The United States circulated late Thursday a draft resolution that would have the UN Security Council "authorize an advance element of up to 30 unarmed military observers to liaise with the parties in Syria and to begin to report on the implementation of a cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties."
The draft, quoted hereunder in its present form, is unlikely to be adopted (maybe later today) without amendments:
"The Security Council,
Recalling its Presidential Statements of 3 August 2011, 21 March 2012 and 5 April 2012 and its Press Statement of 1 March 2012,
Recalling as well General Assembly resolutions A/RES/66/253 of 16 February 2012 and A/RES/66/176 of 19 December 2011, as well as Human Rights Council resolutions S/16-1, S/17-1, S/18-1, 19/1, and 19/22,
Expressing its gravest concern at the crisis in Syria which has resulted in a serious human rights crisis and a deplorable humanitarian situation, and expressing its profound regret at the death of many thousands of people in Syria,
Condemning the widespread, systematic, and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities, and recalling that those responsible for human rights violations shall be held accountable,
Noting the Syrian government’s commitment on 25 March 2012 to implement the six-point proposal of the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, and to implement urgently and visibly its commitments, as it agreed to do in its communication to the Envoy of 1 April, to (a) cease troop movements towards population centers, (b) cease all use of heavy weapons in such centers, and (c) begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centers, and to implement these in their entirety by no later than 10 April 2012,
Noting the assessment by the Envoy that on 12 April 2012 the Syrian government had started partially to implement its commitments as outlined in (a), (b), and (c) above, as stated in the Syrian government’s letter of 11 April 2012, and echoing the Envoy’s call for an immediate, full, and indisputable implementation by the Syrian government of its commitments in their entirety, as set forth in its Presidential Statement of 5 April 2012, so as to enable a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties,
Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, and to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter,
1. Reaffirms its full support for all elements of the Envoy’s six-point proposal aimed at bringing an immediate end to all violence and human rights violations, securing humanitarian access and facilitating a Syrian-led political transition leading to a democratic, plural political system, in which citizens are equal regardless of their affiliations, ethnicities or beliefs, including through commencing a comprehensive political dialogue between the Syrian government and the whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition, stresses in particular the Syrian government’s responsibility to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists and to respect the right of the Syrian people to demonstrate peacefully as legally guaranteed and to freedom of association and reiterates its call for the urgent, comprehensive, and immediate implementation of all aspects of the Envoy’s six-point proposal;
2. Demands the Syrian government implement visibly its commitments in their entirety, as it agreed to do in its communication to the Envoy of 1 April, to (a) cease troop movements towards population centers, (b) cease all use of heavy weapons in such centers, and (c) begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centers, and demands further that the Syrian government withdraw its troops and heavy weapons from population centers to their barracks;
3. Calls upon all parties in Syria immediately to cease all armed violence in all its forms and to cease all arbitrary detentions, abductions, and torture;
4. Expresses its intent, provided a cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties exists, to establish immediately a United Nations supervision mission in Syria to monitor such a cessation of violence and to support the full implementation of the Envoy’s six-point proposal, on the basis of a formal proposal from the Secretary-General, which the Security Council requests to receive by 13 April 2012;
5. Demands that the Syrian government (a) facilitate the deployment of the number of unarmed military observers, civilian personnel, and the capabilities that the Secretary-General assesses are required to credibly and effectively implement the parties’ compliance with the cessation of violence and other relevant provisions of the Envoy’s six-point proposal, (b) ensure full and unimpeded freedom of movement throughout Syria for all mission personnel, including access, without prior notice, to any place or establishment that the mission deems necessary to carry out its mandate, (c) guarantee the safety of the mission and other United Nations personnel without prejudice to the freedom of movement and access, (d) guarantee the mission’s ability to interview, freely or in private, any individual in any region of Syria, and to receive communications from any individual, group of individuals or body in Syria, as well as the unobstructed communications both within the mission and between the mission and United Nations headquarters and (e) grant immediate access to its territory to all mission personnel and equipment;
6. Decides to authorize an advance element of up to 30 unarmed military observers to liaise with the parties and to begin to report on the implementation of a cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties, and demands that the Syrian government ensure the advance element is able to carry out its functions according to the terms set forth in paragraph 5;
7. Requests the Secretary-General to report immediately to the Security Council any obstructions to the effective operation of the mission, by any party, in connection with the provisions in paragraph 5 above, on the basis that such obstructions would impede the mission’s ability to implement its mandate effectively and could give rise to its withdrawal;
8. Reiterates its call for the Syrian authorities to allow immediate, full and unimpeded access of humanitarian personnel to all populations in need of assistance, in accordance with international law and guiding principles of humanitarian assistance and calls upon all parties in Syria, in particular the Syrian authorities, to cooperate fully with the United Nations and relevant humanitarian organizations to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance;
9. Expresses its determination, in the event that the Syrian government does not implement its commitments to consider further measures as appropriate;
10. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council on the implementation of this resolution on [xxApril];
11. Decides to remain seized of the matter."
