Security Council Open VTC on the political situation in Syria with Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen.
UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said, “economic crisis is hitting every part of Syria, regardless of territorial control” as the national currency depreciated more than in the prior nine years of war and warned that the intensity of poverty in the country “is likely more acute.”
Addressing a virtual meeting of the Security Council today (16 Jun), Pedersen said currency and price volatility in Syria were acute and the inflation rate has hit peak levels in the past six months. He added, “Medicine is more expensive, and scarce. Food prices have skyrocketed and supply chains have been disrupted. The purchasing power of ordinary Syrians has seriously diminished as wages – both private and public sector – are vastly inadequate to meet the demands of the day. Before this recent deterioration, over 80 per cent of Syrians were estimated to be living below the poverty line. The situation is undoubtedly more severe today, and the intensity of that poverty is likely more acute.”
The Special Envoy said the banking crisis in neighbouring Lebanon has had a significant impact on the Syrian economy, as well as measures to combat COVID-19 and sanctions by the European Union and the United States, including secondary US sanctions set to enter into force tomorrow aimed at deterring foreign business activity with the Syrian Government.
Pedersen said he was hopeful the constitutional committee could resume work towards the end of August but stressed that the realities facing the Syrian people cannot be solely addressed by discussing the constitution. He said there are real and substantive differences among international players in Syria, as there are between the Syrian parties, which he said must be subject to real discussion and diplomacy. He added his conviction that there are common interests on which to build such a diplomacy.
SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“Syria is going through a time of great flux. Nobody involved in the conflict should presume that time is on their side. Nobody should be sure there will be better openings down the road. What is required is the readiness of all to deal seriously with the realities of the conflict.”
US ambassador Kelly Craft said recent violations of the Idlib ceasefire serve as a reminder of just how fragile the political process is and how important it is to deny the Syrian Government and its allies a military victory.
SOUNDBITE (English) Kelly Craft, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“To that end, tomorrow, the Trump Administration will take decisive steps to prevent the Assad regime from securing a military victory, and to steer the regime and its allies back toward Special Envoy Pedersen and the UN-led political process. Our aim is to deprive the Assad regime of the revenue and the support it has used to commit the large-scale atrocities and human rights violations that prevent a political resolution and severely diminish the prospects for peace.”
Craft said the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act would not impact humanitarian assistance and outlines requirements for the suspension of the Act’s sanctions on Syria, including ending all attacks on the Syrian people and holding all perpetrators accountable. She said, “The Assad regime has a clear choice to make: pursue the political path established in Resolution 2254, or leave the United States with no other choice but to continue withholding reconstruction funding and impose sanctions against the regime and its financial backers.”
The US ambassador called on the Council to support the continuation of cross-border humanitarian deliveries into Syria when the matter is discussed for a renewal of mandate on July 10.
