UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen reported that violence continues across the country with a constant risk of escalation “which could unravel existing arrangement” and said, “We must at all costs avoid reversion to the all-out fighting and abuses and violations we have seen before.”
Briefing a virtual meeting of the Security Council today (18 May), Pedersen said, during his discussions, he sensed deep anxiety among Syrians over the fact that, even if violence has for the moment somewhat abated, it does continue, and it can escalate at any moment. He noted however that Russian-Turkish cooperation on the ground has brought relative calm to Idlib this month and hoped that this would bode well for sustaining calm there.
The Special Envoy stressed the importance of humanitarian access as prevention and protection against COVID-19 is scaled up. He was thankful that, to date, Syria had not experienced mass COVID-19 outbreaks with 64 cases officially reported, 58 of whom are in Government-controlled areas and six others in the northeast. No cases have been reported in the northwest.
Pedersen said the COVID-19 crisis “has added a new layer to Syria’s grave and worsening economic predicament, the result of many internal and external factors and measures over a decade of conflict.” He said the Syrian Pound has continued to depreciate in recent weeks, with implications on the purchasing power of ordinary Syrians, adding that “significant price increases and shortages in basic commodities are widespread across the country, with implications for food security.”
The Special Envoy said, “We know that the crisis in Syria will not be resolved by a new constitution alone. But if the Constitutional Committee could work seriously, it could build trust, make an important contribution to a political settlement, and be a door-opener.” He told Council members that he was ready to convene a third session of the Small Body of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva as soon as global travel conditions allow.
Pedersen added, “With some calm, with the common threats of COVID and ISIS, and with the Syrian people continuing to suffer, I want to stress that renewed and meaningful international cooperation, building trust and confidence between international stakeholders and with Syrians, including through reciprocal measures, is essential — and could unlock progress. I believe that Russian-American dialogue has a key role to play here, and I encourage them to pursue it.”
