 |
| By renowned Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat |
International envoy Kofi Annan says Syrian
troops appear to be intensifying mass arrests and torture in rebellious
communities.
Diplomats say Annan made the comments on
Tuesday in a closed briefing to the UN Security Council via videoconference
from Geneva.
One diplomat said Annan
did not sound optimistic.
"I won't call him optimistic," the
diplomat said of Annan's briefing behind closed-doors.
He quoted Annan as
saying his six-point peace plan is not an "open-ended" commitment and
it is "possibly the last chance" to avoid a civil war.
He also quoted Annan as
saying violence must stop and a credible political process must start, "not
like yesterday's elections."
According to other
diplomats, Annan said the onus remains on the Damascus government to create a situation
in which all Syrians will reject further militarization of the conflict.
He
said, "Limited progress has been achieved on military operations, but much
more remains to be done."
He said unacceptable
levels of violence and abuses are continuing, and government troops continue to
be present in and around cities and towns but in some smaller formations.
He said
the presence of UN observers and interventions in specific instances appear to
have had a calming effect, adding that there have been fewer large-scale
operations by the government.
Annan said a drop in
military operations is not meaningful if replaced by other forms of violence
after a year of serious abuses, noting there have been extensive human rights
violations and denial of the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.
He was particularly
concerned by reports human rights violations are continuing and perhaps
increasing.
On the release of
prisoners, part of his six-point plan, Annan said he had expected much faster
progress and a much higher number of releases.
On the humanitarian
situation, he said one million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance
and insufficient progress has been made on humanitarian access.
He strongly urged the
government to accept conditions for the scaling up of humanitarian assistance
without delay, noting that while steps have been taken, the government has
clearly not responded to people’s needs.
TRANSCRIPT
Annan later told reporters the United Nations
couldn’t allow Syria to descend into civil war. He said since a shaky
cease-fire went into effect last month, Syrian forces have reduced their
bombardment of rebels and opposition strongholds. But he added that Syrian
security forces continue to operate in and around centers of the 14-month
opposition uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
The
transcript of his press conference:
Annan: Good evening
ladies and gentlemen,
I have just finished
briefing the Security Council on the situation in Syria and I was able to tell
them how proud I am of the colleagues on the ground – unarmed observers and
civilian experts – who have shown incredible courage in the work they have been
sent down to do.
And I also expressed my
appreciation for the Member States who have offered observers for the mission
and also helped us airlift some of our equipment. And I think if you had an
opportunity to listen – I was very pleased also with the two departments in New
York, who have done everything possible to deploy as fast as possible.
We started slowly but
they have given us an assurance that by the end of this month, the whole 300
observers would be on the ground and I believe their presence will make quite a
difference. We have been small in numbers but even where we have been able to
place two or three observers, they have had a calming effect. And I think when
they are fully deployed, and working as a team, establishing relations with the
people, we will see much greater impact on the work that they are there to do.
There has been some
decrease in the military activities but there are still serious violations in
the cessation of violence that was agreed and the levels of violence and abuses
are unacceptable.
Government troops and
armor are still present, though in smaller formations.
There have been
worrying episodes of violence by the Government, but we have also seen attacks
against Government forces, troops and installations, and there has been a spate
of bombings, which are really worrying, and, I am sure, creates incredible
insecurity among the civilian population.
However, it is also
clear, as I have said earlier, that the presence of our observers, and, in
situations where they have intervened specifically, have not only had a calming
effect, but sometimes they have been able to get the forces involved to do the
right thing.
There has been, as I
said, less shelling, but I also emphasized to the Council, that the need for
human rights abuses to come to an end cannot be underestimated. This is part of
the plan, part of what the mission is all about, and I think once we are fully
deployed we will be able to have even greater impact in this area.
And it must be
understood that we need to ensure that all aspects of the six-point plan are
implemented to create a conducive environment for us to move on to the
political dialogue.
It will be extremely
difficult to make good progress on dialogue if the current conditions persist.
I also told Members of the Council that I believe that the UN supervision
mission is possibly the only remaining chance to stabilize the country.
And I’m sure I’m not
telling you any secret when I tell you that there is a profound concern that
the country could otherwise descend into full civil war and the implications of
that are quite frightening. We cannot allow that to happen.
I hope both the
government and all components of the opposition understand this, and see this
fragile but real opportunity to bring the situation under control. The violence
must stop and a credible political process must begin for the sake of the
Syrian people who have suffered so much, and whose welfare must be at the
centre of everything we try to do.
I will take a few
questions.
Q: Mr. Kofi Annan, when you talk about the political process, can you
talk about the parliamentary elections yesterday in Syria in this political
process?
Annan: I think the
electoral process, the election of yesterday, was an initiative of the
government and they had planned it. When I talk of a political process, which
would be an outcome of dialogue and discussions, a national dialogue between
Syrians and the Government, which could also lead, which may also lead to elections;
this is not that election. This was a separate election and I think the Syrian
authorities understand that depending on the outcome of the dialogue, another
election may be necessary.
Q: What’s the biggest priority right now for your plan to progress?
Annan: I think the
biggest priority, as I said, first of all we need to stop the killing. We need
to stop the killing and we are pushing very hard for that -- not only with the
government and the parties on the other side, but also talking to governments
with influence to support us in this process.
We also need to get
humanitarian assistance to those in need, and we are not where we want to be on
that and discussions are ongoing on the humanitarian issue.
But it’s a six-point
plan and all the six points must be implemented comprehensively. And I think if
we do that and we send a powerful political signal that we are ready to resolve
this issue peacefully, we stand a better chance of making faster progress when
we bring the people to the political table.
Q: Concerning the fragility of the ceasefire, are there any specific
measure that you can propose or the UN are willing to take?
Annan: I think the
message should go out loud and clear to the government, which has a greater
responsibility in terms of its size to really do whatever it can to reduce the
violence; but the same goes to the other armed groups. They should think of the
people who have been caught in the middle for about 15 months, day and night,
hearing guns, their rights abused and traumatized, and really give peace a
chance.
Yes, we may be told
it’s extremely difficult to get everyone to honor their commitments and obey
the order to lay down their arms but we all remember that they did it on the 12th
of April. It was quiet on the 12th of April. So they are in control,
both sides. And if you can do it for one day, why don’t you do it for a week,
for a month?
Give peace a chance and
give the people of Syria a break. Why do they have to put up with this trauma?
Q: Do you think President Assad is worried about the consequences for
him personally, if your plan does not succeed, do you think he should be
worried? And have you warned him about the consequences of failure?
Annan: I don’t carry
warnings and threats. I mediate and negotiate and try to get people moving in
the right direction.
I know lots of
questions have been asked about what happens if the plan fails. I am waiting
for some suggestions as to what else we do. I think if there are better ideas,
I will be the first to jump onto it.
I think the
international community -- through the Security Council, the General Assembly
and the Arab League -- have endorsed this approach and we are trying to push it
as hard as we can to make it work. We may well conclude down the line that it
doesn’t work and a different tack has to be taken. And that will be a very sad
day, a tough day for the region. But my appeal to those with guns, my appeal to
those who have taken – I was going to say the people prisoners, because in a
way there are frightened – is to really think of them, think of the people,
think of Syria, think of the region and disarm and come to the table. They all tell
me they are ready to talk. We should do it sooner rather than later.
Q: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday it is a race against
time to avoid civil war. So do you hope that with the deployment of observers
by the end of the month, things will already change? Are you sure you are going
to win this race? Is there a deadline when you can take other steps?
Annan: Nothing is sure.
Nothing is sure. What we have to do is to do our best and hope the better
forces in us will prevail and lead us to put down the arms and do what is
right. If it fails, as the Secretary-General has warned, and it were to lead
into a civil war, it will not affect only Syria, it will have an impact on the
whole region. This is why we should all be so concerned for the Syrians, for
Syria, and for a region that for geo-political reasons we should all be
concerned about.
