Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations
russiaun.ru

We thank Jeffrey Feltman and Stephen O’Brien for their briefings. As a result of the cessation of hostilities, which was put in place thanks to the leading role of the Russian Federation and the United States and confirmed in resolution 2268 (2016), the level of violence in Syria has significantly decreased. That move was a real breakthrough in the protracted conflict. New prospects for a peaceful resolution have opened up, and the Syrians have to decide for themselves the parameters of that peaceful resolution with the support of the United Nations. Overall, the two rounds of negotiations went very well. However, not all of the opposition forces showed a willingness to reach an agreement. Once again, a separate position was adopted by the Riyadh group, which still has not formulated a clear position. In many parts of Syria the truce has been observed. Numerous armed units and towns are joining the truce, thanks to the efforts of the Syria Reconciliation Centre opened by Russia in Hmeymim. Today, there are 90 such towns covered by the truce. At the same time, hundreds of meetings with the city elders, field commanders and representatives of local administrations have been carried out. And in a number of provinces, peaceful life is slowly returning.We should not question the radical improvement of the situation resulting from the implementation of the cessation of hostilities, which has, however, spurred on others who are interested in perpetuating the Syrian conflict. We also believe that it is counter-productive to express public criticism about unverified incidents simply to add new charges against the Syrian Government. That has occurred more than once. The deterioration in certain areas of Syria, including Aleppo, is a serious source of concern. Government forces are fighting off a large-scale offensive by the jihadists. In the past few days, we have seen a significant increase in shelling from the parts of the city controlled by jihadists. So-called hell’s cannons are being used — gas canisters packed with tiny metal fragments, which have a devastating effect. Those weapons are by definition indiscriminate and are meant to destroy and terrorize the civilian population. We were long promised that the armed units of the so-called moderate opposition would break off all links with Al-Nusra, withdraw from the territories they occupy and clearly state their readiness to take part in the peace settlement. That has not occurred so far, which raises the question of whether the political will exists among those who have an influence on the various players. We are beginning to get the impression that external sponsors cannot or do not want to influence the Syrian opposition groups in order to force them to distance themselves from the terrorists.Russia and the United States of America, as co-Chairs of the International Syria Support Group, are ready to continue working together to ensure de-escalation. At least that is how we would like to see the situation to evolve. Russian and American military experts are working together on a daily basis. As we speak, a joint centre for rapid response to breaches of the cessation of hostilities has begun to operate on a permanent basis in Geneva, maximizing the effective monitoring of the situation. It must be said say that, from the very beginning of our increased participation in the Syrian situation in October, Russia has proposed such cooperation to the United States. Unfortunately, it has taken more than six months to achieve it, but we hope that this will be an important step in our efforts to stop the bloodshed in Syria.Thanks to the efforts in the military and political spheres, calm has been restored in Latakia and eastern Ghouta, with the aim of making it permanent. Russia and the United States, with the agreement of the Government of Syria and the moderate opposition, hoped to introduce a regime of calm in Aleppo on 3 May. However, that planned timetable was derailed by attacks by terrorist groups. That day, the insurgents sought to break the defences through coordinated offences from the west, preceded by a massive artillery bombardment. Jabhat Al-Nusra, Ahrar ash-Sham, Jaish al-Islam, Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki and local criminal groups took part in the offensive. All those groups shelled residential areas the whole day long; in particular, the Martyrs of Badr Brigade claimed responsibility for the destruction of Al-Dabit maternity hospital. Over the past 24 hours, dozens of people were killed and hundreds were wounded.The Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham, Jabhat Al-Nusra and other terrorist groups are excluded from the cessation of hostilities regime. It is unacceptable to pause in the fight with terrorists so as to allow them to regroup. No one will spare the terrorists and those who are in breach of the cessation of hostilities required United Nations resolutions 2254 (2015) and 2268 (2016).We would add that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has genuine evidence of the use of mustard gas in Syria, and thee are serious grounds to believe that war gases are being used by terrorists. There is an alarming risk that they have the capacity to produce toxic substances, as recently confirmed by the Director-General of the OPCW. It is unfortunate that, just when we need to take all necessary steps to impede the activities of chemical terrorists, some Western members of the Council, under contrived pretexts, are stifling the Russian-Chinese initiative aimed at neutralizing the threat of the production of chemical weapons by terrorists in and around Syria.We need to pursue our very serious work on the issue of the Syrian peace settlement and support for Russian-American efforts. Let us speak clearly — we need to put an end to all provocations once and for. It is clear that without external support for terrorist groups in Syria, they could not operate on such a scale. We need help in cutting off supplies to terrorists, first and foremost across the Syrian-Turkish border. Parties under patronage should be compelled to come to the negotiating table, which will contribute to ensuring peace in Syria. I would like to repeat in a slightly different form a rhetorical question posed by one speaker: How could you allow the destruction of an ancient country in a prolonged, bloody conflict to achieve the geopolitical aims of one party or its partners?We hope that the Geneva talks will resume in May and lead the way to further negotiations. We call on all sides to participate constructively in dialogue and to refrain from threats or sabotage. As for the press statement proposed by the United Kingdom, we will of course consider it, but we would have viewed it as a truly serious attempt to urge the Security Council to contribute to the maintenance of the cessation of hostilities if the delegation of the United Kingdom had consulted with the co-Chairs of the International Syria Support Group, Russia and the United States, which are spearheading the ceasefire efforts. As I see it now, it is more of a propaganda gesture. However, we will take a look at the text and consult with our military colleagues, who, alongside our American colleagues, are doing relevant work in Geneva.