The United Nations Secretary-General said Thursday that the “flame of hope” that arose in Syria with the end of “more than five decades of brutal and dictatorial rule” must not be extinguished.
Speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York, Guterres stressed that the country’s people face a historic opportunity that cannot be squandered.
The threat of Daesh
For the UN chief, Syrians can rediscover the aspirations that sparked the peaceful movement for change in 2011, before the war.
Mr. Guterres warned, however, that if the current situation is not managed carefully by the Syrians themselves, with the support of the international community, “there is a real risk that progress will collapse.”
He stressed that although the situation has stabilized in parts of Syria, the conflict “is far from over”, recalling that the last two weeks have been marked by significant clashes in the north and that the group terrorist Daesh “remains a major threat in many parts of the country”.
He warned against creating conditions for the group to develop its activities and expand its presence.
Thousands of people cross into Syria from Lebanon via the Masnaa border.
Israeli strikes must stop
The UN chief said that “large-scale Israeli airstrikes”, which constitute a “violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, must stop.
In the Golan Heights, the United Nations peacekeeping mission, UNDOF, continues to observe Israeli Defense Force personnel and equipment at various locations in the area of separation as well as at one location in the area limitation.
“Let’s be clear: there should be no military forces in the zone of separation other than UN peacekeeping forces, period,” Mr. Guterres insisted.
“These peacekeeping forces must be able to move freely to accomplish their important mission,” he said.
He argued that “Israel and Syria must respect the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains in full force.”
Political transition and humanitarian crisis
Syria’s future must be shaped by its people, for its people, with the support of all.
The Secretary-General stressed that civilians continue to be at risk of death, injury and displacement.
He called for an “inclusive, credible and peaceful” political transition, where all communities are fully integrated and the rights of women and girls are fully respected.
In the long term, the country must move towards the development of a new constitution and the holding of elections.
Mr. Guterres recalled that Syria remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with growing needs that the UN is responding to under “new and ever-rapidly evolving conditions.”
The UN chief signaled that adequate funding for humanitarian and recovery responses is “fundamental” and that “gestures of solidarity” must be continued until conditions are met for all sanctions against the countries are lifted.
Responsibility for crimes
Regarding the missing people, Guterres pledged support from the United Nations to end the “agony of uncertainty” affecting many families.
He announced the appointment of Karla Quintana of Mexico to head the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria, a mechanism created by the General Assembly in June 2023.
The Secretary-General requested that this institution and all international mechanisms put in place to promote the protection of human rights in Syria and accountability for crimes committed be provided with the necessary means to carry out their work.
For the UN chief, the international community has “the obligation to stand alongside the Syrian people who have suffered so much”.
“Syria’s future must be shaped by its people, for its people, with the support of all,” concluded Mr. Guterres.
