Mr. President,
I thank Mr. Geir Pedersen and Ms. Reena Ghelani for their thorough briefings today, and we appreciate their work on this file.
Mr. President,
Despite the ongoing developments in the humanitarian and security situation in Syria, it is unfortunate that the Syrian file does not garner the needed attention from the international community. The diplomatic efforts to reach a solution ending this crisis have also waned. Therefore, we would like to remind everyone that the Syrian file is not less important than the other files on our agenda. The Syrian people live in conditions that are among the worst in the world. This deserves our attention, just as other conflict affected countries do.
Mr. President,
We will not be able to break the current deadlock in the political process if international efforts are not focused on achieving this goal. The UAE appreciates the continuous attempts of the Special Envoy in his engagement with the Syrian parties to find a solution to the crisis and stresses the importance of including women in these efforts. The UAE also underscores the importance of overcoming the deadlock that paralyzed the work of the Constitutional Committee over the past months. The Constitutional Committee is the only platform in which Syrians can constructively engage in a Syrian-led and owned national dialogue to move the political process forward without foreign interference. Overcoming the deadlock in the Constitutional Committee does not only apply to logistical matters. It should also include a clear timeline and an agreed plan for the next steps on the constitutional track. The UAE will not stop reiterating its rejection of foreign interventions in Syria’s affairs, or our calls to end these interventions to protect Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.
With regard to the security situation, it will not improve without addressing security chaos, which is exploited by Da’esh and other groups to launch attacks in Syrian territories. It is worrying what Mr. Pedersen just mentioned regarding Da’esh’s weapons cache, and the fact that this Group has extorted and looted local communities in the eastern Deir ez-Zor Governorate to fund their terrorist activities. We have also seen concerning reports of other groups that are gaining control over a number of Syrian areas in northern Aleppo during the past few weeks. We demand the withdrawal of these groups and a halt to all hostilities in Northern Syria to ensure the protection of civilian lives. These actions illustrate the continuing threats and the long-term repercussions posed by these groups, not only to the security and stability of Syria, but to the region as a whole. All these developments must be addressed, not ignored. We reiterate here that the safety and stability of Syria is an integral part of the safety and stability of the region.
Regarding the worsening humanitarian conditions and the economic stagnation in Syria, these conditions will not improve unless sustainable solutions that improve upon temporary and limited measures are found. This requires international efforts to focus on early recovery and reconstruction. The humanitarian situation is becoming more dangerous due to the cholera outbreak in all Syrian governorates. Concerns are also heightened regarding camps crowded with displaced people, who particularly suffer from the lack of clean drinking water. In this regard, we commend the United Nations for coordinating an emergency response to this epidemic. We also stress here the importance of providing the appropriate security conditions to allow the passage of humanitarian convoys to their intended destinations to ensure the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to all those in need throughout Syria. In this regard, we welcome the recent passage of the seventh and eighth convoy to northwestern Syria and the distribution of food by the World Food Programme.
In conclusion, Mr. President, I would like to note that every day that goes by without finding a peaceful solution means another day of suffering of the Syrian people. We must therefore restore international momentum to end the current impasse on the political track.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Source: UAE Mission to UN