New UN resolution marks crucial step to bring peace to Syria

The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously approved an advance of up to 30 unarmed military observers to Syria, marking another important step by the international community to bring peace and stability to Syria, after the good offices of international envoy Kofi Annan successfully mediated a ceasefire between government forces and opposition fighters.

The approval was contained in a resolution unanimously adopted by the 15-nation UN body, the first legally binding UN document since the outbreak of the crisis in the Middle East country in March 2011. The advance team is an initial part of the UN supervision mission in Syria which will reach some 250 observers to monitor the ceasefire.

The new UN move is conducive to consolidating the peace efforts by Kofi Annan, the UN and Arab League joint special envoy for Syria, which includes ceasefire on the ground in order to pave the way for the political solution to the Syrian crisis.

"The relative de-escalation of violence achieved on 12 April was a tentative and positive first step towards ending the crisis," British UN Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said at the Security Council in explaining his government's stance on Syria. "But it is just that -- a first step."

"This is only the beginning of a long road towards reconciling and towards building the future that Syrians aspire to, where there are no detentions without cause, where law enforcement guarantees peace and security in the street -- not the military," Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi told reporters in Geneva on Friday.

Annan was appointed in February to mediate peace in Syria on behalf of the United Nations and Arab League. Thanks to his diplomatic influence and painstaking efforts, Annan received wide international support for his peace endeavors. As a result, Damascus accepted Annan's six-point plan and ceasefire deadlines.

"The observers, which will include one Russian officer, are facing a difficult challenge," Vitaly Churkin, the Russian permanent representative to the United Nations, said at the council after the vote. "They will need a high degree of professionalism, courage, and objectivity."

For his part, Indian UN Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri said, "We hope that all parties, including the opposition, will implement their commitment and cooperate with the mission. It is also necessary that the mission carries out its work impartially, fairly and independently with due respect for Syria's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity."

Meanwhile, Syrian UN Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told reporters that before any observers can be deployed, there would have to be a technical agreement on how the UN force will operate, Annan would have to make an independent report on the situation in Syria, and the Syrian government would have to approve the whole package.

"Special Envoy Kofi Annan's mediation is the practical way out and an important channel for the political settlement of the Syrian crisis," the Chinese UN ambassador said. "We urge all parties in Syria to take real actions to support and cooperate with Mr. Annan in his mediation, and maintain the process of political solution to the Syrian issue."

Meanwhile, French UN Ambassador Gerard Araud said that the newfound unity of the council may not be permanent. "Our consensus is fragile," he said.

Ja'afari, while speaking at the Security Council, reiterated his government's full commitment to Annan's peace plan and ceasefire. But he blamed some council members for turning a blind eye to what he said "the grave human rights violations perpetrated by armed groups in Syria."

"What we find puzzling here is that some of those who claim to care for human rights have paid no attention to information submitted by numerous international bodies other than the Syrian government about the grave human rights violations perpetrated by armed groups in Syria," he said. "These include kidnapping and holding of hostages, and demanding of ransoms as well as torturing and executing members of the police forces and the army and civilians who are regarded as supporters of the government."

"Syria has expressed its hope that Mr. Annan would deal with the crisis in a comprehensive manner," Ja'afari said. "It affirms that in return for the official Syrian commitment to guarantee the success of the mission then Mr. Annan must also hold the necessary contact with the different Arab, regional and international parties that have ties with the armed groups in order to guarantee that they abide by the cessation of violence."

"The mission of Mr. Annan cannot be guaranteed success just through official Syria support, rather these states must abide by holding and halting the funding and arming and training of armed groups as well as refrain from encouraging them to continue their terrorist actions and to stop providing safe havens to the members of these armed groups," he said. "These countries must also stop escalating and encouraging the Syrian opposition to reject any initiative to launch a comprehensive national dialogue in order to arrive at a peaceful political resolution to the crisis in Syria."


(2012-04-18/zamboangatoday)