Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC briefing on the political and humanitarian situation in Syria
Mme.President,
We thank SESG Pedersen and OCHA Coordination Director Rajasingham, as well as Ms.Hayford for their briefings.
Mme.President,
The situation in Syria has not been able to improve for several years now. Our Western colleagues, as we all know, have their own sly version as to what may have caused this. Unable to accept the fact that the Syrian state has emerged victorious from the battle with Western-funded terrorists, they are trying in every possible way to prevent Syria from getting back on its feet. The illegal foreign military presence in the north and south of the country continues, including the US occupation of cross-Euphrates areas and the area around Al-Tanf. The enclave in Idlib, where the internationally recognized terrorists from ‘Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’ have taken foothold and feel at home, is also being carefully warded from justice.
At the same time, Western capitals are completely indifferent to the fate of people in the parts of Syria that are controlled by its legitimate Government. More than 16.7 million people are in need of assistance, which is a record number for the entire period of the crisis. The number of people suffering from hunger has tripled in the past five years. Prices for food and essential goods continue to rise. There is an acute shortage of medicines, although, as I recall, Syria used to have extensive capacities for production of pharmaceuticals.
Given the indifference of Western donors, the international humanitarian response remains paltry. This year, the UN response plan has been funded only 0.2%, which amounts to $8 million out of the requested $4 billion. This leads not only to the rejection of new early recovery projects, on which the future of the country largely depends, but also to the reduction of existing activities. I give you an example. UNFP used to feed 3 million Syrians in need monthly, but now it has to reduce its outreach to only 1 million people.
Despite Damascus’ efforts towards broadening humanitarian assistance, i.a. its authorization of the three checkpoints on the uncontrolled territories in the north of the country, the situation with humanitarian access is worsening. The crossing point Al-Rai is not functional in fact. There are no cross-line deliveries, and UN efforts to fix this are fruitless. Western pseudo-humanists pretend it is normal that HTS terrorists may decide what assistance they do or do not allow to be rendered to the refugees in Idlib. Of course, they only do whatever offers profits to them.
Mme.President,
One of the main factors undermining humanitarian activities in the SAR is the suffocating sanctions pressure from Western countries, primarily from the United States. The illegal and inhumane unilateral coercive measures not only affect economy, but have much broader socio-economic impact. Moreover, sanctions have a negative impact on Syria’s ability to combat terrorism. This cannot be ignored.
However, our American colleagues are not at all concerned about all this. Moreover, the US Congress is considering a new sanctions bill with the telling title "Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act". Designed to remain effective until 2032, it is going to replace the Caesar Act, which expires this year. This normative document envisages activation of the mechanism of secondary sanctions in order to exercise supervisory and punitive functions against mechanisms (including UN-administered) that operate in Syria. This is blatant pressure on international actors who are interested in creating basic socio-economic conditions for the long-term development of the much-suffered Syria. This banditry may fit into the so-called "rule-based order", but it certainly does not meet international law.
We have long demanded the publication of a special UN report on the negative impact of sanctions on the work of specialized agencies. In the current circumstances, the document is even more in demand than ever. We once again draw the attention of the Resident Coordinator in Syria and OCHA as an important element of the UN country team in Syria to the unacceptable situation with the delay in the publication of the report, which was due more than a year ago. We would like to hear today from the UN Secretariat a clear timeline for its publication.
The low level of donor funding, coupled with the continuing sanctions pressure and the plundering of Syria's natural resources, does not prevent our Western colleagues from posing as good-doers and holding pseudo-humanitarian fora that do not contribute to improving the situation either in or around Syria. Their main task is to show contempt of the Syrian authorities and mobilize resources to contain the inflow of refugees so that it does not pour into Europe again. And that’s it.
Mme.President,
In addition to the illegal foreign military presence in northern Syria, Security Council should also keep in focus another problem. That is Israel's regular rocket and bomb attacks on various sites on Syrian territory that are taking place against the background of the military operation by West Jerusalem in the Gaza Strip that is unprecedented in terms of casualties. The most egregious incident occurred when, on April 1, the Israeli Air Force launched an airstrike on the building of the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, killing and injuring its staff and completely destroying the diplomatic facility. We condemn in strongest term this attack that put the world on the verge of a dangerous escalation of the regional conflict. Any encroachment on diplomatic and consular facilities is utterly unacceptable, for their is guaranteed by the relevant Vienna Conventions of 1961 and 1963. It is extremely disappointing that the United States and its allies have not found courage to condemn this crime. Apparently, such actions also do not fit in with the notorious "rules-based order" promoted by Washington.
At the same time, it is disconcerting that this is not the first Israeli attack on the densely populated Damascus, which poses a high risk of civilian casualties. Since the beginning of the escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, the number of Israeli attacks on Syrian civilian infrastructure has multiplied. In the past few months alone, Israeli aircraft have attacked several times not only the international airport in Damascus and the Aleppo airport, which serve as the main gateways for the entry of humanitarian aid into the Syrian Arab Republic, but also struck the areas of Deir ez-Zor and Abu Kamal, where the Syrian military continues its persistent struggle against the remaining terrorist fighters, to whom our American colleagues, contrary to their loud statements, in fact provide care and protection. By the same token they sponsor the unlawful actions of West Jerusalem.
We demand that the Israeli authorities abandon the vicious practice of forceful actions on the territory of Syria and its neighboring states, which is fraught with extremely dangerous risks and consequences for the entire region, which has already been destabilized through the bloodshed in Gaza and beyond that has continued for more than half a year by now.
Mme.President,
Russia has consistently and invariably proceeded from the fact that there is no alternative to promoting political settlement in Syria with the assistance of the United Nations and in strict compliance with Security Council resolution 2254. At the same time, we understand that actions of the United States and its allies that I have mentioned are creating an extremely unfavorable context for intra-Syrian reconciliation.
This being said, we are convinced that the modalities of international mediation should be based on respect for the principles of sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic. The Syrians themselves, without external pressure, must come to an agreement on all outstanding issues regarding the future governance of their country.
That also applies to selecting a venue for the reopening of the only platform for direct inter-Syrian dialogue, the Constitutional Committee. Any attempts to impose on the Syrians an ill-conceived and uncoordinated framework are counterproductive and will only lead to a deadlock. We believe the Special Envoy should necessarily continue to seek another acceptable location for the next meetings of the Committee, instead of Switzerland, which has lost its neutral status by joining the anti-Syrian and anti-Russian unilateral sanctions. Such efforts are directly mandated by resolution 2254, which provides for the advancement of a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process. Mr. Pedersen, we hope you will have some good news for us soon.
Thank you.
