Pedersen Concerned over Russian War Impact on His Efforts in Syria

Geir Pedersen briefed the Security Council yesterday (Reuters)
Geir Pedersen briefed the Security Council yesterday (Reuters)
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Pedersen Concerned over Russian War Impact on His Efforts in Syria

Geir Pedersen briefed the Security Council yesterday (Reuters)
Geir Pedersen briefed the Security Council yesterday (Reuters)

Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen of Norway has expressed concern over the impact of the Russian war against Ukraine on the diplomatic efforts to settle the war in Syria.

“Every month I draw your attention to the fact that Syrians across the country and those who are displaced are facing poverty and hunger at levels higher than at any point in the conflict,” Pedersen said in a briefing to the Security Council on Syria.

He emphasized that “the full implementation of Security Council resolution 2585 is important.”

“For my part, I remain steadfastly committed to implementing my mandate in Security Council resolution 2254 to convene the Syrian parties in the formal political process,” he added.

“Militarily, front lines remain unshifted, but we still see all signs of an ongoing hot conflict. Any of a number of flashpoints could ignite a broader conflagration… Yet again, we have seen more violence across international borders – drone strikes in the north-east; Israeli strikes in the south and Damascus; and further security incidents on the Syrian-Jordanian border,” Pedersen stated.

“It is plain that there is a stalemate, that there is acute suffering, and that a political solution is the only way out. This requires a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political process, which must be supported by constructive international diplomacy – however hard that is, and especially right now.”

Pedersen said he was “glad” to report setting a date for convening the 7th session of the Small Body of the Syrian-owned, Syrian-led, UN-facilitated Constitutional Committee in Geneva, on 21 March.

“It is important that the Small Body’s work continues - and in such a manner that it builds trust and confidence. The parties’ positions are substantively far apart and narrowing their differences will inevitably be an incremental process.”

He further added that “in line with the Terms of Reference and Core Rules of Procedure, what we do need is a sense of compromise and constructive engagement from all delegations.”

“For my part, I will continue to focus on engaging and convening the Syrian parties and consulting widely. We will convene a series of Constitutional Committee meetings in May and June; and we will continue rolling out a set of consultations on step-for step within the wider issues in 2254 and on how we can make progress,” Pedersen went on to say.

He appreciated “the constructive ideas that have been shared to date. I look forward to continuing the consultations with those that I have not yet been able to consult, and to further rounds of engagement."

“I am convinced that the overwhelming majority of the Syrian people desperately want this conflict to end, to see some basic improvements to their shattered lives and to live in safety and dignity,” Pedersen stated, adding that “They want to see progress on the file of detainees, abductees and missing persons, which keeps affecting the lives of so many families in every corner of Syria."

He expressed concern that “that the constructive international diplomacy required to push this may prove more difficult than it already was, against the backdrop of the military operations in Ukraine.”

For her part, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya said in a briefing that “more people are in need than any time since the start of the conflict. A total of 14.6 million people will depend on humanitarian assistance.

This is 9 percent more than last year and 32 per cent more than the year before.”



UN Refugee Chief Says Airstrikes in Lebanon Have Violated Humanitarian Law

A general view shows damage in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Choueifat, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon, October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer
A general view shows damage in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Choueifat, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon, October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer
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UN Refugee Chief Says Airstrikes in Lebanon Have Violated Humanitarian Law

A general view shows damage in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Choueifat, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon, October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer
A general view shows damage in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Choueifat, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon, October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer

The United Nations' refugee chief Filippo Grandi said on Sunday that airstrikes in Lebanon had violated international humanitarian law by hitting civilian infrastructure and killing civilians, in reference to Israel's bombardment of the country.

"Unfortunately, many instances of violations of international humanitarian law in the way the airstrikes are conducted that have destroyed or damaged civilian infrastructure, have killed civilians, have impacted humanitarian operations," he told media in Beirut, Reuters reported.

Grandi was in Lebanon as it struggles to cope with the displacement of more than 1.2 million people as a result of an expanded Israeli air and ground operation.

Fighting had previously been mostly limited to the Israel-Lebanon border area, in parallel to Israel's war in Gaza against Palestinian group Hamas.

Grandi said all parties to the conflict and those with influence on them should "stop this carnage that is happening both in Gaza and in Lebanon today".

More than 2,000 people have been killed and nearly 10,000 wounded in Lebanon in nearly a year of fighting, most in the past two weeks, the Lebanese health ministry says. Israel says around 50 civilians and soldiers have been killed.

Israel says it targets military capabilities and takes steps to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians, while Lebanese authorities say civilians have been targeted.

Israel accuses both Hezbollah and Hamas of hiding among civilians, which they deny.

Grandi said the World Health Organization briefed him "about egregious violations of IHL in respect of health facilities in particular that have been impacted in various locations of Lebanon", using an acronym for international humanitarian law.

Attacks on civilian homes may also be violations, though the matter requires further assessment, he said.

The fighting has led some 220,000 people to cross the Lebanese border with Syria, 70% of whom are Syrians and 30% Lebanese, Grandi said, saying these were conservative estimates.

Israel's bombardment of the main border crossing with Syria at Masnaa on Friday was "a huge obstacle", to those flows of people continuing, he said.

Many of the Syrians leaving Lebanon had sought refuge and fled war and a security crackdown after the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

Now was an opportunity for the Syrian government to show that returnees' "safety and ability to go back to their homes or wherever they need to go is respected", Grandi said.