Remarks to the Press by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia after the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East
Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia: Today is the last day of our presidency. I am not doing a final press conference because everything that needed to be said or answered was said or answered by Minister (of Foreign Affairs of Russia) Lavrov on Friday. I am doing the Toledo formula wrap-up this afternoon at 3 o’clock for Member States.
Today we had if not a historic meeting – than at least something like a historic moment. That was the first, at least in my memory, meeting on Syria where all Council members expressed positive attitude towards what is happening at the political track with the establishment of the Constitutional Committee. Of course, as was said in the room, victory has many fathers but the defeater is always an orphan. We heard some of our fellow Member States trying not to notice the contribution that the Astana trio made to this process either by not mentioning it or mentioning it in passing. Whilst indeed the Astana guarantors were crucial for what has happened with the establishment of the Constitutional Committee. In fact, that Committee could have been established around one year ago, last December, if some of the Council members who today are trying to hijack the glory, had not blocked its creation on a ridiculous pretext back then. Anyway, the Committee has been established, we are looking forward to the start of its work which will open at the end of October. In closed consultations, we all expressed hope that the process will be constructive.
We all realize that, as the Syrian Ambassador said, by the way, the political process is not a walk in the park. It will be a difficult process but we see commitment of all sides to invest into it and we will try to facilitate it without preconditions, time frames, deadlines etc. We really hope that this is the first but important step on the road to political settlement in Syria.
Here is one more point that I think should be mentioned today. We noted that some of our partners in their statements again conditioned the reconstruction and rehabilitation in Syria with the progress at the political track. We remember that not so long ago they were saying they conditioned it by the establishment of the Constitutional Committee. Now we notice them putting renewed conditions to the efforts in the reconstruction and rehabilitation. Anyway we are hopeful that now we will be able to move faster at this track than we did before.
Q.: Ambassador, a question on Saudi Aramco attacks. There are UN experts who observed implementation of sanctions on Iran and Yemen. They have been to Saudi Arabia, they had a look. Do you think they should come and brief the Security Council on what they found?
A.: First they should brief members of the Committee itself, because they are experts of Committee 2231. You may remember that in our previous meetings when they produced reports on the implementation of the resolution they included in the report paragraphs on this ballistic missile things in Iran. And we said back then that we doubted their ability, capacity, and expertise on that issue. Let’s see what they bring from Saudi Arabia. Then we will be able to evaluate how substantiated their conclusions are.
Q.: Your Foreign Minister did make the point that Russia hopes transcripts of President Putin and President Trump are not revealed.
A.: He did not say so. He said that diplomatic practice provides for a certain amount of confidentiality. Whatever transcripts are published, they should be agreed upon by both sides. If they agree to have them published and if they coordinate it between themselves – that is one thing. If something is published without one side knowing about it – that is a little deviation from the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Normal practice is that transcripts are not published as a rule.
Q.: Do you have any concerns about the Ukrainian issue?
A.: Which one? The one with the United States or in general?
Q.: The one with the States.
A.: Minister mentioned that it becomes more than ridiculous. Now a Russian trace has been found even in this case. You know what I am talking about. Look, we live in a world that more and more reminds of a fantasy genre. We have recently seen and heard so much fantasy, that we are not surprised by anything.
Q.: Are you concerned that the regional dynamics in our days in the Middle East might negatively impact the Syrian talks?
A.: That was clearly said today, and not only by us, though by us in particular: settlement of the Syrian crisis may positively affect the regional dynamics as a whole, whereas non-settlement of the Syrian crisis will negatively affect the regional dynamics. You saw the exchange in the room of the two main protagonists of what is happening in the region. My Deputy Minister said at the end, after the second round, that it even more underlined the importance of the concept we had come up with on the regional architecture in the Gulf and in the broader Middle East region.
We are saying that countries that throw accusations at each other, should sit and talk about architecture of regional security. Unless they do it, these things will continue.
Q.: On Syria: are you concerned that on these lists one political bloc – the main Kurdish bloc – is not included? They are excluded from that political make up of Syria. That was number one, number two is – does the Council need to come up with a statement to welcome this Constitutional Committee? Are you working on it? And the last one – the Constitutional Committee is only a small part of 2254. What efforts should be made to push the other parts of it?
A.: I will start from the third one. I think one step should come at a time. Let’s survive the creation of the Constitutional Committee first and see how it progresses. Of course, on the move, we should also think about other issues that are in 2254. But we need something to start with. We cannot do it on parallel tracks at the same time.
Kurds are part of Syria. They have been there since times immemorial, and they are part of the Syrian society. I know that Kurdish representatives are on the list of the opposition that includes 150. They were negotiating about the list, and Kurds are represented.
Q.: Not the main Kurdish bloc as such.
A.: Whom do you mean under the main Kurdish bloc?
Q.: They have very complicated names. SDC I think they call themselves – the political wing of SDF.
A.: If it is complicated for you, imagine how complicated it is for me.
Q.: What about the Council’s action now? Should the Council do anything?
A.: Look, I would not mind to welcome the establishment of the Constitutional Committee. So far we do not have anything that we might discuss on it, but I do not exclude that it is a good idea – to welcome the establishment of the Committee and to welcome, for example, the statement that the Secretary-General made on that issue.
Q.: The Special Envoy (of the Secretary-General for Syria G.Pedersen) mentioned that some countries may be invited to the first meeting of the Committee. At what level would Russia be represented? Have you already received such an invitation.
A.: I cannot give you the names, but I think you will be satisfied when you see who represents Russia at the opening session of the Committee.
Q.: Ambassador Pedersen talked about detainees, the need to release detainees as a trust-building measure. Do you support this call? Is Russia doing anything about that?
A.: We have the Astana process, and this issue is under discussion there. We will have another Astana coming soon some time in October, I believe. This is part of Astana negotiations, so of course it will be discussed.
Q.: Ambassador, a quick question on North Korea. Last week the Chinese Foreign Minister told the General Assembly that the Security Council should consider easing sanctions on North Korea. Are you working on any kind of proposal with the Chinese to bring to the Council?
A.: We are always keen to work on that. It is not just about easing sanctions. What is important is not to impose artificial restrictions on something which is not under sanctions.
We have ridiculous situations when, e.g. FAO wants to deliver something to North Korea, something totally unrelated to the Security Council resolutions, and these things get blocked. It is not an isolated case. If you take a step-by-step approach, we have to rectify at least this thing: artificial barriers should not be introduces for something that has no relation to the UN Security Council sanctions list.
Q.: Ambassador, what interest do you think the Syrian regime has to push the work of this Committee forward?
A.: It is not a regime; it is the government of the Syrian Arab Republic. I think the government of SAR understands very well, just like other participants of the process, that those whom they finally negotiated to negotiate are part of the Syrian society. Of course, they understand the need for the inclusion of all the political parties that advocate for one position or another into a nation-wide Syrian-owned and Syrian-led political dialogue.
Thank you.
