UNSC briefing/consultations-Syria (political/humanitarian)

[Tuesday, 26 April 2022, 1500 hrs EDT/0030 hrs IST 27 April]

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Thank you Madam President.

I join others in thanking Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen and Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Ms. Joyce Msuya for their briefings. I also thank Ms. Nirvana Shawky of Care International her insights. I also welcome the presence of Representatives of Syria, Turkey and Iran in today’s meeting. for their updates today.

2. On the political track, there has not been much progress since the meeting of 7th session of the Small Body of the Constitutional Committee held last month. We note that the Special Envoy has remained in touch with the two co-chairs on convening of the next session. We are of the view that early convening of the next session is important to maintain momentum in the talks. In this regard, we take note of announcement made by Special Envoy about convening of the 8th session on 28th May. In order to ensure credible progress, all sides need to engage constructively and purposefully, with some sense of compromise. External influence on the sides will only prove detrimental to the interest of the overall political process. It is for the Syrians to determine and decide what is best for Syria and their own future.

3. The Special Envoy has been making efforts to bring out all sides and facilitate the political process, in line with the resolution 2254. We support his proactive diplomacy to build momentum on the political track, including through the step-by-step process.

4. India has been consistent in calling for support to the regional efforts in finding a long-term solution to the conflict. The progressive normalization of Syria’s relations with its Arab neighbors in the recent months is an encouraging development. We also welcome UAE’s proactive engagement with Syria.

5. On the security front, we remain concerned with the overall situation in Syria. As pointed out in SG’s recent 60-day report, violence continued in the Idlib de-escalation area in the north-west of the Syrian Arab Republic, including through airstrikes, mutual shelling and clashes. There is an urgent need for genuinely serious attempts towards comprehensive nationwide ceasefire in Syria. Towards this end, we believe that withdrawal of foreign forces is essential to realize this objective.

6. India has also been repeatedly reiterating the looming threat posed by resurgence of terrorist groups in Syria. UN designated terrorist groups such as ISIL and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are gaining in strength not just in Syria, but in Iraq as well. We reiterate that global fight against terrorism cannot and should not be compromised for narrow political gains. The credibility of the international community’s collective fight against terrorism can be strengthened only by ensuring accountability for the grave and inhuman acts of terror committed by terrorists and terrorist groups. Towards this end, India has made a contribution of USD 200,000 to support UNITAD’s investigations, including through development and use of chemical and biological weapons by ISIL in Iraq.

7. On the humanitarian side; as the conflict in Syria enters its twelfth year, the needs of the population continue to grow. More than 14 million people across the Syrian Arab Republic remain in need of humanitarian assistance, more than at any time since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. We must not loose sight of the sufferings that Syrian people face on a daily basis.

8. The ongoing cross-border operations continue to negatively impact on the sovereignty of the Syrian State. In the northwest, we believe there is considerable scope for expanding crossline operations and we welcome the recent operation in March. We continue to encourage OCHA and other UN agencies to expend efforts to enhance cross-line operations.

9. There is need to scale up humanitarian assistance and shore up donor support for Syria humanitarian response plan of the UN. The response plan remains under-funded, particularly with regard to building resilience and access to basic services. We also continue to believe that it is critical to achieve progress on implementation of UNSCR 2585, concerning early recovery and infrastructure.

10. On our part, India has continued to extend developmental assistance and human resource development support to Syria. India will continue to support the people of Syria in their endeavor for seeking lasting peace and stability.

I thank you.

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