Guterres urges responsible actions over Syria situation

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‍UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all states on Friday to "act responsibly in these dangerous circumstances" in Syria as increasing tension could lead to a “full-blown military escalation.”

"Increasing tensions and the inability to reach a compromise in the establishment of an accountability mechanism threaten to lead to a full-blown military escalation," Guterres said at a UN Security Council meeting in New York, which was called by Russia.

Russia, which has stonewalled diplomatic efforts at the UN Security Council, has vehemently denied a chemical attack took place and accused the West of seeking an excuse for military action.

According to a BBC report, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had "irrefutable evidence" that the attack was staged as part of a "Russophobic campaign" led by one country, which he did not name.

Smoke rises after the Syrian army's shelling targeted the Douma district in Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, Syria, on April 7, 2018. /Xinhua Photo

He also warned that Western intervention in Syria would "lead to new waves of migrants to Europe."

'Outrageous'

"In my contacts with you – especially with the permanent members of the Security Council – I have been reiterating my deep concerns about the risks of the current impasse and stressed the need to avoid the situation spiraling out of control. This is exactly the risk we face today – that things spiral out of control," said the UN chief. "It is our common duty to stop it."

He said Syria represents the most serious threat to international peace and security today.

"In Syria, we see confrontations and proxy wars involving several national armies, a number of armed opposition groups, many national and international militia, foreign fighters from everywhere in the world, and various terrorist organizations," he told the Security Council, which was convening at the request of Russia.

"From the beginning, we have witnessed systematic violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international law tout court – in utter disregard of the letter and spirit of the United Nations Charter."

He noted that Security Council Resolution 2401 that demands a cease-fire across Syria to allow humanitarian assistance was not implemented.

Members of the United Nations Security Council attend a meeting on Syria at the UN headquarters in New York, US, April 13, 2018. /Reuters Photo

The continued reports of chemical weapons use in Syria are outrageous, he said. He deplored the fact that the Security Council could not reach an agreement on a dedicated mechanism for attributing accountability.

"I reiterate my strong condemnation of the use of chemical weapons by any party to the conflict and under any circumstances. Their use is abhorrent and a clear violation of international law."

Thorough, impartial investigation

The seriousness of the recent allegations of a chemical attack in Douma, Syria, requires a thorough investigation using impartial, independent and professional expertise, he said.

Guterres reaffirmed his full support for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and its Fact-Finding Mission in undertaking the required investigation into these allegations.

The OPCW mission should be granted full access, without any restrictions or impediments to perform its activities, he said.

The first team of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission is already in Syria. A second is expected to arrive on Friday or Saturday.

Guterres urged the Security Council, which failed to adopt a resolution on Tuesday on a new investigative mechanism for chemical weapons use in Syria, not to give up on its efforts to agree upon a "dedicated, impartial, objective and independent mechanism" for attributing responsibility.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during the UN Security Council meeting on Syria at the UN headquarters in New York, US, April 13, 2018. /Reuters Photo

He stressed that there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict. "The solution must be political through the Geneva intra-Syrian talks."

With regard to the wider Middle Eastern region, Guterres said the situation is in chaos, to such an extent it has become a threat to international peace and security.

"The region is facing a true Gordian knot: Different fault lines crossing each other and creating a highly volatile situation with risks of escalation, fragmentation and division as far as the eye can see with profound regional and global ramifications."

"The Cold War is back – with a vengeance, but with a difference. The mechanisms and the safeguards to manage the risks of escalation that existed in the past no longer seem to be present," he warned.

He highlighted the Palestinian-Israeli divide, the Sunni-Shiite divide, which is evident from the Gulf to the Mediterranean. "It is important to note that apparent religious divides are normally the result of political or geo-strategic manipulations."

He also noted the involvement of a wide range of different factors – from opposing attitudes in relation to the role of the Muslim Brotherhood or the status of the Kurds, to the dramatic threats to communities that have been living in the region for millennia and are part of the rich diversity of Middle Eastern societies.

"This multiplicity of divides is reflected in a multiplicity of conflicts with different degrees of interconnection, several of them clearly linked to the threat of global terrorism," he said.

(With input from AFP, Xinhua)

(Head image file photo)

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