“Such an escalation could be catastrophic.”
He called for “broad support” for Syria and an end to sanctions to allow for reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.
“Concrete movement on an inclusive political transition will be key in ensuring Syria receives the economic support it needs,” Pedersen said.
“There is a clear international willingness to engage. The needs are immense and could only be addressed with broad support, including a smooth end to sanctions, appropriate action on designations, too, and full reconstruction,” Pedersen added.
Western countries are wrestling with their approach to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the takeover of Damascus, and has roots in the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda.
It has largely been designated in the West as a “terrorist” group, despite moderating its rhetoric in recent years.
The UN’s new humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned that the seismic changes on the battlefield in Syria had done nothing to alleviate the dire situation facing the country’s people.
“Nearly 13 million people were facing acute food insecurity. The recent escalation has only added to these needs. More than a million people were displaced in less than two weeks,” he told the Security Council.
Fletcher also confirmed he had met Syria’s new rulers and was “pleased to report that they have committed to what will be an ambitious scaling up of vital humanitarian support”.
He also raised the alarm over the intensifying violence in the country’s northeast, warning of “its potential humanitarian fallout” and saying it was a “case for concern and warrants urgent attention and efforts for de-escalation”.
Pedersen noted that Israel had conducted more than 350 strikes on Syria following the departure of the former regime, including a major strike on Tartous.
“Such attacks place a battered civilian population at further risk and undermine the prospects of an orderly political transition,” he said.
The United States ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield welcomed Assad’s overthrow, but warned against the re-emergence of Isis (Islamic State).
“This is a historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better life after more than a decade of conflict and corruption. Their needs are extensive, and the US is committed to mobilising global support,” she said.
“There is a strong international consensus that Syria must not be used as base for terrorists such as Isis, [which] requires securing detention facilities and displaced persons camps in northeast Syria,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
The envoy warned against plans announced by Israel’s Cabinet to expand settlements inside the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967 and annexed in 1981.
Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security briefing atop a strategic Syrian peak inside the UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights that Israel seized this month.
“Israel must cease all settlement activity in the occupied Syrian Golan, which are illegal. Attacks on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must stop,” said Pedersen.
- Agence France-Presse
