The HIM This Wednesday he urged caution in Syria to avoid “mistakes” that could derail the political transition in that country and denounced the risks associated with Israel’s “attacks” against the country’s territorial integrity. He UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersenapplauded this Wednesday in the Security Council the decision of the new authorities in Damascus to “not rush” the transition in the country, after the new strongman, Ahmed al Sharaa, has proposed a transitional process “of two to three years” and the holding of elections within four years. “Decisions made today will determine the long-term future. There are real opportunities and dangers,” Geir Pedersen told the meeting.
Criticism of Israel
Pedersen stressed his “deep concern” about the activities of the Israeli army in the Golan Heights area of southwestern Syria, particularly in the area occupied by Israel in the 1967 war and annexed in 1981. “The attacks against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria must stop,” he urged. “These types of violations, as well as Israeli aerial bombardments in other parts of Syria – as reported last week in Aleppo – could jeopardize the chances of a peaceful political transition,” he warned.
Pedersen advised that a national dialogue conference, which was initially announced for this January, “should not be rushed and should be well prepared (…) in terms of criteria for attendance and balance in representation.” The envoy, who generally praised the work of the interim authorities, said, however, that the Al Sharaa government is making decisions “that many Syrians believe should be left for a more inclusive transitional phase,” such as those regarding the character of the state. , education and security. Likewise, he noted that decisions about the calendar and timing of this transitional phase are made “amid concerns over a lack of transparency.”
Do not copy the Iraq model
Amid continued calls for the inclusivity of the present and future government, Pedersen advised Syrians to move away from “quotas based on ethnicity or creed or importing models from other countries,” alluding to the models of two neighboring nations, Lebanon and Iraq. Another aspect that raises concern – Pedersen said – is related to the planned absorption of the different armed groups that participated in the revolt in a new Ministry of Defense “whose application is unclear”, since it includes Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS, the Al Sharaa group with original links to Al Qaeda) “and would include fighters from foreign countries.”
Promises of the new Government
A coalition led by the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized power in the country on December 8 in a lightning offensive. Faced with the challenge of unifying the country, fragmented after more than ten years of war, Ahmed al Sharaa has committed to dissolving the armed factions, including the HTS. He also committed to calling elections within a period of four years, as well as a national dialogue, in which the different political groups and Syrian society are represented.
Debate at the UN
In the debate that followed Pedersen’s presentation, Council members showed their support for the Syrian authorities and agreed to call for inclusivity – the most repeated word – in the transition process, as well as calls to avoid temptations of external interference.
The representative of the United States, Dorothy Shea, said that Syria “should not be used as a platform to extend the interests of other countries at the expense of the Syrian people,” an allusion that could be understood as directed at Turkey, although this country – a close ally of the United States – was not mentioned.
The representative of China, Fu Cong, criticized for his part that the new Syrian authorities “have given high military ranks to foreign terrorists, including the leader of the Turkestan Islamic Party, which gives rise to great concern in China.” The Chinese representative’s allusion is not coincidental, since his country is also home to a Turkmen Islamic minority, the Uyghurs, considered among the most repressed ethnic groups in the country.
