Tag Archives: Syria
17 September 2013
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted, after he briefed the UN Security Council on the findings of the UN team investigating the possible use of chemical weapons, that ‘The international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that chemical weapons never re-emerge as an instrument of warfare.’ He added that ‘It is for others to decide whether to pursue this matter further to determine responsibility. We may all have our own thoughts on this, but I would simply say that this was a grave crime and those responsible must be brought to justice as soon as possible’.
Source: UN News Centre | ‘Clear and convincing’ evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria, UN team reports
13 September 2013
The Washington Post reported that in the last few weeks, the CIA has started delivering (light) weapons to rebels in Syria, mainly in order to support fighters that are under the command of General Idriss, the commander of the Supreme Military Council. Separate deliveries (e.g. vehicles) have been made by the State Department. Aid in the form of nonlethal gear (e.g. medical kits and communications equipment) has also been delivered to the Syrian rebels.
Source: The Washington Post | U.S. weapons reaching Syrian rebels
13 September 2013
Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated on 11 September 2013 that the UN was responsible for a ‘collective failure’ to halt more than two years of terrible violence in Syria.
The President of the United Nations General Assembly Vuk Jeremic stressed on 12 September 2013 the need for a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis and said that ‘if allegations regarding the use of chemical agents by a party to the conflict are proven accurate, Member States should unite and develop an appropriate response, in full respect of international law, including the centrality of the Security Council’s role under the UN Charter.’
Source: UN News Centre | UN General Assembly President urges international push for diplomatic solution to Syrian crisis
Source: The New York Times | U.N. Leader Admits Failure to Halt Syrian Atrocities
12 September 2013
Cross posted on the website of the ESIL Interest Group on Migration and Refugee Law
With breath bated, the world has been waiting to see what will happen next in Syria. On Tuesday 10 September 2013, President Barack Obama said he would pursue a Russian proposal which has “the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force”. It’s too early to tell whether this diplomatic attempt will succeed, so in the meantime, the option of military action remains on the table. Without a Security Council mandate, any form of military engagement in Syria would violate international law on the use of force. And yet, this may not stop the United States and its allies from moving forward with military intervention. It is all but clear whether intervening will improve matters on the ground. In fact, it could easily make things worse, but that doesn’t seem to matter. What matters is that “we need to do something”. (more…)
10 September 2013
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay noted, while addressing the twenty-fourth regular session of the Human Rights Council, that the international community ‘is late, very late to take serious joint action to halt the downward spiral that has gripped Syria’. Already more than 100,000 people were killed in Syria, 4 million people were displaced within Syrian borders and another 2 million people have sought refuge in states in the region.
Pillay said that ‘This appalling situation cries out for international action, yet a military response or the continued supply of arms risk igniting a regional conflagration, possibly resulting in many more deaths and even more widespread misery’. She stressed that member states must find a way, together with the United Nations, to bring the fighting parties to the negotiating table.
Source: UN News Centre | With ‘no easy exit’ from nightmare in Syria, UN rights chief urges political solution
Source: OHCHR | News | Opening Statement by Ms. Navi Pillay United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at the Human Rights Council 24th Session