UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is not mincing his
words on Syria.
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| Ban Ki-moon at the Atlantic Council Awards Dinner (www.acus.org) |
Speaking
on the eve of a key UN Security Council meeting on Syria later today, Tuesday,
Ban slammed Damascus for holding legislative elections “while violence is still
ongoing” and hinted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will suffer the fate
of Laurent Gbabgo, Charles Taylor, or Muammar Qaddafi if his reign of violence
continued.
Ban’s
predecessor, UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, will today update (via
video-link) the Security Council on his Syria mediation efforts
since his last briefing on April 24.
Council
members will likely be interested in hearing what Damascus has done to
implement its earlier commitments under Annan’s six-point plan. Many Council
members are concerned the pre-condition for a sustained cessation of
violence—the Syrian government’s halting troop movements and withdrawing heavy
weapons from population centers -- has not been fulfilled.
Addressing the American Society of International Law (ASIL) in
Washington on Monday, Ban said he was “especially disturbed by
the blood that continues to spill in Syria.”
He said Annan’s six-point
plan and the deployment of UN observers to Syria “is not meant to freeze the
situation on the ground, but to create conditions for a genuine, inclusive
political process that will address the concerns and democratic aspirations of
all Syrians.
“We
also need a just peace and a political settlement,” Ban said, adding: “The
Syrian people deserve their fundamental freedoms, including the rights to
assemble peacefully and freely determine their own destiny. They also
need immediate humanitarian assistance, which the United Nations is ready to
deliver as soon as we get access.
“Let
me say clearly: this is a difficult mission at a difficult moment.
We know the security risks to our brave, exposed, unarmed
observers. We know that Syrian citizens could face punishment for talking
to the mission. We know the nature of the regime, which could well use the
presence of the mission to ready itself to carry out further violence.
“But we know, too, that we
have to put all our efforts and commitment into this endeavor. The
international community, especially countries with influence, must stay united
behind this effort. Mr. Annan has done a remarkable job and has my
complete support. I call on the Syrian government to uphold its
responsibilities under the six-point plan — fully, with no more delays.
“The alternative — a
full-scale civil war with regional consequences — would be much worse. Those
who undermine our mission will bear the responsibility — and will be held
accountable by the international community. This is my strong and stern
message to the Syrian authorities.
“…The case against (former
Liberian President) Charles Taylor showed that executive mansions built on
blood and theft are no protection against the law. He was not the first
Head of State to commit international crimes in office. And I am
convinced he will not be the last to pay for his acts. This is not only
my prediction — it is my warning to leaders, especially those in Syria, who
commit or direct atrocity crimes.”
Speaking later at the Atlantic
Council Awards Dinner, where he received the award for Distinguished
International Leadership, Ban alluded to the fate of leaders who lose
legitimacy with their own people and the world community.
He observed that, “When an incumbent
president refused to stand down after losing an election in Cote d’Ivoire …
when he threatened his people with civil war in order to preserve his own power
… we stood firm for democracy and human rights. Today, Laurent Gbagbo is
awaiting trial in The Hague — and a legitimate president, Alassane Ouattara, is
in office.”
He continued, “When Muammar Gaddafi
threatened to kill his own people, we acted. In doing so, we gave force to a
fundamental new principle — the ‘Responsibility to Protect.’”
And, he noted, “Ten days ago, Charles
Taylor was found guilty by our special court for Sierra Leone. Today I say: no
leader, anywhere, should imagine that he — or she — enjoys impunity from crimes
of atrocity.”
With respect to Syria, he noted that, “The
government continues to assault its people. Every day, we see the most
appalling images — tanks firing in city centers …innocent civilians dying, even
children.” Therefore, Ban declared, “We are in a race against time to prevent
full-scale civil war — death on a potentially massive scale.”
While lauding the work of Annan and the UN
monitors on the ground, Ban cautioned, “We cannot predict how this will end.
But we do know there can be no compromise on fundamental principles of justice
and human rights, in Syria or elsewhere. No amount of force can squash people’s
aspirations to live in dignity and decency.”
He vowed, “Those
responsible for ordering or carrying out such acts — in Syria or elsewhere —
will be held accountable by the international community.”
Separately, the United
States and France joined the Syrian opposition in pouring scorn on Monday’s
legislative election called by the Assad government.
U.S.
State Department Marc C. Toner told a press briefing on Monday: “Actually, you
know what? I chuckle; it’s not funny. It’s – I think I spoke to this a little
bit last week when someone asked. It’s not really possible to hold credible
elections in a climate where basic human rights are being denied to the
citizens and the government is continuing to carry out daily assaults on the
citizens, on its own citizens. So to hold a parliamentary election in that kind
of atmosphere is – borders on ludicrous.”
In Paris, the
French foreign ministry spokesman said, “France denounces the organizing by
Damascus of a vote in such conditions as a sinister farce.”
