Claudio Cordone (Deputy Special Envoy for Syria…

Mr. President (Ambassador Fu Cong, China)
Since I briefed the Council from Damascus three weeks ago, we have seen progresstowards accountability and sustained international and regional engagement, whileunresolved tensions, economic hardship, and repeated violations of Syria'ssovereignty persist.
Let me start by highlighting developments of critical importance in the fight againstimpunity. On 10 May, Atef Najib appeared in court on trial for crimes committed atthe outset of the revolution in Daraa in 2011. Bashar al-Assad, Maher al-Assad andothers are being tried in absentia in the same case. The charges include the violentrepression of peaceful demonstrations, arbitrary detention, torture, including ofchildren, and killings in custody. The indictment invokes both Syrian andinternational law, as incorporated into the Syrian legal system by the ConstitutionalDeclaration. It is a commendable effort to situate accountability within a broader legalframework which reflects Syria's international human rights commitments.3. In other highly symbolic developments, on 24 April, Amjad Yusef, a principal suspectin the 2013 Tadamon massacre, was arrested. And on 29 April, former Major GeneralAdnan Abboud Hilweh was arrested in connection with the 2013 Eastern Ghoutachemical attack.
Let me pause here and express my deep solidarity with all the victims and survivorsof the atrocities committed during the conflict in Syria. I pay tribute to their suffering,patience and dignified pursuit of justice. It may not have seemed possible thatperpetrators would one day appear before a court of law. Yet we are now seeing thatjustice, however delayed, can begin to be realized.
Mr. President,How Syria addresses these crimes will serve as a key test of the country'scommitment to justice and the rule of law. Ensuring due process will be essential tobuilding public trust, holding individual perpetrators to account, not their community.Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and any confessions should bedelivered in court. We support efforts to ensure that all judicial proceedings areconducted in line with fair trial standards, including the fundamental right to legalrepresentation. We also trust that these proceedings can disclose the full truthsurrounding the crimes – one of the central demands of survivors.
More broadly, these developments underline the importance of an overall strategy ontransitional justice. I welcome the work of the National Commission on Transitional Justice to prepare a draft law for a comprehensive Syrian-led and Syrian-ownedprocess including truth-seeking, reparations and institutional reform, as well asaccountability. And I commend the report, Pathways to Criminal Accountability inSyria, released this week by 27 Syrian civil society organisations. It offers practicaloptions and solutions, situating criminal justice within a broader transitional justiceframework, drawing on comparative experiences, and highlighting support that theinternational community can provide.confi
Mr. President,The Supreme Committee for Elections announced on 6 May the appointment ofelectoral sub-committees for the three districts in Hasakeh governorate and for Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane, where indirect elections for eleven seats have yet to takeplace. We are awaiting the announcement of the voting date. We understand that theannouncement of the 70 presidential appointees and the convening of the first sessionof the People's Assembly will follow thereafter. The political transition clearly needsa legislature that begins functioning without delay, with the meaningful participationof Syria's women and diverse communities.
Meanwhile, President al-Sharaa recently announced ministerial changes in theinformation and agriculture portfolios, a new Secretary-General of the Presidency,and changes of several governors. Responsive governance remains a work-in-progress, and wider inclusion is essential to ensuring legitimacy and stability.
Mr. President,In the northeast, implementation of the 29 January agreement gained momentum withrepeated visits of SDF representatives to Damascus for discussions with theGovernment on advancing military and institutional integration. It is ourunderstanding that four brigades will be integrated into the national army structure,while discussions continue on the integration of additional SDF forces, including thefemale military unit, as well as on broader civilian integration and the educationcurriculum. In Hasakeh, a preliminary roadmap has been agreed to implement the 29January agreement at the local level. We look forward to accelerated progress,including on the release of prisoners.
I welcome the continuation of organized returns to Afrin – including the return thismonth from Hasakeh and Qamishli of 1,200 displaced. This is a positive step towardsaddressing protracted displacement and unresolved property issues.
Mr. President,Sweida faces persistent political and security instability, with weekly demonstrationsover demands for the release of detainees, the return of displaced persons, and greaterlocal autonomy. Rivalries among Druze factions inside Sweida continue. Whilearound 20,000 displaced persons have returned, more than 150,000 remain displaced.Efforts are ongoing to address key rehabilitation and educational challenges.
The future of nearly 13,000 students remains uncertain due to disagreements betweenlocal and central authorities over the logistical and security arrangements foradministering their exams. Resolving this issue in line with students' interests wouldcontribute to restoring trust and stability, together with inclusive dialogue andconcrete steps on accountability, rehabilitation, the provision of services, and security,in full respect of Syria's unity and territorial integrity.
Mr. President,We remain deeply concerned by ongoing presence and military activities of the IsraelDefense Forces east of the ceasefire line, in violation of the 1974 Disengagement ofForces Agreement. Israeli incursions, shelling and other military operations werereported in Quneitra and Daraa, as well as restrictions on movement, includingtemporary checkpoints, and the questioning and detention of civilians. These actionsviolate Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, threaten Syria's stability and harmcivilians. I reiterate our call on Israel to cease violations and adhere to the 1974agreement. I also call on Israel to clarify the fate of detained Syrians and release allthose held in breach of international law.
In the face of this and other challenges, Syria continued its efforts to insulate itselffrom regional conflicts. The Syrian authorities have reiterated that Syrian territoryshould not be used to widen conflict and continued to take effective security measuresaccordingly.
The authorities also announced the dismantling of an international drug smugglingnetwork, seizing around one million Captagon pills and manufacturing facilities. Wewelcome cooperation with Jordan including on training Syrian police personnel.Meanwhile, the Jordanian military carried out strikes on 2 and 3 May against sitesnear the border and in Sweida, which it said were used for cross-border drug andweapons trafficking.
Mr. President,There was a worrying incident in Idlib involving Uzbek militants who reportedlysurrounded a security facility after one of their members was arrested on 2 May. Theinitial standoff ended after negotiations involving officials from Damascus, but thentensions escalated into sporadic clashes and security raids targeting Uzbek fightersacross rural Idlib. The incident highlights challenges posed by the presence of foreignfighters as well as the potential for local incidents to escalate.
And terrorism has struck again. On 1 May, Daesh claimed responsibility for an attackthat killed a Shiite cleric in the Sayyida Zeinab district of Damascus. The fightagainst terrorism continues, and I note the continued counter-terrorism efforts of theSyrian forces, including as part of the Global Coalition Against Daesh.I also wish to report here that the challenges of hate speech continue, and that we havebegun engaging with the Government and others on possible approaches on this issue.
Mr. President,I was pleased to meet recently with a group of Syrian women from Idlib working ondevelopment. They emphasized that women's meaningful participation in public lifeis necessary for strengthening social cohesion and supporting Syria's recovery. Theyexpressed support for special measures aimed at enhancing women's representation,welcomed the government's efforts to strengthen women's leadership capacities, andexpressed hope for a national framework to support women's empowerment.
I also valued the opportunity to brief on 30 April the Council's Informal Expert Groupon Women, Peace and Security, where members emphasized the importance ofwomen's economic empowerment and meaningful participation in legislative andtransitional justice frameworks. Members also called for action to support measuresby the government to prosecute perpetrators of violence against women and girls.
Mr. President,Economic hardship has fueled protests and criticism in many parts of the country.Syrians continue to face high prices, reduced purchasing power, significant increasein the cost of electricity and uneven access to basic services, while ongoing regionaltensions further disrupt trade flows and energy supplies.
Humanitarian needs remain severe and the response is underfunded, as USG Fletcherwill brief you. Food insecurity persists, explosive ordnance continues to kill andinjure, and degraded services make returns fragile.
As I told Ministers in my last visit, we support the efforts of the Government to attractinvestment and nurture opportunities for business. Confidence in Syria's prospects forrecovery and reconstruction remains constrained by remaining sanctions and the long-term economic and institutional legacy of former sanctions. It is important to urgentlyovercome such hindrances to investment and financial flows.
Earlier this week, together with UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and otherUN colleagues, I attended the Syria Partnership Coordination Forum in Brussels,hosted by the European Commission and the Syrian Government. Participantsexpressed a shared desire to contribute actively to sustained coordinated internationalengagement in support of Syria's priorities for economic recovery. The UnitedNations is ready to play its part in these efforts.
To conclude Mr. President,I return to Damascus next week to advance discussions on the transition and myOffice's role in supporting it. I hope to reach soon an understanding with theGovernment on broad areas for cooperation, building on proposals made in Marchand valuable discussions since, as well as on the relocation of our Geneva-based staffto Damascus. We are keen to move forward expeditiously and constructively insupport of Syria, in line with this Council's expectations and Syria's nationalpriorities.Thank you.