Political Solution in Syria & other topics - Security Council Briefing

Описание: Briefing by Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, on the situation in the Middle East (Syria).

Expressing concern over the deterioration of the situation in Idlib, Syria, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, today (27 Mar) told the Security Council this escalation has placed a “strain” on the Memorandum of Understanding between Russia and Turkey that, since September 2018, had “largely contained the scope of military operations in the area.”

DiCarlo reported exchanges of artillery and mortars, airstrikes hitting civilian targets and causing civilian casualties and further displacement in Idlib.” She said, “there are reports of rocket attacks and cross-line raids by HTS which have resulted in casualties among government soldiers and civilians.”

Regarding the United States recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, the Under-Secretary-General told the Council “the United Nations position is determined by the Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on this issue,” and added that “the efforts of the United Nations to facilitate a political process in Syria in accordance with resolution 2254 will continue to fully uphold the principles of Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity.”

Reporting on the humanitarian situation in Syria, the Director of the Coordination Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Ramesh Rajasingham, said, “this month marks the eighth year since the Syria crisis began. Eight years of lives being uprooted. Eight years of families being torn apart. Eight years of children being needlessly exposed to traumatic violence. And eight years on, the humanitarian crisis in Syria is far from over. United Nations assessments indicate that 11.7 million people require humanitarian assistance and protection inside the country in 2019. More than 5.6 million Syrians live as refugees across the region. And while violence has decreased in many locations, in others, recent weeks have seen increasing numbers of civilians killed and injured.”