Jul 12, 2012
NEW YORK/GENEVA, (SANA) - Syria's Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari affirmed that the success of the plan of UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan depends on international commitment and an honest and impartial political will to implement the plan fully and stop the arming of funding of armed terrorist groups by some countries and sides.
In a press conference held on Wednesday following a Security Council closed session, al-Jaafari said that Annan's talks in Damascus were positive and constructive, with the Syrian side affirming its commitment to implementing the six-point plan and agreeing to a number of mechanism to reduce violence and restore security fully across Syria.
He pointed out that Annan's briefing during the session and the UN Secretary-General's report didn't indicate a need to escalate the situation politically nor did they refer to the UN Chapter VII or ending the observer mission; rather they both stressed the need to help the Syrian people and government by carrying out all six points of Annan's plan in full, not partially.
Al-Jaafari stressed the need for those who can influence sides in Syria to help Annan and the Syrian government to implement the plan, adding that without ceasing the funding and arming of armed groups, it would be very hard for the plan to succeed if only the Syrian government is committed to it.
He said that those who jumped immediately to adopting a resolution based on Chapter VII and called for sanctions aren't genuine and true supporters of Annan's plan, reiterating the Syrian government's commitment to ensuring the success of Annan's plan and that it warns against the efforts of some countries to derail it and sabotage it, which is very dangerous.
Al-Jaafari indicated that the UN Secretary-General's report said that the UN observer mission was greatly supported by Syria, and that the members of the workgroup on Syria pledged to each other and to Annan to apply equal pressure on all side to prevent further militarization.
"The situation has become more complex as there have been a series of bombings, some of which indicate the existence of a third part," he added.
"Since the beginning, we warned about the presence of armed terrorist groups in Syria, which was denied by some members of the Security Council and others outside it, but Ban Ki-moon himself admits that there's a third party fighting in Syria," al-Jaafari said, noting that Washington and London admitted to this, as well as Switzerland whose grenades which were exported to the UAE were used in Syria.
He stressed the need for those who have influence over amred group to desist from arming and funding them and instead support comprehensive dialogue among all Syrians under the leadership of the Syrians themselves.
Al-Jaafari said that the Security Council needs to extend the mission of the observer mission in Syria, which is a proper procedural step, noting that some countries are seeking to politicize it.
Regarding the Russian raft resolution which was submitted to the Council, al-Jaafari said that it is objective and deals with the Syrian issue in a procedural manner according to Security Council protocols, and that it deals with the extension of the observer mission based on the report of Ki-moon and Annan's position, not based on the narrow interests of specific countries.
He said that it's natural for delegations to disagree, but it's necessary to maintain integrity and help Annan implement his plan rather than derail it through loopholes to serve agendas that don't benefit the Syrians.
Al-Jaafari pointed out that Syria sent to the Security Council and international organizations 141 documented letters confirming the presence of terrorists from some Arab countries including Libya, Tunisia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and others, and that these terrorists committed crimes and terrorist acts in Syria, calling on the Security Council to deal with this issue at the source and assume responsibility as part of its efforts in combating terrorism.
He said that a part of the Syrian crisis is internal and UN resolutions insist that the solution must be by Syrians, noting that if this matter was dealt with by Syrians from the beginning then the crisis would have been over a long time ago, adding that the west acknowledges the presence of Al Qaeda in Syria, and thus there's also a terrorism aspect of the crisis controlled by elements from outside Syria and this aspect has nothing to do with Syrians or the Syrian government.
Al-Jaafari affirmed that the majority of Syrians are against corruption with the exception of only a smalls section of Syrians who should be made accountable, stressing that political opposition must never push a country towards group suicide and destroying all the social gains made since independence.
He stressed that the opposition must be nationalistic and responsible, which is necessary, legitimate and required for building Syria's future, as long as its motives are honest and against foreign interference, bloodshed and sabotage.
Al-Jaafari said that all Syrians are involved in rebuilding Syrian on correct reformative basis that meet the people's needs and the reforms that began a year ago, adding "However, we must move as politicians, not as terrorists."
He affirmed that the issue of power is an internal issue that is up to the Syrian people alone, which applies to any member of the UN and is the basis of relations in the world, stressing that the UN charter confirms the sanctity of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity, adding that any interference in others' internal affairs breaches this charter.
Al-Jaafari said that the work of the observer mission's leader, Gen. Mood, was somewhat positive, affirming that Mood is a professional who carries out his duties properly and has the trust of many people in Syria and outside it, noting that Syria has no objections on how he conducts his work.
"I don't want to praise him more than that because he may find himself removed from heading the observer mission as a result of that," he added.
In response to the German representative's statements who thanked Mood for his work, al-Jaafari said that he wished that Germany would be positive with the efforts to cease violence, as Germany has adopted contradictory approaches towards the region, noting that Germany cannot help Syria reach a peaceful solution by encouraging escalation through providing Israel with six submarines capable of launching nuclear weapons.
Pankin: Russian Draft Resolution Focuses on Supporting Annan's Plan
In a similar press conference, Russia's Deputy Representative to the UN Alexander Pankin said that the Russiand raft resolution submitted to the UN on extending the observer mission focuses on supporting Annan's efforts and six-point plan and the statement of the Geneva meeting of the workgroup on Syria, adding that it doesn't include any steps involving Chapter VII nor any sanctions.
Pankin said that both the six-point plan and the Geneva statement require pressure on all sides in Syria and all foreign players for them to be applicable, stressing the need for agreement in the Security Council on helping Annan, which can't be done through Chapter VII which isn't effective in most cases, stressing that without political will by all sides and faith in the process, then the unilateral steps against the Syrian government will not be useful.
He noted that some described the Russian draft resolution as insufficient because they want it to include Chapter VII, saying that the Security Council's resolution must be applied and political pressure must be used equally on all sides, adding that unfortunately, there are sides constituting the third party in the crisis who are unreachable.
Pankin said that the work of the observer mission in Syria was positive and helped towards achieving stability, but the circumstances changed in May which led to suspending its primary operations.
He pointed out that the mission isn't used to apply pressure, and that it was established and deployed on the basis that the circumstances will be suitable and that Annan's plan will be carried out, with their duty being supervising, monitoring and reporting.
Pankin said that minimizing or withdrawing ht emission would send a wrong mission, explaining that it doesn't mean that there's no believe in ceasing violence, peace, political dialogue and diplomacy for resolving the crisis.
He went on to note that Russia's meetings with Syrian opposition groups weren't easy yet were constructive and showed differing opinions, with most of the opposition showing that they're not ready for dialogue and will continue fighting, which isn't encouraging.
Pankin said that the meetings with the opposition aimed to move things forward and learn about their goals and purposes, adding that one cannot talk about a unified opposition as most opposition figures confessed to having no influence on many of the actual combatants.
He stressed that those who commit murder in Syria mustn't be affiliated with civilized political opposition and should be dealt with separately, explaining that fighting won't cease with dialogue and a political process because those who are fighting don't listen to those who negotiate.
Pankin said that weapons are being sent to armed groups include countries along with terrorist organizations and individual combatants who fight for their own causes and aren't part of any political group, adding that this causes the situation to resemble a mosaic that must be dealt with.
He stressed that the only way to realize the Geneva agreement is by exercising constant pressure on all sides, including those involved in the crisis and those who support them by providing financial, human and material resources, including combatants who are flocking to Syria in great numbers from the Middle East and elsewhere.
On the sending of Russian ships to Syria, Pankin said that many countries have ships and fleets in the area, and that Russian ships were sent to Tartous for refueling and doesn't have a military dimension nor is it a show of power of presence, adding that Russia's contracts with Syria are for providing defensive systems only, not weapons that can be used against protestors.
He said that discussions during the Council's session involved the arming of the opposition, pointing out that the more weapons flow into the area, the more the crisis will escalate, adding that there are many weapons being used to target government forces and civilians, including small arms, grenades and handheld weaponry which are more dangerous and come via land from neighboring countries that aren't ashamed to admit it; rather they vaunt it, stressing that this should stop and that there should be means to guarantee closing the borders and stopping the flow of weapons.
Pankin concluded by calling for brining all the influential foreign sides to the table regardless of their viewpoints, including Iran, noting that Russia called for brining all influential players while preparing for the Geneva meeting, including the countries neighboring Syria such as Iran, adding that ignoring these countries is unwise.
Later, Pankin said in statements to Russian journalists that Russia will not support any Security Council resolution on imposing sanctions on Syria, saying that this is based on the fact that sanctions will not achieve results, adding that China also opposes imposing sanctions on Syria.
He said that the west didn't exclude imposing sanctions on the Syrian opposition, but he pointed out that it's difficult to imagine how such sanctions can be imposed on individual opposition groups.
Pankin said that the Syrian government gave a sign that inspires trust when it shoed readiness for taking an initiative to stop armed conflicts in the more sensitive areas, adding that the government is generally prepared to join various operations related to implementing Annan's plan.
He also added that Annan will visit Moscow next week to hold talks with Russian officials.
Annan: My Talks in Syria Covered Means to Implement Six-Point Plan and Taking Steps to End Violence
UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan said that the Security Council discussed during a closed session on Wednesday the crisis in Syria and the steps to be taken in the future, and that he briefed the Council on the results of his recent visit to the region and outcomes of the work group which convened recently in Geneva.
In a press conference after addressing the Security Council, Annan said that the talks he held in Syria covered the implantation of the six-point plan approved by the Council, and that there were no discussions about "three months."
He said that talks also discussed steps that should be taken in areas witnessing extreme violence into which no humanitarian aid can be sent nor can trapped people leave them, and that the discussions covered steps to affect a ceasefire in these areas with the help of observers, adding that this doesn't absolve any side of their duty towards the ceasefire according to the plan, regardless of the area in question.
Annan said that the members of the workgroup on Syria pledged to maintain constant pressure on all sides of the crisis to implement the Security Council decisions then take steps to end violence in order to launch political dialogue.
He said that Iran and Iraq voiced support for the six-point plan and the idea of a political transition that allows Syrians to decide upon their future, and that the two countries will use their influence to move forward in this direction.
Regarding the future of the UN observer mission in Syria, Annan said this matter is up to the Security Council, explaining that there's a Russian draft resolution in addition to another draft which will be presented by three members according to the British representative, adding that there's also the report of the UN Secretary-General which outlines options about what should be done in the future.
He said that so far, he has not witnessed success in ending violence and he told all governments that and asked them to work together to pressure all sides to support the plan in order to ensure the success of all sides' mutual goal.
Annan said that the Security Council's voice would be stronger if it were united rather than divided, and that the region's government's all voiced mutual interests, adding "we all want to protect the Syrian people, see an end to violence and not have the conflict go out of control or spread in the region."
He said that this calls for working to achieve mutual interests rather than moving in different directions which would make everyone a loser and end up making the Syrians the biggest victims.
On his talks with President al-Assad on appointing a negotiator to talk with the opposition, Annan said that this issue was broached and President al-Assad proposed a name, and that he would like to know more information about the person in question.
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2012
