Mr. President,
I thank the general subsecretary, Mr. Khaled Khiari, for his presentation.
What Syria is going through is both the resurgence of old tensions after decades of oppression and the risk of aspiration of the country in regional turmoil.
This places the Council before two obligations with regard to its mission. First of all, help Syria to build an inclusive, impartial state as quickly as possible, with the monopoly of the use of force; And, also, sending the countries of the region, starting with Israel, a call to refrain from any use of force against its neighbor.
Thus France today wishes to insist on three points.
1. First, the priority in this transition period is to prevent Syria from sinking into violence and framing.
France salutes the ceasefire found last night after the serious clashes that affected the Souweida region in recent days. She is measuring fragility and she calls on all actors to respect it and do everything to guarantee the security of civilians, restore calm and promote peace between all the components of Syrian society, including between the Druzes and the other communities of Souweida. The abuses which aim at civilians, which France has firmly condemned, must cease and their managers be identified and brought to justice, in accordance with the commitment made by the Syrian president. Humanitarian access and the provision of essential services must be restored. France welcomes the resumption of dialogue between the Syrian authorities and the officials of the Souweida region, which our council must support, in order to achieve a lasting agreement to strengthen the unity, stability and sovereignty of Syria, as well as the security of all Syrians.
2. Second, France calls on Israel not to conduct unilateral actions likely to destabilize Syria.
Strikes led by Israel on Syrian territory, in the provinces of Souweida, Deraa and Damascus, information reporting on the redeployment of Israeli forces on the Golan Plateau, we call Israel, like all parties, to respect the ceasefire and to seize the historical opportunity that constitutes a Syria wishing to pacify its relations with its neighbors. Israel must put an end to its military activities on Syrian territory and must withdraw from the separation zone established by the 1974 release agreement. Syria and Israel must take into account everyone’s security concerns. Everything must be done to help Syria become a stability center in the Middle East.
3. Third, the Syrian authorities must do everything to restore civil peace.
The continuation of denominational and community violence in recent months shows the extent of the challenges to be met in the path of the unit of Syria. The clashes in the Souweida region in recent days, the attacks on the Druzes populations in the south of Damascus at the end of April, the attack on a church a few days ago and the massacres committed against the Alawite community last March have revived the specter of interconfessional violence. It is up to the Syrian authorities to do everything to establish the harmony between the components of Syrian society and to end the terrorist threat.
To do this, the principle of accountability and the establishment of transitional justice must serve as a compass to the Syrian authorities. Officials of all denominational and intercommunity violence must be held responsible. In this regard, we note Damascus’ commitment to investigate the violence in Souweida in recent days. The results of the commission of inquiry into March massacres in the coastal region also arouse immense expectations.
The restoration of civil peace and the preservation of social cohesion also involve the implementation of a political dialogue with all the components of Syrian society, their inclusion in the political transition process and the guarantee and protection of the rights of all Syrians and all Syrians.
Mr. President,
The possibility of building a new Syria represents a unique opportunity. France reiterates its disposal to support the Syrian authorities to ensure the success of the transition, in particular for it to be fully representative of Syrians and reflects their aspirations. This council and the international community are responsible for helping their assistance to the Syrian authorities to help the country’s economic recovery and the restoration of civil peace. Our council must be ready to draw the operational conclusions of the strategic journal under way to the secretariat so that it is best organized the United Nations support to Syria.
Thank you.
