Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria. UN Special Envoy for Syria on Opportunities and Threats for the Transition Process in the Country Peace and Security
Two days after opposition forces including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered Damascus and toppled President Bashar al-Assad, the UN’s top negotiator charged with helping the people of Syria forge a peaceful and democratic future has stressed that nothing can be taken for granted.
“Syria is at a crossroads with great opportunities but also with great risks. And we really need to keep both in mind,” Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, said on Tuesday. “We know that, of course, HTS is now the dominant faction in control of Damascus, but it’s also important to remember that it is not the only armed faction in Damascus.”
Amid jubilation on the streets of the capital after the fall of the regime, there were reports of looting and break-ins into public buildings or private homes. “But it seems to have stopped, and that is good,” the special envoy told reporters in Geneva.
Continuing uncertainty
Outside Damascus, the situation remains less certain, a legacy of Syria’s 13-year war involving regional and international actors.
“The conflict in the northeast is not over yet, with clashes continuing between the Syrian National Army, opposition groups and the Syrian Democratic Forces. We naturally call for restraint,” Pedersen said.
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Commenting on reports of Israeli troop movements in the occupied Golan Heights and Israeli strikes on targets in Syria, the UN spokesman stressed that “this must stop.”
He added: “I am not in contact with Israeli representatives, but of course they are in contact with the United Nations in New York. Also, you know, the peacekeepers in the Golan Heights are in daily contact with Israeli representatives. And of course, the position [of UN headquarters] in New York remains the same – that what we are seeing is a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement.”
Diplomatic Opportunities
Pedersen outlined how the transition of power in Syria is taking place during a closed briefing to the UN Security Council late on Monday.
“When I briefed the Security Council yesterday, I received an appeal from the Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations in New York. And he appealed to me on behalf of the authorities in Damascus. So this mechanism continues to function,” the Special Envoy told reporters.
Pedersen stressed that much remains unclear about HTS and its motives, noting that “[Abu Mohammad al] Jolani mentioned in an interview with the American news network CNN that the possibility of disbanding HTS is being discussed.” According to the Special Envoy, the situation is still very fluid and there is a real chance for change, but “this opportunity must be seized by the Syrians themselves and supported by the UN and the international community.”
Terrorist List
A key potential stumbling block to international dialogue with HTS is that the Security Council considers it a terrorist group. The Council’s flagship resolution on Syria, Resolution 2254, adopted unanimously in December 2015, explicitly calls on member states to prevent and suppress terrorist acts committed by HTS’s predecessor, the Nusra Front.
The terrorist list could change, Pedersen suggested. “You have to look at the facts and understand what has happened over the last nine years. It’s been nine years since that resolution was passed, and the reality is that HTS and other armed groups are sending positive signals to the Syrian people; they are sending positive signals to the Syrian people; they are sending positive signals to the Syrian people.” “They are sending signals of unity, of inclusiveness and, frankly, in Aleppo and in Hama we have also seen, you know, encouraging developments on the ground,” the Special Envoy said.
Refugees Returning
Many Syrian refugees are preparing to return home. The UN Special Envoy underscored the collective wish of the foreign ministers he met in Doha over the weekend – from Turkey, Russia, Iran and many Arab states – for the new authorities in Damascus to deliver on their initial promises of a peaceful transition. He also noted the importance of the international community providing conditions for the implementation of this process.
The Special Envoy conveyed the words of a Syrian family, with whose members he spoke in Doha: “They told me: ‘We fled Hama 10 years ago, we really want to go back. We hope that this will be possible.’”