UNITED NATIONS
\nThe UN Security Council on Thursday was updated on the ongoing humanitarian effort in Syria, which all the members agreed has been exacerbated by the Feb. 6 earthquakes, but a less-than-rosy outlook was presented for the war-torn country.
\nThere was stark division among diplomats on a political solution to the crisis in Syria caused by nearly 13 years of war and compounded by the February earthquakes, which has affected about 8.8 million people.
\nThe session opened with updates from special UN envoys, each providing key details and statistics on the world body\u2019s efforts to provide humanitarian aid and find common ground for a peaceful resolution to more than a decade of conflict. And while diplomats seemed united in their nations\u2019 resolve to stick to a 2015 resolution to end the conflict, the usual East versus West political battlelines were laid bare during open discussion.
\n\u201cSuch a solution (for peace and extended humanitarian efforts) requires realism from all sides, and agreements and actions on key issues in Security Council Resolution No. 2254,\u201d said Geir Pederson, special envoy of the secretary-general for Syria.
\nResolution No. 2254 calls for, among other things, \u201cthe Syrian Government and opposition to engage in formal negotiations on a political transition process,\u201d something that opposing sides currently seem unwilling to do.
\nPederson went on to tell the assembled diplomats that violence in the country was on the rise, notably from Israeli strikes, attacks from Daesh, and increasing Syrian, Russian and US-led coalition strikes in response.
\nDiplomat after diplomat stressed their nations\u2019 support for increased access to humanitarian aid. However, there were marked differences of opinion as to why that aid appeared to be lacking in parts of Syria, particularly in the north of the country.
\nThe UAE\u2019s representative Mohamed Issa Abu Shahab called for a national ceasefire to the conflict that has caused significant damage to Syria since 2015. He also stressed the need to end the \u201cpoliticization\u201d of humanitarian aid, saying that such political maneuvers ultimately result in more harm than good for the Syrian people.
\nFurthermore, Abu Shahab said the UAE has not seen signs in the current diplomatic process that point to increased stability in the region, and hoped to see \u201can Arab leadership role in all efforts\u201d to achieve longstanding peace in the region.
\n\u201cThis includes establishing the necessary mechanisms and intensifying (efforts) among the Arab states to ensure the success of these endeavors,\u201d he said.
\nMore criticism of the seemingly lagging humanitarian response in Syria came from the Russian Federation diplomat, Vasily Nebenzya. He repeatedly referenced what he called \u201cillegal provocation\u201d by the US and its allies through what he classified as targeted sanctions against the Bashar Assad government.
\nNebenzya accused the US and its allies of routinely engaging in \u201cillegal\u201d military actions, which were \u201cin violation of Syria\u2019s sovereignty and the sovereignty of neighboring Arab countries,\u201d and that the absence of any action from the UN leadership to such actions \u201cis very much alarming.\u201d
\nIn specifically addressing the humanitarian efforts in Syria, Nebenzya said the situation remains \u201cexceedingly difficult, and it continues to deteriorate.\u201d
\n\u201cWe cannot but note that the growing needs and problems endured by ordinary Syrians throughout the country have not prevented Western donors from seeking to politicize the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and they have been using this as a tool in pressuring Damascus, and they\u2019ve also been undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria,\u201d Nebenzya said.
\nThe US\u2019 Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis said America would not \u201cnormalize our relationship with Assad, and we have strongly discouraged others from doing so\u201d because \u201cSyria continues to radiate instability to the broader region.\u201d
\n\u201cWe will not lift our sanctions on Assad or support reconstruction absent genuine, comprehensive, and enduring reforms and progress on the political process,\u201d said DeLaurentis.
\nHe went on to say that \u201cthe United States continues to reject any suggestion that humanitarian assistance is blocked by US sanctions.\u201d
\nNearly 7 million Syrians have been displaced since the start of the Syrian conflict, according to Lisa Doughten, resource mobilization director for the UN humanitarian coordination office. Of those, nearly 80 percent have been displaced for at least five years, she said.
\nDoughten said that years of conflict \u2014 coupled with economic pressures, dwindling public services and decaying critical infrastructure \u2014 have left Syrians \u201cacutely vulnerable to shocks and stress.\u201d
\n\u201cDurable solutions are needed for this crisis, starting with an end to the conflict,\u201d Doughten said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS The UN Security Council on Thursday was updated on the ongoing humanitarian effort in Syria, which all the members agreed has been exacerbated by the Feb. 6 earthquakes, but a less-than-rosy outlook was presented for the war-torn country. There was stark division among diplomats on a political solution to the crisis in Syria […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-328175","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n