Without a political solution to the conflict, there will be no lasting stabilization of Syria [fr]

Mr. President,

I thank Mr. Lowcock and Mr. Pedersen for their briefings.

France takes note of the fourth session of the Constitutional Committee which was held in Geneva.

We call for the fifth session to be held on 25 January as announced by the Special Envoy on the basis of the agenda agreed by the stakeholders.

Indeed, it is high time for the parties to finally start substantive discussions on constitutional reform. The Syrian regime should also fully respect the rules of functionning of the constitutional committee.

France will remain vigilant against any attempt by the regime to undermine the process. It calls on the Special Envoy to keep this Council informed of any obstacle and to clearly assign responsibilities for those obstacles.

Beyond the Constitutional Committee, there is an urgent need to relaunch a credible political process based on all the elements of resolution 2254.

The Special Envoy has our full support in working on this issue, in connection with the main stakeholders.

In particular, concrete results must be achieved on the situation of detainees and missing persons.

It is also essential that all of the Syrians, including those in the diaspora, are at last given a voice in preparing for the holding of elections in accordance with the provisions of resolution 2254 and under UN supervision. France will not recognize the results of elections that will take place outside the Geneva political process.

Thirdly, France is concerned at the increasing hostilities on the ground.

We must work together on the implementation of a lasting and verifiable cessation of hostilities at the national level, in line with the calls of the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy as well as in line with the resolutions of this Council.

We warn against any new offensive, whether in the North-West or in the North-East.

The continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation should concern this Council.

There are now 13 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria, almost 2 million more than a year ago. We deplore the methodical reduction of cross-border crossings for the delivery of aid, which is all the more worrying given the current health crisis.

Obstacles to humanitarian access, particularly by the Syrian regime, are unacceptable, especially in the context of the pandemic. I am thinking of the obstacles to humanitarian access in the province of Damascus, in southern Syria, as well as in the northeast, where the regime has refused for two months to allow food aid to reach more than 200,000 people in Raqqa.

The protection of civilians, including humanitarian and medical personnel, must remain the first priority. I recall, of course, that respect for international humanitarian law is an obligation for all.

After 10 years of conflict, any attempt by the regime and its allies to lead us to believe in a normalization of the situation in Syria will fool nobody.

The figures from the High Commissioner for Refugees speak for themselves: of the 5.5 million Syrian refugees in the region, only 260,000 have chosen to return to their home country since 2016. They will not return as long as the regime continues to threaten their lives and deprive them of their property.

France is therefore working with all international actors, first and foremost the United Nations, to ensure that the right to voluntary, safe and dignified return of refugees and displaced persons be respected. But we will not participate in disinformation campaigns.

Furthermore, France, with its European Union partners, will not deviate from its position on normalization, sanctions and reconstruction in the absence of a credible political settlement. Those of us who believe that the time has come can already begin to fund the reconstruction.

Serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights will not remain unpunished. This is the rational behind our support for the fight against impunity, in particular for the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism. We are determined to provide this mechanism with the budget necessary to function properly.

Mr. President,

Without a political solution to the conflict, there will be no lasting stabilization of Syria. It is high time for all members of this Council to hear this message and really committ to discussions to end this crisis.

Thank you.