“Syria simply cannot resist another wave of instability,” said the UN Special Deputy Envoy Najat Rochdi on Tuesday in a briefing at the briefing Security advice in New York.
“” The risks of a new escalation in the region are not hypothetical – They are immediate, serious and may disentangle fragile progress towards peace and restoration in Syria. »»
She echoed the conviction by the secretary general of military climbing in the Middle East and her call to Israel and Iran to show maximum restraint.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, also expressed an increasing alarm on the potential consequences of any new escalation, which she also transmitted.
“Constructive and cooperative” commitment
Ms. Rochdi has reportedly reported on the current envoy in recent months, such as meetings with senior Damascus officials, including the interim minister for foreign affairs Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani.
Their discussions have focused on recent positive developments in international relations as well as the importance of prioritizing domestic affairs towards a truly inclusive political transition in which all Syrians have a stake.
Overall, meetings with Syrian officials “were marked by a constructive and cooperative, with a shared interest in strengthening commitment With the United Nations in several sectors, “she said.
Road to transition
“Particular attention has been paid to the next stages of the transition and to coordinate efforts with the newly established committees on transient justice and disappeared persons,” she added.
Among the next important steps are the creation of a new popular assembly as a legislative transition authority. In this regard, she praised the recent presidential decree announcing the appointment of a supreme committee for the elections to the Assembly.
The committee will be responsible for the supervision of the indirect election of 100 of the 150 members of the People’s Assembly via electoral colleges, she explained. It will also define the electoral time and the conditions of eligibility for voters and candidates.
“We encourage the Supreme Committee to take measures that protect inclusiveness, transparency and openness to all stages of this process,” she said.
Developments in the northeast
Turning northeast, Rochdi referred to the March 10 agreement concluded between the interim authorities and the Syrian democratic forces (SDF), which controls the region, to integrate the group led by the Kurds in the national army.
Agreement “continues to present a historic opportunity to solve one of the main problems pending this conflict And restoring the sovereignty and unity of Syria, a priority which the special envoy discussed with the interim minister of Foreign Affairs Shaibani. »»
It also hosted recent exchanges of detainees as well as cooperation that has enabled several Syrian families from the Al-Hol camp to return to the northwest. Thousands of people from several countries have been detained for years in the notorious complex for their alleged ties with Eiil extremists.
“We highlight the importance of negotiations to move forward with seriously with the daring stages and an active spirit of compromise on both sides to implement the agreement of March 10,” Rochdi told ambassadors.
“This is a priority of stability in Syria and the region, for the restoration of sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria, and for the success of the global political transition.”
Women and civil society
The Pedersen Special Envoy has also embarked on a wide range of Syrians, including women, who continue to seek greater representation in management positions, especially as candidates and delegates in the Popular Assembly process.
“The representatives of the Syrian Civil Society also continue to be active on all fronts working for a new Syria based on the principles of inclusiveness, openness and transparent participatory processes,” she added.
She pointed out that the protection and security of all the components of society, as well as the prevention of incentive to municipal tensions, “are absolute angular stones for stability”.
Attacks against specific communities
She noted that sporadic violent incidents continued in Homs, Hama and other regions, including murders, kidnappings and infringements of individual freedoms.
In addition, some of the people that the special envoy met in Damascus expressed their concern about the ongoing attacks targeting specific communities and groups, including Alawites, Druze and women.
“While many interlocutors have stressed that these incidents did not seem to be systematic or part of the official policy, They highlighted the persistent challenges faced by the provisional authorities in the control of certain groups -whether it is affiliated to the interim authorities or operating independently, “she said.
Rochdi also stressed to encourage the signs fatwa This prohibits murders of revenge and extrajudicial reprisals. In addition, recent decisions to reintegrate judges that have been removed by the Old Regime represent a welcome step towards the reconstruction of confidence between judicial power and the population.
Respect Syria’s sovereignty
Meanwhile, other security challenges persist, with acts of sporadic and limited violence this month, including a border post with Iraq and on contact lines in Deir-Ez-Zor, and in rural homs.
“The Southwest has seen a serious incident of Israeli artillery fires and air strikes on military sites and arms deposits in southern Syria, in response to a rare incident of small rockets outside Syria in the Syrian Golan occupied by the Israelis,” she continued that two groups not affiliated with the Syrian authorities.
In addition, incursions, arrests and Israeli drone strikes took place last week in Beit Jinn in the Damascus campaign, which, she said, is unacceptable and must stop.
“” The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria must be respectedas well as the 1974 forces disengagement agreement. Diplomacy is possible and must be prioritized, “she said.
Ms. Rochdi also reported that “the activity underway by ISIL remains notable, including attacks against the positions of the homeless, and a strike of American drone on a figure of ISIL in northwestern Syria.”
Repaired and economic measures
Before concluding, Ms. Rochdi reported that despite fragile security and socio-economic situation in their country of origin, nearly 600,000 people would have returned to Syria in the last six months, mainly neighboring countries.
It is estimated that 1.34 million people displaced inside Syria also returned to their original areas during the same period.
She said the UN continues to welcome and encourage international actions that contribute to the reactivation of the Syrian economy. They include an exemption from six months from certain American sanctions, the lifting of economic sanctions by the European Union and a wide range of transactions authorized by the United Kingdom to facilitate commercial activity in certain key sectors.
It also welcomed an important contract for the construction of several gas and solar energy factories, signed between the interim authorities and a consortium of regional and international actors.
“These projects should provide more than half of the national electricity needs in Syria, representing a big leap towards energy security, economic renewal and infrastructure resilience,” she said.
More to follow on this story …
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
