Paris Declaration of the Core Group
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| Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Coalition's A. Jarba and French Foreign Minister L. Fabius |
We, the Foreign
Ministers of Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States, met
today in Paris with a delegation of the Syrian National Coalition led by its
president Ahmad al-Jarba, and adopted the following Core Group declaration:
1. We support the
rights of the Syrian people to determine its own destiny and to defend itself
against oppression. The Geneva II Conference, based on the full implementation
of the Geneva Communiqué, is aiming at allowing the Syrian people to control
its future and put an end to the current despotic regime through a genuine
political transition.
2. We condemn in the strongest
terms the atrocities committed on a daily basis by the regime against its own
people, with the support of Hezbollah and other foreign groups. We express
outrage notably at the intensive use of “barrel bombs” against the population
of the city of Aleppo, which have left over 700 dead and 3,000 injured since
December 15, and in several other locations throughout Syria. We are revolted
by the “starve or surrender” strategy used by the regime, which in particular
deprives of food and medicine more than 200,000 people in the suburbs of
Damascus and in the old city of Homs. We recall that any strategy to starve
civilians constitutes a war crime. The international community should not be
expected to tolerate the continuation of such crimes.
3. The increased
fuelling, by the regime, of the suffering of the Syrian people gravely
undermines the prospect of success of the Geneva II Conference. The regime must
fulfill its obligations set out by UN Security Council Resolutions 2042 and
2043 which it formally accepted and, in particular, must immediately put an end
to its indiscriminate attacks against civilians and release all arbitrarily
detained persons. It must allow immediate and unfettered humanitarian access to
the entirety of the Syrian territory, through cross line and cross border
operations. We urge Russia and Iran to use all their influence on the regime to
act accordingly. We deplore that the UN Security Council could not express
itself since the 2 October Presidential Statement. Considering that the situation
is still deteriorating, we call for a humanitarian resolution from the UN
Security Council.
4. We reiterate our
conviction that the only solution to the conflict is a genuine political
transition, based on the full implementation of the Geneva Communiqué, and
preserving the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of
the Syrian State.
5. We welcome the
invitation sent by the UN Secretary General, which convenes the parties to a
Geneva II Conference to fully implement the Geneva Communiqué, with the
priority aim of forming, by mutual consent, a transitional governing body (TGB)
with full executive powers. We recall that the invitation clearly states that
participating in the Conference will be taken as a commitment to this aim.
6. We therefore
strongly condemn the latest statements of the regime, by which it refused to
come to Geneva to establish a political transition. These statements fully
contradict the Geneva Communiqué, endorsed by the UN Security Council
Resolution 2118, to which the regime must commit. In addition, the perspective
of a presidential election organized by the regime, in which Bashar al-Assad
would run, also fully contradicts the Geneva II process and its goal of a
negotiated democratic transition. Such a parody of a ballot, aimed at
maintaining in power a man whom the UN considers committed war crimes and
crimes against humanity, would only fuel the conflict and increase the threat
of a partition of the country. If it were to happen, we would consider it
totally null and void.
7. We reaffirm our full
commitment to the text of the Core Group Ministerial Communiqué of 22 October
2013. Negotiations to form the TGB, under the mediation of the Joint Special
Representative, must start as early as January 24 and must not be open-ended.
The Geneva II process must lead to tangible and immediate benefits to the
Syrian people. During the course of negotiations, all parties must put an end
to the use of heavy weapons and implement humanitarian pauses. As of the
establishment of the TGB, all parties must cooperate with the TGB in ensuring
the permanent cessation of violence throughout the country. Consistent with the
Geneva Communiqué, once the TGB is established, with control over all
governmental institutions, as specified in the UNSG invitation letter,
including the armed forces, security services and intelligence structures,
Assad and his close associates with blood on their hands will have no role in
Syria.
8. All those who
committed war crimes or crimes against humanity must be held accountable. We
reaffirm our support to international criminal justice mechanisms to achieve
reconciliation, truth and accountability for gross violations, as well as
effective remedies and reparations for victims.
9. We urge the National
Coalition to respond positively to the invitation to set up the Syrian
opposition delegation sent by the UN Secretary General. We invite them to form,
as soon as possible, a delegation of opposition forces to participate in the
political process starting on January 22. As the legitimate representative of
the Syrian people, the National Coalition should establish a delegation
reflecting the diversity of the Syrian society and be gender balanced. We
pledge our full backing to the opposition during the Geneva II Conference.
10. We strongly support
the vision envisaged by the National Covenant adopted in Cairo paving the way
for a democratic and pluralistic Syria.
11. We welcome the
Kuwaiti initiative to host the Second International Humanitarian Pledging
Conference for Syria on 15 January. We call on all countries to mobilize
financial resources to respond to the needs inside Syria, including in the
liberated, contested and besieged areas, and in the countries of the region
generously hosting a growing number of refugees. We recognize the enormous
social, economic and financial impact these refugees have on their societies,
and call upon the international community to assume its responsibility through
burden sharing. We also welcome the UNHCR and neighboring country meeting to be
held in Urfa – Turkey – on 17 January to highlight increasing pressure on host
governments and communities, as a result of hosting more than 2.5 million
refugees from Syria. We stress the importance of meeting the needs of the
internally displaced persons concentrated in certain areas who seek refuge and
protection. It is crucial to increase the level of humanitarian aid, especially
in the liberated, contested and besieged areas, including by supporting the
Interim Government and the Aid Coordination Unit of the National Coalition and
local solidarity networks. We express our full support for the work being
carried out by UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, UNHCR, UN
specialized agencies and all humanitarian actors to alleviate the suffering of
the Syrian people, and underline the urgent need to achieve significant
results.
12. All armed groups
must respect democratic and pluralistic values, recognize the political
authority of the National Coalition and accept the prospect of a democratic
transition negotiated in Geneva on the basis of the objectives listed above. We
urge them to facilitate humanitarian access and respect humanitarian
principles, as well as the work of humanitarian actors and journalists. We also
urge opposition armed groups aiming at a free and pluralistic Syria to unify
and ensure the security of the civilians in the areas under their control,
including against the violations committed by extremist groups.
13. We condemn the
presence of foreign fighters in Syria, both those fighting with the regime such
as Hezbollah and other Iranian backed forces, and those fighting within other
extremist groups. We demand their immediate withdrawal. It is important that
countries supporting and encouraging these groups stop doing it, and that all
groups respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We also urge
the international community to consider political and economic steps to impel
Hezbollah military wing, a terrorist organization, and other Iranian-backed armed
groups to withdraw from Syria.
We
fully support the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army and other
democratic opposition forces in their action against the Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL). Extremist groups play in favor of the regime, damage the
image of the democratic and legitimate Syrian opposition forces, and deprive
them of local and international sympathy and support. We urge the democratic
opposition forces to keep opposing the groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda. We
share growing concern at the spread of extremist groups, including ISIL and
Jabhat al-Nusra. The regime, contrary to what it claims, does not take any
significant measures to fight extremism. On the contrary, it is fueling this
threat by facilitating its development to exhaust the democratic opposition.
The determination of Bashar al-Assad to cling to power and the regime’s
brutality are the roots of extremism in Syria. As long as Bashar al-Assad
remains in power, there is no prospect of peace and stability in Syria and the
region. Only when the Syrian people control its future will there be a prospect
of peace and stability in Syria.
