The UK is to supply
armored vehicles and body armor to Syrian opposition forces in a bid to end a
crisis that has reached "catastrophic proportions", Foreign Secretary
William Hague told the House of Commons today (see the full text of his
statement below).
Almost at the same time, Brig.
Gen. Salim Idriss, chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army, made an impassioned plea to the European Union to lift its arms embargo
to help Syrian rebels protect civilians from regime forces.
His message to MEPs at a special
meeting in Brussels of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
was, "Please, please help us."
He said 150,000-armed
rebels are in Syria now, but 200,000 more are unarmed and willing to counter
Bashar al-Assad's forces that were "very clearly" being backed by Russia
and Iran.
"First of all, we
need anti-aircraft weapons in order to fight against Assad's forces and stop
not only the killings but also the destruction of the country."
Idriss told the meeting
humanitarian and medical aid was also "urgently" needed to deal with
the unfolding refugee crisis.
ALDE leader Guy
Verhofstadt backed his message, telling the meeting he hoped that military
advances by the forces led by Idriss would be a “turning point” in the conflict.
Here’s the full text of Hague’s oral statement to the House of
Commons on Syria:
Mr. Speaker, with
permission, I will make a Statement on the crisis in Syria.
The time has come to
announce to the House necessary developments in our policy, and our readiness
to develop it further if the bloodshed continues. Two years after it began, the
conflict has reached catastrophic proportions.
10,000 people have died
since I last updated the House in early January. That means more people have
died in the first two months of this year than in the whole of the first year
of the conflict. The total estimated death toll is now over 70,000 people.
The regime has used
“scud” ballistic missiles against civilian areas. And the UN Commission of
Inquiry for Syria has found evidence of grave human rights violations, war
crimes and crimes against humanity; including massacres, torture, summary
executions and a systematic policy of rape and sexual violence by the regime’s
forces and its militia.
A year ago one million
people needed humanitarian aid inside Syria. That figure is now up to four
million people, out of a total population of 21 million. 40,000 people are
fleeing Syria each week, three quarters of them women and children. The number
of refugees has increased thirty-fold over the last ten months, and today the
sad milestone of one million refugees has been reached. The population of
Lebanon, which I visited two weeks ago, has risen by 10% from the influx of
destitute people.
This is a desperate
situation of increasingly extreme humanitarian suffering.
There is no sign that
the Assad regime currently intends to enter into a genuine political process.
They appear to believe they can defeat their opponents militarily; and they
count on being shielded by some countries at the United Nations Security
Council. It will be necessary to turn each of these calculations on its head if
the conflict is to come to a peaceful end.
Securing a diplomatic
breakthrough remains of course our objective. Last week I discussed Syria with
the new US Secretary of State John Kerry here in London, and with other close
partners in a core group meeting of the Friends of the Syrian people in Rome.
In Rome I also met the Syrian National Coalition’s President Mr. al-Khatib, and
welcomed his brave announcement that the national coalition is open to direct
talks with members of the Assad regime.
We continue our efforts
to develop common ground with Russia. I will have talks with Russian Deputy
Foreign Minister Bogdanov later this afternoon, and next week with Foreign
Minister Lavrov also here in London.
And at the end of
January the UN and Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi
set out a credible plan for the establishment of a transitional authority in
Syria. We are working with allies to achieve if at all possible Security
Council backing for a transition process, and I am meeting Mr. Brahimi again,
also this afternoon.
But the fact remains
that diplomacy is taking far too long and the prospect of an immediate
breakthrough is slim. Each month of violence in Syria means more death, wider
destruction, larger numbers of refugees, and bloodier military confrontation.
The international
community cannot stand still in the face of this reality. Our policy has to
move towards more active efforts to prevent the loss of life in Syria and this
means stepping up our support to the opposition and thereby increasing the
pressure on the regime to accept a political solution. What we face is not a
choice between diplomacy on the one hand and practical assistance on the other:
helping the opposition is crucial to bringing about a political transition and
saving lives, and both must be pursued together.
We will always be
careful in how we develop our policy. But our readiness to develop it further
should be unmistakable, particularly to the Assad regime. What happens in Syria
is vital to our national interest, for three reasons:
The first is the growth
of extremism. We should never forget that the vast majority of people opposing
the regime are ordinary people trying to defend their communities and gain
freedom for their country. But Syria today has become the top destination for
jihadists anywhere in the world, and we are already seeing a rise in sectarian
violence and attacks using Improvised Explosive Devices including car bombs. We
cannot allow Syria to become another breeding ground for terrorists who pose a
threat to our national security.
Second, the crisis is
undermining the peace of the region. On top of the refugee crisis, there have
been reports of clashes on the Iraqi border and in Lebanon. We are increasingly
concerned about the regime’s willingness to use chemical weapons. We have
warned the Assad regime that the use of chemical weapons would lead to a serious
response from the international community. Those who order the use of chemical
weapons, and those who use them, will be held to account. There is also
credible information that Iran is providing considerable military support to
the regime through its Revolutionary Guard Corps, including personnel,
equipment, weapons, and direct financial assistance.
Third, we and our
allies must always be prepared to respond to situations of extreme humanitarian
distress. Our foreign policy is inseparable from upholding human rights,
protecting lives, and supporting international law. We must assist the genuine
moderate and democratic forces in Syria who are in dire need of help and who
feel abandoned by the international community. The longer this conflict goes
on, the more human suffering, persecution of minorities, radicalization and
sectarian conflict there will be.
Despite these three
compelling arguments there will still be those who say that Britain should have
nothing to do with Syria.
But we cannot look the
other way while international law and human rights are flouted.
We cannot step back
from a crisis that could destabilize the heart of the Middle East.
And it would be the
height of irresponsibility to ignore potential threats to our own security.
So I want to explain to
the House today the next step in increasing our support to the Syrian people;
and I emphasize that there may well have to be further steps.
We have contributed
nearly £140 million in humanitarian aid so far. This is funding food, clean
drinking water, medical assistance, blankets, and shelter for many tens of
thousands of people. We are supporting the Syrian National Coalition’s own
efforts to deliver aid inside Syria. And we will seek new ways to relieve the
humanitarian crisis and to expand access for aid across the country, while
preparing to help a future government deal with the aftermath of the conflict.
We have also committed
a total of £9.4 million so far in non-lethal support to the Syrian opposition,
civil society and human rights defenders, such as power generators and
communications kit. We have trained more than 300 Syrian journalists and
activists. And we are providing satellite communication devices to document
human rights violations and abuses.
I informed the House in
January that we would seek to amend the European Union sanctions on Syria to
open up the possibility of further assistance if the situation deteriorated.
On Thursday we finalized
with our European partners a specific exemption to the EU sanctions, to permit
the provision of non-lethal military equipment and all forms of technical
assistance to the Syrian National Coalition where it is intended for the
protection of civilians.
This is an important
advance in our ability to support the opposition and help save lives.
Such technical
assistance can include assistance, advice and training on how to maintain
security in areas no longer controlled by the regime, on coordination between
civilian and military councils, on how to protect civilians and minimize the
risks to them, and how to maintain security during a transition.
We will now provide
such assistance, advice and training.
We intend to respond to
the opposition’s request to provide equipment for search and rescue operations,
and incinerators and refuse collection kit to prevent the spread of disease. We
will help local councils to access funds and equipment to repair electricity
and water supplies to homes. And we will also respond to the opposition’s
request for further water purification kits, and equipment to help civilian
political leaders operate and communicate.
We will also now
provide new types of non-lethal equipment for the protection of civilians,
going beyond what we have given before. In conjunction with the National
Coalition, we are identifying the protective equipment, which will be of most
assistance to them, and likely to save most lives. I will keep the House
updated, but it will certainly include, for instance, armored four-wheel drive
vehicles to help opposition figures move around more freely, as well as
personal protection equipment including body armor.
We will now also be
able to provide testing equipment to the opposition to enable evidence
gathering in the horrific event of chemical weapons use. And we will also fund
training to help armed groups understand their responsibilities and obligations
under international law and international human rights standards. Any human
rights violations or abuses are unacceptable on all sides.
We have allocated
nearly £3 million in funding this month to support this work, and an additional
£10 million hereafter, comprising $20 million in non-lethal equipment and
practical support for the Syrian opposition and civil society on top of the $60
million just announced by the United States. We hope other countries will offer
similar assistance.
The Cabinet is in no
doubt that this is a necessary, proportionate and lawful response to a
situation of extreme humanitarian suffering, and that there is no practicable
alternative. All our assistance will be carefully calibrated and monitored as
well as legal, and will be aimed at saving life, alleviating this human
catastrophe and supporting moderate groups.
The process of amending
the EU sanctions regime in this way was difficult and the decision came down to
the wire. We persisted with it because we believe that it is preferable to have
a united EU approach. In our view if a political solution to the crisis in
Syria is not found and the conflict continues, we and the rest of the European
Union will have to be ready to move further, and we should not rule out any
option for saving lives.
In the case that
further necessary amendments to the EU sanctions regime prove impossible to
agree, we stand ready to take any domestic measures necessary to ensure that
core sanctions on Syria remain effective.
This is a situation in
Syria where extreme humanitarian distress and growing dangers to international
peace and security must weigh increasingly heavily in the balance against other
risks.
With this crisis now
becoming one of major dimensions by any standard, with millions of people on
the move, many tens of thousands dead, tens of thousands more in daily danger
of losing their lives, the world’s most volatile region in growing tension, and
political deadlock that has endured for two years, our policy cannot be static
nor our position indifferent.
A situation of growing
gravity requires a steadily more active approach, learning the lessons of
previous conflicts, and always emphasizing the need for a political and
diplomatic resolution of the crisis, but crucially also being prepared to use
increased pressure and levers to try to bring this about.
We
will continue to keep the House properly informed as we press for an end to the
conflict, provide life-saving assistance, and work to ensure that Syria has the
political transition its people need and deserve and which they have now waited
far too long to see achieved.
