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Situation in Middle East (Syria) - 8738th Security Council Meeting
The security situation in and around Idlib continues to deteriorate, the United Nations top official for peacebuilding told the Security Council today, noting the severe impact on civilian populations as targeted attacks on populated areas continue to be carried out in plain sight.
Briefing Council members, Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said that the last nine days had seen the Syrian Government forces, along with the Russian Federation air force, advance in southern Idlib, while a counter-attack was launched in eastern Idlib by non-State armed groups. In the midst of a broader military escalation in the north-west of Syria, air strikes on Turkish troops on 27 February left 33 soldiers dead and 32 wounded, strikes that Turkey has attributed to Damascus. For months, bombing and shelling in Idlib have left nearly 1 million civilians displaced since December 2019, more than half of whom are children.
She went on to cite Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) statistics that show at least 1,750 civilians have been killed since April 2019. While most of these deaths occurred in opposition-held areas, some occurred in Government-held areas, a reminder that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other non-State armed groups also strike populated areas, killing civilians in camps, schools and hospitals. “This is happening in plain sight, night and day, day in and day out,” she cautioned, noting that “it is all happening under our watch”. Such attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are simply unacceptable, she said.
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, underscored that, due to the “very meaningful escalation” of hostilities in recent days, the very nature of the Syrian conflict has changed. With that in mind, he reiterated his call for a ceasefire, both for humanitarian reasons and also because continued escalation could lead to a conflict with more dramatic impacts.
Members of the Security Council took the floor to decry the current situation in Idlib, with many noting that the latest round of hostilities was a sign that the Astana format no longer presents a viable route towards a political solution to the crisis.
The representative of the United Kingdom, noting the “real risk of escalation” of hostilities in Idlib, said that the Astana format is not capable of achieving a lasting ceasefire and that its “fatal flaw” is the Russian Federation’s support of the Syrian regime. Members of the Council have a duty to work to prevent further escalation, he said, noting his shock at hearing of the death of 33 Turkish soldiers on 27 February.
France’s delegate said that the Astana format had its limits and could not replace a process led by the United Nations. With that in mind, the Secretary‑General and his Special Envoy should be personally involved in bringing about both an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of an intra-Syrian process to end the conflict.
The representative of Indonesia called for a dialogue to help de-escalate the situation, noting that the protection of civilians must be the top priority. The international community should support the delivery of emergency aid, such as shelter, food and logistical support. The cross-border aid‑delivery mechanism authorized by the Security Council remains urgently needed and should not be politicized.
Estonia’s delegate spotlighted the high toll paid by the civilian population due to the escalation in hostilities, underscoring that “fighting terrorism by waging terror against a civilian population must stop”. Humanitarian access to millions of people must be a priority, he said. Noting that draft resolutions in the Council calling for a nationwide ceasefire have been blocked, he urged the Russian Federation to reconsider its position and allow for a humanitarian truce.
The representative of the Russian Federation highlighted that his country was currently conducting discussions to stabilize the situation as part of the Astana format. Furthermore, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would be meeting in person at the beginning of March to address the issue. Expressing his regret over the deaths of the Turkish soldiers on 27 February, he noted that the coordinates of Turkish forces are given to Syria to ensure their security, but the area where the soldiers died was not included in those coordinates.
Syria’s delegate said that the aim of the meeting seemed to be to target the Astana format and to distort the concept of international law. The guarantors of the Astana format, including the Government of Turkey, agreed in 2017 to establish temporary de-escalation zones, while affirming his country’s sovereignty and independence. However, Turkey has leveraged the agreement to bolster its own presence in Syria, he said, imposing a “terrorist reality” as it did so, turning its observation posts into hubs for terrorist organizations. Proof of this can be found in the fact that the Turkish soldiers killed on 27 February were some distance away from these posts. Turkey wants to revive the Ottoman Empire, he said, asking the Council members who called the meeting to explain why the presence of Turkish forces in Syria does not constitute military aggression.
The representative of Turkey, describing the 27 February air strikes that killed Turkish troops, said that, while the nationality of the aircraft involved had not yet been identified, radar tracks show that Syrian and Russian Federation aircrafts were flying in formation at the time. “Let me underline that Turkish forces were alone in the area. They were deliberately targeted,” he said. The Turkish contingent that came under attack was deployed to contribute to a nationwide ceasefire and gives hope to millions of civilians stuck in the area, he said. The Council needs to put a stop to the regime’s war crimes, he said, otherwise the repercussions will reverberate across Europe, the region and beyond.
Also speaking today were representatives of the United States, Dominican Republic, Germany, South Africa, China, Viet Nam, Tunisia, Niger and Belgium.
The meeting began at 4:03 p.m. and ended at 5:37 p.m.
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