Security Council

6746^th Meeting (AM)

Security Council Presidential Statement on Syria Signals Intention to Authorize

Mechanism to Monitor End of Violence, or ‘Consider Further Steps’

 

Members Call on Authorities to Fulfil Pledge on Withdrawal from Population Centres

The Security Council today called on the Syrian Government to follow through on its pledge to pull back its military from population centres by 10 April, and on all parties subsequently to cease armed violence, while signalling its readiness to authorize a monitoring mission to the strife-torn country — or to “consider further steps” if the commitments were not met.

In a statement read out by Susan Rice (United States), its President for April, the 15-member body called on the Syrian authorities to fulfil, “urgently and visibly” and in their entirety, commitments made on 1 April to Kofi Annan, Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, to cease troop movements towards population centres and begin pullbacks away from those areas by the deadline.  It called on all parties to end the fighting within 48 hours of those actions.

The Council requested the Secretary-General to provide proposals for a mechanism to monitor the cessation of violence and other aspects of Mr. Annan’s six-point plan, to which the Syrian authorities agreed on 25 March, as soon as appropriate after consultations with the Government.  It reiterated the importance of a peaceful political settlement of the crisis, an end to human rights violations, the opening of humanitarian access and the start of a Syrian-led transition to a democratic, pluralistic political system.

The meeting began at 9:51 a.m. and ended at 9:57 a.m.

Presidential Statement

The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2012/10 reads as follows:

“The Security Council recalls its presidential statements of 3 August 2011 and 21 March 2012 and its press statement of 1 March 2012.

“The Security Council reaffirms its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria, and to the purposes and principles of the Charter.

“The Security Council expresses its appreciation for the 2 April 2012 briefing of the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan.  The Security Council notes that the Syrian Government committed on 25 March 2012 to implement the Envoy’s six-point proposal.

“The Security Council calls upon the Syrian Government to implement urgently and visibly its commitments, as it agreed to do in its communication to the Envoy of 1 April, to (a) cease troop movements towards population centres, (b) cease all use of heavy weapons in such centres, and (c) begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centres, and to fulfil these in their entirety by no later than 10 April 2012.

“The Security Council calls upon all parties, including the opposition, to cease armed violence in all its forms within 48 hours of the implementation in their entirety by the Syrian Government of measures (a), (b), (c) above.  The Security Council further calls upon the opposition to engage with the Envoy in this regard.

“The Security Council underscores the importance of an effective and credible United Nations supervision mechanism in Syria to monitor a cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties and relevant aspects of the Envoy’s six-point proposal. The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to provide proposals for such a mechanism as soon as appropriate, after consultations with the Government of Syria.  The Security Council stands ready to consider these proposals and to authorize an effective and impartial supervision mechanism upon implementation of a cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties.

“The Security Council underscores the central importance of a peaceful political settlement to the Syrian crisis and reiterates its call for the urgent, comprehensive, and immediate implementation of all aspects of the Envoy’s six-point proposal.  The Security Council reiterates its full support for the Envoy’s six-point proposal aimed at bringing an immediate end to all violence and human rights violations, securing humanitarian access and facilitating a Syrian-led political transition leading to a democratic, plural political system, in which citizens are equal regardless of their affiliations, ethnicities or beliefs, including through commencing a comprehensive political dialogue between the Syrian Government and the whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition.

“The Security Council reiterates its call forthe Syrian authorities to allow immediate, full and unimpeded access of humanitarian personnel to all populations in need of assistance, in accordance with international law and guiding principles of humanitarian assistance.  The Security Council calls upon all parties in Syria, in particular the Syrian authorities, to cooperate fully with the United Nations and relevant humanitarian organizations to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance.  To this end, the Security Council calls on all parties to immediately implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause as called for in the Envoy’s six-point proposal.

“The Security Council requests the Envoy to update the Council on the cessation of violence in accordance with the above timeline, and progress towards implementation of his six-point proposal in its entirety.  In the light of these reports, the Security Council will consider further steps as appropriate.”

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For information media • not an official record