‘ASSAD VICTORIES MEAN THAT PEACE IN SYRIA BECOMES REMOTE PROSPECT’
▶ UN envoy tells reconstruction conference that government military might will not bring about political solution
Battlefield gains made by the forces of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad have worsened prospects for a political settlement, the UN’s Syria envoy said yesterday.
Staffan de Mistura called on major foreign powers involved in the conflict to play their part in silencing the guns and allowing humanitarian efforts in the country, while preparing the ground for a political deal to end a seven-year war that has killed 500,000 people.
“In the last few days, weeks we have seen it with our eyes that military gains, territorial gains and military escalation don’t bring a political solution,” he said at a two-day donor conference in Brussels, jointly run by the EU and the UN.
“It has not brought any change. On the contrary, we are going through a very difficult moment.”
The conference brings together about 85 countries in an effort to raise US$6 billion (Dh22.04bn) for aid and reconstruction of Syria’s shattered cities. More than 13 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance because of the war.
The meeting came after limited US-led air strikes on suspected government chemical weapon sites on April 14.
They followed a deal struck earlier in the month that allowed rebel fighters to leave Eastern Ghouta as pro-Assad forces retook the area after months of fighting.
Mr de Mistura said that the largely rebel-held north-west province of Idlib was the “big new challenge” for the international community to ensure the 2.5 million population did not suffer the same fate as civilians in Aleppo or Eastern Ghouta.
The envoy said a UN Security Council retreat in a secluded farmhouse in Sweden at the weekend called to overcome paralysis on Syria had lowered the temperature of the debate but it had failed to find a political solution.
The EU’s most senior diplomat, Federica Mogherini, accused Russia, Iran, and Turkey of failing to live up to their promises to calm tensions in Syria.
The three countries, key military powers in the war, last year became guarantors of battle-free zones that briefly raised hopes for a reduction in violence.
“That seems very long ago and that seems gone,” Ms Mogherini said. “Syria is not a chess board, it’s not a great political game.
Syria belongs to the Syrian people and the Syrian people have to decide themselves about the future of their country.”
The British government called on Russia and Iran to use their influence over the Assad government to push it to the negotiating table.
Penny Mordaunt, the Minister for International Development minister, claimed Russia’s “flagrant disregard” for international laws had given free rein to the regime to carry out chemical attacks.
The longer the delay in reaching a political settlement, “the more people are going to die and the more misery and destruction will be inflicted on Syria”, she is expected to tell the conference today.
Christos Stylianides, the European Commissioner for humanitarian aid, told the conference that breaches of international law have “been the rule rather than the exception”.
Hospitals, schools, markets, water systems and power plants had all become targets, Mr Stylianides said.
The UN children’s agency said the seven-year conflict had caused 2.8 million people to miss out on their education that would cost $1.4bn a year to put right. Five million people have fled the country because of the fighting.
The meeting is the third annual gathering since London in 2016 that puts together aid groups and governments to help Syrians affected by the war.
The first day of the conference was focused on the efforts of humanitarian workers. The ministerial session today will aim to identify prospects for a political settlement.