UNSC briefing and consultations-Syria (political)

[Wednesday, 29 June 2022; 1500 hrs EDT/0030 hrs IST 30 June]

India remarks

I join others in thanking Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen for his briefing on the latest developments on the political process in Syria, including the 8^th session of Constitutional Committee meetings, which took place in Geneva last month.  

2.    The last meeting of the Small Body of the Constitutional Committee has deliberated on the four proposed constitutional principles, i.e., unilateral coercive measures; state institutions; supremacy of the constitution and transitional justice. While the relevant parties have not reached common ground, we need to examine the reasons for the lack of any major progress in the last two years. 

3.    External factors have proved detrimental to overall political process. The engagement so far has not been able to bridge the trust deficit amongst the stakeholders involved. The positive outcome of the last meeting is that all sides have agreed to meet again in the last week of July. We hope that in the next meeting, the three parties will engage constructively and purposefully, with a sense of compromise. We reiterate again that it is for the Syrians to determine and decide what is best for Syria and their own future. 

4.     The Special Envoy has been making efforts to engage with all sides and facilitate the political process, in line with the resolution 2254. We believe that his efforts should be supported, particularly his step-by-step approach. The success of this approach will also depend on actual relief to the people of Syria from easing of measures affecting their daily lives. We need to avoid linking humanitarian and developmental assistance with the progress in the overall political process. There is also an urgent need to scale up assistance and to ensure that humanitarian agencies receive the necessary funding to fully execute their plans. 

5.    India has been consistent in calling for support to the regional efforts in finding a long-term solution to the conflict. We have welcomed progressive normalization of Syria’s relations with its Arab neighbors. Any acts compromising on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity will have negative impact on the political track. In this regard, the recent announcement of military actions is deeply concerning.

6.    On the security front, we remain concerned with the overall situation in Syria. As pointed out in the Secretary General’s 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 serious attempts towards comprehensive nationwide ceasefire in Syria. Towards this end, we believe that withdrawal of all foreign forces is essential toward realizing this objective. 

7.    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 continue to gain 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 of terrorists and terrorist groups. 

8.    In conclusion, let me reiterate that India is committed to extending developmental assistance and human resource development support to Syria. Our support the people of Syria in their endeavor for seeking lasting peace and stability remains steadfast and unwavering.

I thank you. 

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