UN Calls for ‘Coordinated Process’ to Resolve Syrian Crisis

The United Nations Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for building on the Arab and international response to recover from the earthquakes that recently struck Türkiye and Syria.

Pedersen said the earthquakes caused “unspeakable suffering for millions of people” to carry out a coordinated process to meet the challenges of resolving the military conflict that has been going on for 12 years.

Pedersen was briefing members of the Security Council meeting in New York on the latest developments in the Syrian crisis. He addressed the recent earthquake, stressing that “the immediate priority is the emergency humanitarian response” to Syrians wherever they are.

Referring to his recent meetings concerning Syrian crisis and aid donors, he made it clear that he saw “a remarkable goodwill among many Syrians themselves in both words and actions to organize and send relief to their fellow citizens across the front lines, irrespective of the challenges and hardship they also face,” noting that “Syrian women have been at the forefront of these efforts.”

He welcomed the recent introduction of earthquake-related exemptions from several countries, including the US, the UK, and the EU.

The UN envoy also welcomed the Syrian government’s decision to open the Bab al-Salam and al-Rai crossing points from Türkiye to northwestern Syria, with a “blanket approval” for crossing operations into northwestern Syria until next July and other measures to reduce red tape for humanitarian actors, and facilitate humanitarian financial transactional concerning the earthquake response.

The envoy said he recorded “a relative lull in violence after the earthquake, which can facilitate the relief operations.”

However, Pedersen said he was worried he has seen “reports of concerning incidents: exchange of shelling and mortar fire between areas under the control of the Syrian government, the Syrian Democratic Forces, armed opposition, or Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,” in addition to “Turkish drone strikes and air strikes in central Damascus attributed to Israel, assassinations in the southwest, and the terrible attacks attributed to ISIS in the desert.”

He called for building on the four elements involving action from a different side “if we are to move beyond responding to the emergency the earthquake has brought and confront the challenges of resolving the conflict itself and address the deep crisis in Syria.”

The diplomat described Syria as “one of the most complex political landscapes on the planet” because it is a territory split into several areas of control: a government under sanctions, de facto authorities elsewhere, more than one terrorist group, and five foreign armies.

He called on the international community to “take inspiration from the Syrian people on the ground, who have come together against the odds during this time to deal with their enormous challenges.”

“The situation today is unprecedented. It calls for leadership, bold ideas, and a cooperative spirit. A serious political way forward will require a serious conversation among key stakeholders to make progress on some of the unresolved political issues of the conflict that could block much-needed recovery after the disaster.”

The envoy urged “more pragmatism” because the matter requires “realism and frankness from the Syrian government, the Syrian opposition, and all key outside actors” to protect Syria from the broader geopolitical disputes among key players.

“It calls for a coordinated process,” the UN Envoy reiterated.

“We will need all key Arab players, all key European players, and of course the Astana players, and the US to work in a coherent effort,” he said, adding: “if all, and I really mean all, can envisage compromise from previous positions: all will gain.”

Pedersen assessed that “the approach of seeking reciprocal and verifiable confidence measures, the so-called ‘step-for-step,’ is more element now more than ever before,” under Security Council Resolution 2254.

“Let’s build on a step so far from all sides, with further moves from all sides. Let’s in that spirit identify and move additional confidence-building steps from all parties to confront the challenges of recovery after the disaster and address unresolved political issues.”