Thursday 2 February 2012

UN Session on Syria: Assad to Hand Over Power to Deputy

Local Editor

The UN Security Council held a meeting Tuesday night for discussing the Syrian crisis and a Western-Arab resolution draft that demands Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to hand over power to his deputy.
Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassem Al-Thani considered in a statement in the opening of the session that the Syrian government did not correspond with major terms of the observers' protocol, saying that “the Syrian government did not make any sincere efforts to cooperate with us. Its only solution was to kill its own people.”

From here, Al-Thani called upon the International community to impose economic pressure on Syria.

In parallel, the Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arab urged the Security Council to take quick and decisive measures, indicating that the priority was for a cease-fire between all parts, and for supporting an Arab work plan to reach a peaceful solution for the crisis.

Al-Arabi stressed that the Arab League was concerned to reach an Arab solution without any foreign military intervention, adding: “don’t abandon the Syrian people. What is required is to issue a clear decision that supports the Arab efforts.”

For his part, the Syrian Permanent Representative to the UN Bashar Al-Ja’afari responded to the Arab League statements by reminding of the Syrian people’s support to the Gulf States during the 1960s in their struggle against the British colonialism.

He said that “Syrian nationalism rejects foreign intervention and emphasizes that Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and unity of land are a red line. It also assured that it stands one row against incitements, division and violence.”

Al-Ja’afari further called for dialogue stating that “we as Syrians have ahead of us the opportunity to have true national dialogue and speed up reforms with the aim of establishing real national partnership that preserves the security of the homeland and citizens. This is the only way to come out of this crisis and fulfill the legitimate demands of the Syrian people without compromising our homeland."
“The coming generations will hold accountable all those who missed this opportunity,” he added.

Moreover, the Syrian representative to the UN assured that “Syria rejects any decision outside the Arab work plan which it previously approved, and considers that the Arab League’s latest decision is a violation to its national sovereignty, a clear intervention in its internal affairs, and a breach to section eight in the Arab League charter.”

Al-Ja’afari pointed out that Syria signed the protocol to commit to an Arab solution. He warned that the country will firmly confront its enemies, accusing the Arab League of meeting with foreign plots that aim at destroying Syria.
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said that if the Security Council did not take action to solve the crisis in Syria, it would lose its credibility, indicating that “despite his (Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad) merciless policies, the Syrian people will be able to determine their destiny.”

Similarly, the French and British foreign ministers expressed their support to the decision, while the Russian representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin stressed that “the solution does not come from outside Syria” adding that “we are certain that the International Community should not inflame the crisis through sanctions and military intervention.”

The Chinese representative also said that “we believe that Syria and its people could solve the crisis,” indicating that sanctions were not the solution.

The UN decision on Syria included an instant stop of violence and demanded President Al-Assad to delegate his full authority to his deputy and then to form a national unity government leading to transparent and free elections under Arab and international supervision.
The decision stated that there will be no military intervention in Syria.

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