.

Delivering his briefing by video link from Geneva, Stephen O’Brien said military might was still being used against civilians in a way that “defies all reason”. Mr. O’Brien is the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator.

He noted that April had been another deadly month for Syrian children, many of whom had only known a country at war. A total of 67 children had been killed by a car bomb on 15 April, as they waited with their families to evacuate their besieged town, he said, adding that children had been among the dozens killed in a chemical weapons attack on 4 April. Such mindless brutality and unbridled cruelty were only compounded by the fact that leaders and commanders were often the culprits.

Urging the Government of Syria to ease administrative and bureaucratic restrictions that continued to thwart humanitarian operations, he said checkpoints still blocked the delivery of life-saving materials. And while the number of people trapped in besieged areas had dropped significantly, many of those evacuated from Idlib Governorate or northern Aleppo remained in areas where civilians came under regular aerial bombardment.

Shifting front lines warranted keeping all routes open in order to allow safe passage and the delivery of aid to civilians in need, he continued. A political agreement was the only lasting solution to the conflict, he said, emphasizing that there would be no peace as long as military tactics were prioritized over civilian lives.

In the ensuing debate, Council members expressed frustration that the global body tasked with the maintenance of international peace and security had been unable to bring any real pressure on the parties to engage in peace talks and end the carnage.

Egypt’s representative warned the Council against becoming like a media outlet that issued statements whose impact did not go beyond the headlines, asking: “What must happen before the Council takes the steps necessary to overcome narrow political interests?”

Echoing a similar sentiment, Uruguay’s representative warned against duplicity, calling upon all actors within and outside the region to stop providing support to armed groups likened to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) or Al-Nusra.

The representative of the United States said the Government of Syria was holding its people hostage, adding that President Bashar al-Assad would “tighten the noose” on their neck in order to hold on to power. She asked her Russian Federation counterpart why the most basic medical supplies were being blocked and baby formula and vaccines removed from medical kits. Cancer patients were dying from lack of chemotherapy and diabetics because their insulin was being taken off convoys, she said. “We need to put pressure on Russia,” she emphasized. “Russia continues to cover for a leader who uses chemical weapons against his people.”

However, the Russian Federation’s representative said the ceasefire reached in December was still holding, despite efforts by terrorist groups to undermine it. The reconciliation process was under way in a number of Syrian neighbourhoods where truces had been formed between local authorities and militia leaders. Local truces may not be ideal, but they were practical in terms of saving lives, a top priority. Citing continuing double standards, he pointed out that the positive results of local truces were well known around the world, including the Central African Republic.

Also speaking today were representatives of Japan, Sweden, United Kingdom, Senegal, Italy, France, Kazakhstan, China, Bolivia, Ethiopia and Ukraine.

The meeting began at 10:05 a.m. and ended at 12 noon.