The top UN envoy for Syria said on Wednesday the Syrian people and the international community need to “get the next step right” as the country rebuilds after nearly 14 years of civil war and the fall of the Assad family regime.
“The way forward on political transition remains unclear,” Geir Pedersen told the UN Security Council in a video briefing from Geneva. “There are positive elements to this going forward, but there are also some points of concern that Syrians are expressing.”
A massive offensive led by the US-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, seized control of Damascus a month ago, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia and ending more than half a century of repressive rule. Bashar and his late father Hafeez.
Pedersen said some Syrians expressed concern to his office about the lack of transparency over “participation in any national dialogue conference in terms of timing, framework, goals, procedures as well as criteria for the balance of attendance and representation.” Is of.
Acting officials said a national dialogue conference scheduled for around January 5 was postponed until they could form a preparatory committee to organize a conference with broader representation.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the head of HTS and Syria’s de facto leader, confirmed in an interview with Saudi television channel Al-Arabiya on Sunday that there will be an inclusive national dialogue process. He also said that drafting the new constitution could take up to three years and elections could take up to four years.
pockets of instability
UN envoy Pedersen also warned that there were signs of instability in some parts of the country.
“While there are many areas where law and order appears to be good, we have seen numerous reports of incidents of violence, including degrading and humiliating behavior, in the coastal region and particularly in Homs and Hama,” he told the council.
He said videos of apparent abuses or extrajudicial killings by Assad government officials were circulating, but said new authorities had arrested few perpetrators.
He said there are “significant areas” outside the control of the acting authorities where fighting continues and threatens Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
In northeastern Syria, Turkey has warned it may step up military operations against Kurdish fighters who control large swaths of territory.
Pedersen also said Islamic State fighters remain “a significant concern” and said they may try to exploit insecurity in some areas to re-establish themselves.
Israel also moved quickly to eliminate potential threats from the new de facto leaders in Syria, launching hundreds of airstrikes on the country in the days following the regime’s fall. Israeli forces also moved into an area patrolled by UN peacekeepers between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the rest of Syria.
“Such violations, combined with Israeli airstrikes in other parts of Syria – as well as those reported in Aleppo just last week – could further jeopardize the prospects for an orderly political transition,” Pedersen warned.
Syria’s UN ambassador sought to reassure the international community about the intentions of the new authorities.
“Syrian officials also stressed that the new Syria is willing to play a positive role in the international arena,” Ambassador Qause Aldhak said. “It will be a positive contributor to the promotion of international and regional peace and security, and it will not engage in any conflict or war.”
He said that in the month that has passed since the fall of the Assad government, the country has entered a “new era” and the Syrian people have “thrown off the chains of oppression and regained the freedom they have enjoyed for decades.” were deprived of.”
Aldahq said all Syrians will come together to “build a state of freedom, equality and the rule of law, achieve prosperity and citizenship, turn the page on oppression and suffering and human rights abuses.”
human condition
After nearly 14 years of civil war, Syria is facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with 17 million people – more than 70% of the population – in need of aid and lacking funding.
The UN humanitarian chief told the council that his office is releasing an additional $8 million from its emergency fund for Syria, bringing its total contribution to $20 million. Tom Fletcher urged countries to contribute to the humanitarian response plan, which calls for more than $4 billion and is only a third funded.
The United States announced on Tuesday that it would expand authorization for activities and transactions in Syria to meet basic needs and provide public services or humanitarian assistance.
“This authorization is in place for six months, as the United States continues to monitor the evolving situation on the ground,” Deputy UN Ambassador Dorothy Shea told the council. “The United States is committed to helping the Syrian people at this extraordinary moment to build a new future for and by their people.”
Syria’s envoy welcomed the move and urged the UN and all member states to fully lift sanctions imposed on the Assad regime and provide humanitarian funding to help the country recover.
Some information in this report has come from the Associated Press.
