As the situation in Syria continues to evolve following the ouster of President Bashar Assad from power, the nearly decade-old UN Security Council resolution is being described as important for what lies ahead.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “The people of Syria stood at a moment in history and a moment of opportunity. That opportunity cannot be missed.” said last week in New York. “The process should be guided by the principles underlying Security Council resolution 2254.”
including several senior international diplomats US Secretary of State Antony Blinken And German Foreign Minister Annalena BaerbockThat’s what it said.
The Security Council, or UNSC, issued a statement last week that also agreed with the statement, even though the body is divided on issues related to Syria.
Russia, one of the council’s permanent members, is a longtime ally of the Assad regime and joined the war on their behalf in 2015. Russia has vetoed or interfered in UNSC measures around Syria several times throughout the conflict, including withholding aid. Canceling and vetoing investigations into the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime.
However, now that the Assad regime is gone, Russia is taking a more sober attitude towards the UNSC’s work on Syria.
What is UNSC Resolution 2254?
Resolution It was passed unanimously by members of the UN Security Council in 2015 as the Syrian civil war became increasingly brutal and bloody.
Its purpose was to form the basis for ceasefire talks. It advocates a peaceful transition of power from dictatorship to democracy. The Assad family has controlled Syria since 1971 and is known for violently suppressing any political dissent. Following peaceful revolutions during the so-called “Arab Spring” in 2011, fighting broke out between the Syrian government, which had tried to suppress the protests, and the opposition. -Government rebel.
According to Resolution 2254, any ceasefire must include the establishment of a new, inclusive transitional government and the drafting of a new constitution. The ultimate objective was to remove Assad from power and hold free and fair elections. The resolution says the process should be Syrian-led but supported by the United Nations.
“The only lasting solution to the current crisis in Syria is through an inclusive and Syrian-led political process that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people” was perhaps the most frequently quoted line from Resolution 2254 in the last decade of the war.
Resolution 2254 also committed to Syria’s territorial integrity, national independence, social unity, and a non-sectarian system of governance.
How did the resolution come?
Resolution 2254 was based broadly on what is called geneva communique Of June 2012.
The Geneva Communiqué was a statement issued by the United Nations-backed Action Group for Syria following talks held in Geneva, Switzerland. This group included foreign ministers of Arab countries, European Union, US, Britain, Turkey, China and Russia. Syrians were not involved.
The UN Security Council endorsed the Geneva Communiqué in a 2013 resolution, but later Resolution 2254 outlined the steps needed to end the conflict more concretely.
Does Resolution 2254 still apply?
As one commentator commented on the social media platform
In fact, some details of the resolution are now out of date. For example, it calls for dialogue and power sharing between the Syrian opposition and the Assad-led Syrian government. Obviously, that government no longer exists.
Syria’s de facto head of government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the head of the rebel militia that led the charge to topple the Assad regime, has also raised the issue. A statement from the organization said al-Shara’a’s “General Command”, which is running the country during the current transition, broadly supports resolution 2254. But meeting with UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in Damascus this weekend, al-Sharaa also suggested that Resolution 2254 needed to be updated to take into account new realities on the ground.
foreign interference
Over the weekend, countries participating in the meeting, known as the Astana Process, also expressed support for Resolution 2254.
The Astana Process was launched in 2017 by Russia, Iran and Türkiye to “immediately start” peace talks in Syria. All of those countries played a significant role in the Syrian war, with Russia and Iran supporting the Assad regime and Turkey supporting some anti-Assad rebel groups.
Over the weekend, representatives of the original three Astana countries met with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Qatar in Aqaba, Jordan. The group issued a statement agreeing that the Syrian transition should proceed in accordance with resolution 2254.
This statement has been taken with some skepticism by Syrian opposition groups. They fear that Resolution 2254 could be used as a pretext by foreign powers to intervene in Syria. Some Syrians have expressed similar skepticism about the United Nations assisting in the transition, seeing it as either helpless or useless during their long-running civil war.
a road map
Despite criticisms of Resolution 2254, it still appears to be the most likely resolution to guide the Syrian transition.
“It’s easy [UN Security] Richard Gowan, UN director of the Chris Group think tank, said council members should stick to the basic principles of 2254 rather than coming up with an entirely new plan for the UN’s role in Syria. told Abu Dhabi based newspaper National Earlier in December.
Yahya al-Aridi, a university professor and former spokesman for the Syrian opposition, said the proposal “could serve as a basis for a Syrian-Syrian dialogue with the participation of the entire spectrum, including credible individuals, technocrats, experts, patriots ” , told the expert publication Syria Direct Last week.
To be successful, Syria’s transition “must be carried out by Syrians for the Syrian people, but with outside assistance,” Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Sweden, discussed in a discussion. For December Op-Ed project syndicate“The United Nations process offers the best way forward.”
Edited by: Davis Van Opdorp
