SYRIA - Press Encounter

 OPENING REMARKS:

Secretary-General: The Middle East is being consumed by many fires.  

But today there is a flame of hope in Syria.  

That flame must not be extinguished. 

The people of Syria stand at a moment of history – and a moment of opportunity.  

That opportunity cannot be missed. 

The end of more than five decades of brutal, dictatorial rule has given rise to much hope. 

We share that hope with the Syrian people and we stand with them.  

And we recognize that this moment offers a long-sought chance for all Syrians to realize the aspirations that sparked their peaceful movement for change in 2011 -- and their call that echoed across the country that the Syrian people are one. 

It holds great promise for a country so rich in its diversity, history and culture – and its enormous and deeply-rooted traditions of generosity that I witnessed first-hand as High Commissioner for Refugees when the Syrian people welcomed millions of Iraqis displaced from their homes.  

But nothing is guaranteed. 

If the ongoing situation is not managed carefully--by the Syrians themselves, with the support of the international community--there is a real risk that progress could unravel. 

The political transition ahead must be by Syrians, and for Syrians – all Syrians. 

It must be inclusive, credible and peaceful. 

All communities must be fully integrated into the new Syria.  

The rights of women and girls must be fully respected. 

 And the process must be guided by the underlying principles of Security Council resolution 2254. 

We are focused on facilitating just such a process. 

 My Special Envoy Geir Pedersen was in Damascus this week.  

I have been in close contact with a number of leaders from across the region and beyond.  

Meanwhile, Syria remains one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. 

The recent events have only added to these needs.  

I dispatched UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher to Syria to help get aid moving. 

The UN and our partners are mobilizing to assess the people’s needs and adapt the response to the new – and still rapidly shifting--conditions. 

Now, adequate funding for humanitarian and recovery responses is critical. And that funding is not yet available. I make a strong appeal to the international community to show the generosity the Syrian people deserve in this moment and to massively support the humanitarian response in Syria. 

So, too, is determining the fate of missing persons.  We pledge our support to those who continue to live with the agony of uncertainty.

The General Assembly created the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria.  

I am announcing today the appointment of Karla Quintana of Mexico as Head of this Institution.  She and her team must be allowed to fully carry out their mandate.  

Indeed, all international mechanisms to advance the protection of human rights in Syria – and accountability for crimes committed – must have what they need to carry out their vital work. 

Let us not underestimate the scale of the challenges that lie ahead. 

While the situation has stabilized in parts of Syria, the conflict is far from over. 

Civilians remain at risk—killed, injured, and displaced. Their protection must be our highest priority. 

Over the last two weeks, we have seen significant hostilities in the north.  

ISIL continues to be a major threat in many parts of the country. 

At the same time, extensive Israeli airstrikes continue.  They are violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and they must stop. 

In the occupied Syrian Golan, the UN peacekeeping mission – UNDOF – continues to observe Israel Defense Forces personnel and equipment in multiple locations in the area of separation and in one location in the area of limitation. 

Let me be clear:  There should be no military forces in the area of separation other than UN peacekeepers – period.  And those peacekeepers must have freedom of movement to undertake their important work. 

Israel and Syria must uphold the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains fully in force.  

Syria’s sovereignty, territorial unity, and integrity must be fully restored, and all acts of aggression must come to an immediate end. 

This is a decisive moment – a moment of hope and history, but also one of great uncertainty. 

Some will try to exploit the situation for their own narrow ends. 

But it is the obligation of the international community to stand with the people of Syria who have suffered so much. 

Syria’s future must be shaped by its people, for its people, with the support of all of us. 

Thank you.

[END]

QUESTION AND ANSWERS:

Question: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary-General, and I'm sure we all wish you and your family a very happy holiday. 

Geir Peterson, when he was in Damascus, was urging everyone he talked to attend a major Syrian dialogue on the way forward. I'm sure you support this. When is it going to happen and how is it going to happen?

Secretary-General: We are obviously at the very beginning of the transition process. What we have been telling both the caretaker authorities and different other Syrian entities is that it's absolutely essential to have a process of dialogue that is inclusive, that all communities of Syria feel part of it, and that will lead through a process linked to the Security Council resolution, to a future constitution and to elections in the long term. 

At the present moment, I think we are all in consultations with different actors. It's difficult to define a moment where an inclusive dialogue will start, but I believe it will be essential to do it as quickly as possible.

Question: Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General.  To ease the humanitarian crisis in Syria and help Syrians in this transition period, do you support that the sanctions on Syria be lifted?

Secretary-General: First of all, there are many things that need to be done in relation to the humanitarian response that have nothing to do with the sanctions. On the other hand, we should not forget that the sanctions were applied to the Assad regime. The situation has changed. Obviously, we are in a process of transition and in a process of transition, I think there is work to be done by both sides. But I do believe that in the dramatic situation that we have in Syria, there should be at least a first gesture, a first gesture showing solidarity with the Syrian people, until conditions are met for all sanctions to be removed.

Question:  Secretary-General, what do you think of the role that Türkiye is playing in the north of Syria at this moment?

Secretary-General: I believe that Türkiye has been a very clear supporter of the Syrian people and the Syrian resistance in Idlib, and has a very important role to play in convincing the key Syrian actors at the present moment of the need to have an inclusive process of dialogue. So that is the first mission. A second mission is, of course, I think we need to create the conditions that allow for a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire to take place in the northeastern part. And for conditions to be created, not to allow ISIL to develop their activities and to increase their presence.

Secretary-General: Thank you very much.

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