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| The UN's Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon |
Ban Ki-moon to the General Assembly:
"Each day seems to bring new additions to the
grim catalogue of atrocities: assaults against civilians, brutal human rights
violations, mass arrests, torture, execution-style killings of whole families.
Men, women, even children were
executed at a point blank range; some had their throats slit or their skulls
crushed. Any regime or leader that tolerates such a killing of innocents has
lost its fundamental humanity… For many months it has been evident that
President Assad and his government have lost all legitimacy… The dangers of a
full-scale civil war are imminent and real. Now it is the time for the
international community to take a bold and consorted action.”
Kofi Annan to
the General Assembly:
“…Despite the
acceptance of the six-point plan and the deployment of a courageous mission of
United Nations observers to Syria, I must be frank and confirm that the plan is
not being implemented.
Mr. President, let me
pause here and express my horror and condemnation at the fact that a new
massacre of tens of civilians including children and women was perpetrated
yesterday in Al Qubair, west of Hama. My heart goes out to the victims and
their families. This took place just two weeks after the massacre in
Houla that shocked the world. Those responsible for perpetrating these crimes
must be held to account. We cannot allow mass killing to become part of
everyday reality in Syria.
“As the Secretary-General
has clearly explained, the crisis is escalating. The violence is getting
worse. The abuses are continuing. The country is becoming more polarized
and more radicalized. And Syria’s immediate neighbors are increasingly
worried about the threat of spillover.
“Nine days ago, I met
President Assad in Damascus. I told him that the six-point plan is not being
implemented, as it must. I strongly urged him to take bold and visible
steps to now radically change his military posture and honor his commitments to
the six-point plan. I urged him to make a strategic decision to change his
path. I also made clear that his Government must work with my mediation
effort on behalf of both Organizations that I represent.
“President Assad
believed the main obstacle was the actions of militants. Clearly, all
parties must cease violence. But equally clearly, the first responsibility
lies with the Government.
“Since
then, shelling of cities has intensified. Government-backed militia seem to
have free rein with appalling consequences. Yes, some detainees have been
released, and agreement has been reached on modalities for humanitarian
assistance. But the hour demands much more. And President Assad has
not indicated a change of course in his recent address to the National Assembly.
“…Clearly, the time has
come to determine what more can be done to secure implementation of the plan --
and/or what other options exist to address the crisis… Individual actions or
interventions will not resolve the crisis. As we demand compliance with
international law and the six-point plan, it must be made clear that there will
be consequences if compliance is not forthcoming. We must also chart a
clearer course for a peaceful transition, if we are to help the Government and
opposition, as well as Syrian society, to help resolve the crisis.”
Ban Ki-moon
after the Security Council session:
“The Annan plan remains
at the center of our efforts. We continue to support it.
“At the same time, in
view of the deteriorating situation I would welcome further international
discussions on the way forward.
“The upcoming G20
Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, is an important opportunity. I will be there
and I expect key stakeholders to take advantage of this gathering to discuss
the crisis in its full depth and breadth.
“No one can predict how
the situation in Syria will evolve. We must be prepared for any eventuality; we
must be ready to respond to many possible scenarios.
“At the request of the
Security Council, I will soon present a variety of options for the way ahead.
“It
is up to the members of the Council to find common cause.”
Kofi Annan after
briefing the Security Council:
“…I
said that if this plan is not working or if we decide it is not the way to go,
we should be looking at options. But as long as we all agree that the plan has
merit, the question is: How do you get the Syrian Government to perform, to
implement it, even at this late hour? This is what the Council is in the
process of discussing, and I am not going to do their work.
“…There are discussions
going on about the possibility of establishing such a group. And the group
would include countries with real influence on the situation, countries that
can influence either side, the Government of Syria and the opposition… This is
why the contact group, that you cannot resolve it by just focusing on the
players inside, you need to have the regional and international players be
involved. They have to be part of the solution.
“The
whole idea is to get to a political transition, and the Syrian people will have
to decide their future: the future political dispensation, they have to decide
how they are governed and who governs them, and I think that it should be part
of the eventual settlement that we are looking at. And the other thing I would
want to say is the membership of the group, the contact group that was referred
to, all these issues are at a very early stage yet and is under consultation,
but I think Iran, as an important country in the region, I hope will be part of
the solution.”
U.S.
Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice:
“Iran is part of the problem in Syria at the
present. There is no question that it is actively engaged in supporting the
government in perpetrating the violence on the ground, We think Iran has not
demonstrated, to date, a readiness to contribute constructively to a peaceful
political solution.”
State Department’s Mark Toner:
“(Kofi
Annan)
did confirm his concerns that the plan is not being implemented. I think it’s
very clear what we want to see happen, what our expectations are. The Annan
plan is a good plan. It lays out the next steps that need to happen – a
ceasefire, a dialogue, a political transition, Assad transferring power and
departing Syria. These are the basic tenets of a solution to Syria. The problem
is in the implementation. And that’s why, as the Secretary stated in Istanbul,
her meeting yesterday was about ways to increase pressure on Assad, to make his
regime wake up and realize that they need to comply with the Annan plan. So the
plan itself is sound; we just need compliance…
“…We do have a very strong
coalition, but we need more. We need Russia, (and) we need China, to get
onboard behind the Annan plan, behind its implementation, so that we can bring
the right amount of pressure to bear on Assad… We want to see the Russians use
their influence, if you will, with Assad to convince them that the only way
forward here is a political transition.”
China’s UN Ambassador Li Baodong:
"We resolutely oppose
the solutions to the Syrian crisis through outside armed intervention or any
attempt to forcibly promote regime change. China stands ready to play its
positive and constructive role in finding an early peaceful and proper solution
to the Syrian question…
"To maintain the
momentum for a political solution to the Syrian question and to avoid the
escalation of crisis, the parties concerned inside Syria should immediately
implement the relevant Security Council resolutions and the six-point Annan
plan."
Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov:
Russia hopes all the
parties that can influence the Syrian crisis will take part in the proposed
conference, which won’t be a one-time event. “The conference should come under the UN umbrella... The first stage
would exclude any Syrian representatives. Its purpose would be to agree on the
leverage to be used on each and every Syrian group: be it the government or
various opposition forces – to stop the violence and start a dialogue.”
Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, the League of Arab States, the EU and the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation should be “integral parts” to the process. However, “There’ll be no mandate by the UN Security
Council for a foreign intervention, I guarantee you that.”
