Syria, a Security Council resolution, at last!

(B2) They will be 30 "unarmed" military observers who will be responsible for going to Syria to monitor the ceasefire. Mission: "to liaise with the parties and begin to report on progress towards an end to armed violence in all its forms by all parties".

Russian agreement

The resolution was adopted by the Security Council, this Saturday at the end of the morning (New York time), unanimously. Russia has therefore lifted its veto on a text towards its Syrian ally. Vitaly Churkin, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, explained that " the consequences of an escalation of the Syrian crisis could be extremely devastating, both for Syria and for the Middle East region as a whole ". But he also warned against the “ attempts at outside interference which would have destructive effects ". He finally insisted that " all parties, including the armed opposition to the Syrian Government, must abandon violence, fully respect Mr. Annan's six-point plan and engage in a process of political dialogue”.

30 military observers to prepare a mission

This mission is "preparatory" for a more substantial mission. " This mission will operate pending the deployment of a United Nations mission to Syria to verify that all parties cease to engage in armed violence in all its forms. » The Security Council also asks the Syrian government. to facilitate " the rapid and unimpeded deployment of its personnel and the means necessary for the execution of its mandate " and " guaranteeing him the freedom to communicate confidentially with people throughout Syria, without those who have contact with the mission being subject to reprisals”. The UN also calls on the Syrian Government to honor visibly and in their entirety » the commitments he has made. He asks her, to end troop movements towards settlements, to cease the use of heavy weapons in settlements and to begin withdrawing troops concentrated in and around settlements ».

European reactions: much too late

When the resolution was adopted, the Europeans present at the Security Council insisted on the lateness of this resolution, asked that those responsible for the acts be judged and called on the government to respect these commitments. It's a " turning point, that of the newfound ability of the international community to speak with one voice to find a solution to the Syrian crisis explained Gérard Arraud (France) who nevertheless issued a double warning to the Russians and Iranians, and to the Syrians. " If some parties persist in their “stubborn support” for a regime that has proven its inhumanity, it could have negative consequences ". As for " the cessation of violence should not be limited to the sole withdrawal of heavy weapons from urban centers, but that it was also necessary to ensure the end of acts of violence in all imaginable forms ". In particular there is need to see an end to acts of torture and sexual violence »

Mark Lyall Grant (United Kingdom regretted that this text "didn'tintervene only after a year of suffering imposed on the Syrian people by the regime in place, which thinks only of its own survival ". " For more than a year, the Syrian Government has notably arbitrarily detained and tortured many people, which has led 45 Syrians to flee to neighboring countries. All the while, the Syrian regime has ignored calls from the international community to end the violence.”

The mission must be provided with substantial resources

“Damascus must change course in order to allow the cessation of all violence” specified Peter Wittig (Germany) who insisted that the conditions be created so that this preparatory mission and the one that will follow can fully carry out their mandates. " We know too many examples of United Nations missions that have not been able to fully perform their functions because the parties wanted to manipulate them and use them for their own gain.. (...) The deployment of this mission should not only serve to freeze the situation on the ground..

« All perpetrators of human rights violations must be held accountable said José Filipe Moraes Cabral (Portugal) calling on the government to to remove all heavy weapons from settlements and ensure unimpeded humanitarian access”. “It is a 'central element of the transition process' added the German representative.

Download the text of Resolution 2042