October 30, 2024

A delegation from the Syrian Negotiation Commission met (yesterday, Tuesday) in New York with a delegation from the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, which included the UN’s Syria file officer, Ms. Amanda Roberts, alongside Hind Abdulghani, Saskia Ramming, and Shuhrat Sulaymanov. The two sides discussed the stalled political solution, the humanitarian situation, and the urgent need to significantly increase support and humanitarian aid.

The delegation, which included the head of the commission’s legal office, lawyer Tarek Al-Kurdi, the head of the detainees’ committee, Alise Mofrej, and commission member Fadwa Ojyli, emphasized the necessity of establishing binding mechanisms for all parties to respect and implement UN resolutions.

The commission’s delegation spoke about the Syrian regime’s obstruction of the political solution and its refusal to implement agreed-upon international resolutions, especially Resolution 2254. They stressed the need for the international community to rigorously and fully support the implementation of this resolution, as it is the only way to achieve justice and sustainable stability in Syria.

The delegation asserted that the aid provided by supporting countries and the UN for Syrians is insufficient, noting that all Syrians inside the country are in need of humanitarian and relief support due to the economic collapse caused by the regime’s war, particularly in northwest Syria. They called for a significant increase in the aid provided to Syrians to address the growing needs.

The delegation stressed that Syria remains unsafe for the return of refugees under the current circumstances, citing the European Union’s ongoing assertion that Syria is an unsafe country and that the return of refugees to Syria is not an option unless the international community works seriously to achieve a political solution according to international resolutions.

They also warned of the dangers facing Syrian refugees in Lebanon, mentioning that some have faced arrest and security summonses upon being forcibly returned from Lebanon to Syria, as well as the risks facing those remaining in Lebanon, their extremely poor humanitarian conditions, and the urgent need to find emergency solutions for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, avoiding their forced return to Syria.