"Syria is a crossroads of civilizations. It is painful to see its progressive fragmentation"He said on Thursday the Secretary General of the UN, referring to the recent “serious and dramatic” events taking place in that country, which has been in a state of war for 14 years.
In a meeting with the press at the headquarters of the world organization in New York, António Guterres reported having I spoke today with Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan to emphasize the urgency of allowing access to humanitarian aid to all civilians who need it, and resume the political process facilitated by the UN in order to end the bloodshed in Syria.
“All parties are obliged to protect civilians under international law,” he stressed.
Changes on the front lines
Guterres warned that the latest offensive launched by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other armed opposition groups in areas controlled by the Syrian government has caused significant changes in the front lines.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham It is a group sanctioned by the Security Council.
"Tens of thousands of civilians are in danger “in a region that is already on fire,” Guterres said, adding that what is happening is “the bitter fruit of a chronic collective failure of previous de-escalation agreements to achieve a genuine nationwide ceasefire or a serious political process to implement Security Council resolutions.”
The current situation inflicts profound suffering on Syrians and threatens regional and international security, the Secretary General added.
A new and inclusive approach to solving the crisis
That scenario must change, he said, arguing that after 14 years of conflict, it is time for all parties to work with the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, to chart a new, inclusive and comprehensive approach to resolving this crisis. crisis in accordance with the resolution 2254 of the Security Council.
“It is time for a serious dialogue”he stressed.
Guterres recalled that this approach should focus on restore Syria's sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity, and meet the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.
After recalling the generosity of the Syrians towards Iraqi refugees, the UN leader expressed great sadness at the suffering of that population.
“I urge all those who have influence to do their part to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people”, concluded António Guterres.
Five consecutive days of shelling and airstrikes have caused damage in the Idleb area in northwestern Syria and in the western countryside of Aleppo. (October 2023)
The new escalation could generate new mass displacements
On the other hand, the president of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, pointed out that Some parties to the conflict still believe in a military solution, rather than political and diplomatic means.
In an interview with UN News, Paulo Pinheiro predicted that the recent escalation will cause large population displacements due to fear of air strikes.
The expert stressed that the brutality of the past thirteen years should not be repeated and described it as “Surprising” use of aircraft to respond to new wave of clashes which culminated in the control of a vast swath of Syrian territory by non-state groups.
The Commission is investigating these facts.
“We are surprised that both Syrian and Russian air forces carried out airstrikes. Until now, the fighting was taking place on the ground between non-state armed organisations. What we are investigating is How many deaths have these attacks caused?"He said.
Pinheiro said the commission is also trying to assess how many people in both Aleppo and Idlib will be relocated to other areas.
The expert warned that displacement has already begun in other areas, and cited that in the northeast it is estimated that there are more than 12.000 uprooted.
Pinheiro also said that although the number of deaths is unknown, brutality is increasing in the country.
The conflict in Syria has caused widespread destruction in Aleppo. (File)
Security Council discusses Syria
The Security Council, meanwhile, held a meeting on chemical weapons in Syria, during which it heard a report from the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.
Izumi Nakamitsu began her participation by expressing concern about deteriorating security in that country.
In line with the statements of the Secretary General, Nakamitsu urged all parties to protect civilians, complying with its obligations under international laws.
The person in charge of Disarmament Affairs indicated that the evaluation team of the Organization for Ban on Chemical Weapons (OPCW) held technical meetings with experts from the Syrian National Authority to discuss 19 outstanding issues, two of which were recently raised and related to the possibly undeclared development and large-scale production of chemical weapons at two facilities that were reported to have never been in operation.
Nakamitsu said these issues are extremely worrying because they involve large quantities of chemical warfare agents and munitions which were reportedly destroyed or otherwise consumed prior to Syria's accession to the OPCW.
“These are also potentially large amounts of chemical warfare agents, whose production has not been declared,” he added.
The High Representative stressed that it is essential for Syria to cooperate fully with the OPCW in order to resolve all outstanding issues.