Statement and right of reply by Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, at the open VTC of Security Council Member-States on the political situation in Syria
Mr. President,
We thank Special Envoy Geir Pedersen for the briefing.
The pandemic undoubtedly affected the way we address conflict resolution, including political settlement in Syria. Still, efforts of the Special Envoy continue. We welcome the agreement by the Syrian parties on the agenda of the third round of negotiations within the framework of the Constitutional Committee. When this meeting takes place, nobody can predict today. The sooner the better, but only WHO knows. We will still continue to support the Special Envoy. We will continue to engage with the Syrian parties. We will continue to facilitate dialogue between Damascus and territories in the North-East.
News of the “death” of “Astana,” which some of our colleagues rushed to announce in the UN Security Council Chamber last month proved to be fake. A teleconference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Turkey and Iran took place on April 22. The Ministers underscored the leading role of Astana in promoting Syrian settlement, including stabilization of the situation, facilitation of the return of refugees, resolving humanitarian problems of the civilian population, as well as inter-Syrian dialogue within the Constitutional Committee. The ministers agreed to continue intensive contacts in order to prepare for the next Astana format summit.
Ceasefire in Idlib established as a result of Russian-Turkish protocol of March, 5 is generally observed. The situation de-escalated significantly. But illegal armed groups and terrorists from Heyat Tahrir Al-Sham continue violations. Hundreds of civilians died in February and in March. Yesterday we all heard about a suicide bombing which took over 40 lives in Afrin. In the North-East, from 20 to 31 March only, 82 people died, 100 were wounded. Radicals impede the work of the Russian and Turkish military in Idlib - they organize provocations and create blockades. The need to divorce moderate opposition from terrorists remains valid. Pandemic cannot be used as a pretext to whitewash terrorists.
Mr. President,
We see the picture clear. The situation is difficult in those territories of Syria which are out of control of the Syrian government. And as before, we don’t have clear picture in the areas which are illegally occupied. We hear many appeals to the Syrian Government – what it should do and what it should not do. But we hear very little what is happening in areas under occupation or out of control of Damascus. We remind once again that responsibility and accountability for everything that happens there lies with the occupying power. We hear about riots in prisons in North-East, of prisoners escaping to neighboring countries of the region. We hear about "aid" sent by the Coalition to the North-East, supposedly to fight the Coronavirus, that included batons and shields and other antiriot equipment.
We would be interested to learn what is happening in Rukban and Al-Hol camps. What measures are taken there to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
On our part, we would like to share with you this story. Two weeks ago, a group of militants, 34 in number, belonging to the Maghawir Al-Thawra was able to leave Rukban and surrender to the government forces. They fought their way out because one can’t just leave Rukban freely. These people told Western reporters what was happening in the camp: in particular, that they were trained in subversion operations and that humanitarian assistance that reaches the Rukban camp is resold. Read their interviews yourselves, broaden your horizons.
A simple conclusion: without return of the entire territory of Syria under the control of its legitimate government, problems will not be solved. This also applies to the fight with the pandemic. By the way, we remind that appeals to Damascus to step up its efforts to fight the pandemic are irrelevant as to 30 % of territories are under effective control either of foreign troops or of opposition or of terrorists. Those controlling these territories should be responsible for it.
We state once again that unilateral sanctions not only cripple the Syrian economy and affect population first and foremost, but also block the supply of medicines and equipment to the country, thus exacerbating the fight against the pandemic. Syrians live throughout Syria, not just in Idlib or in North-East. We urge our colleagues not to exploit the current situation, but to actually help all Syrians.
A positive side of this story – we welcome steps taken by several Arab states to establish contacts with the Syrian government in the interests of helping this country in overcoming economic and humanitarian crisis and in combating Coronavirus. Syria is an integral part of the regional landscape. Syria needs to return to the "Arab family". This will facilitate both Syrian political settlement and improving the overall situation in the Middle East.
Thank you.
In response to the statement by the representative of the United Kingdom:
Mr. President,
I will be brief. I will not engage in a dialogue with Christoph, who, as I understand, co-opted himself in the Board of Inquiry. I must say frankly that your inquiry does not ring any bell with me. If it does, I will come back to you on that. But I would recommend to concentrate on those Syrians who, during those 9 years of conflict, have been tortured, beheaded, killed by the terrorists. I think there is a big space for inquiry here.
However, I wanted to address another issue. I admire the power of deduction of our British colleague, who so elegantly presented his deep analysis of this Board of Inquiry. You know that we do not recognize this Board of Inquiry established by the Secretary-General in excess of his authority, however it is worth noting that even with a magnifying glass this Board of Inquiry could not establish a single civilian death caused by, if I quote the report, alleged “shelling by Syrian air force or its allies”. But it managed to discover victims as a result of shelling by terrorists. According to this report, not a single medical facility was destroyed. Only minor damage is reported. We know that this did not please some of you much. In fact, it disappointed some of you immensely. But this represents a trend, and a clear one. Whatever you say to the contrary, we have been saying this for a long time, and, strangely, today it received an unusual confirmation in this report of this so-called Board of Inquiry.
Thank you.
