Golan Heights (archive). Syria: UN to continue humanitarian and peacekeeping operations Peace and Security
In an exclusive interview with the UN News Service, UN Resident Coordinator in Syria Adam Abdelmoula spoke about how many Syrians are marking the first Friday – a special day of the week for Muslims – since the fall of the Assad regime. At the same time, he said, fighting continues in some parts of the country.
Abdelmula reported that UN structures are interacting with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – the de facto dominant force in Syria – in providing humanitarian aid to the population. Despite the fact that the group is officially considered terrorist by the UN Security Council, the rules allow such cooperation in the interests of civilians.
“When it comes to our humanitarian work, we follow the core humanitarian principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality, and we always and everywhere in the world engage with any actor that controls territory when there are people in need of our assistance. And Syria should be no exception,” he said.
Syrian refugees
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partners provide life-saving assistance to Syrians wherever conditions allow such operations. This was stated by UNHCR representative in Syria Gonzalo Vargas Llosa at a press briefing in Geneva today.
Thousands of Syrians, according to him, have begun to return from Lebanon, while others, on the contrary, are leaving the country. Refugees are also returning to northwest Syria from Turkey.
One of the main problems, according to the UNHCR representative, is that there are no functioning immigration authorities in Syria, since the officials who worked there under the previous regime have left their posts, and the new transitional government has not yet introduced the necessary procedures in such cases.
In October, UNHCR and partners requested $324 million for humanitarian operations through March next year, but so far only $88 million has been disbursed.
Transition
Jennifer Fenton of the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria, for her part, said the Office was closely monitoring developments and continued to engage daily with a wide range of Syrian civil society actors both inside and outside the country. Special Envoy Geir Pedersen travels to Jordan on Friday for high-level engagements, including meetings with Arab foreign ministers and other senior officials, as well as the Turkish Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State.
Read also:
UN chief concerned about violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity
Despite some progress, the situation remains fragile, Fenton said. She called for de-escalation, including an end to military action in northeastern Syria and Israeli strikes. It is essential that public services function and that robust and inclusive transitional arrangements are established in Damascus, the UN spokeswoman said.
Golan Heights
The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) today expressed concern about the current security situation in the Golan Heights. UNDOF personnel remain in their positions in the area of disengagement.
Since 7 December, UNDOF has observed a significant increase in Israel Defense Forces (IDF) movements. The UN mission confirmed that as of December 13, the IDF remains in several areas of the disengagement zone.
UNDOF informed the Israeli military that these actions constitute a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. Peacekeepers urge all parties to abide by their obligations, cease all military actions in the disengagement area and comply with the terms of the Agreement in order to maintain stability in the Golan Heights.