October 31, 2024

A delegation from the Syrian Negotiation Commission met yesterday (Wednesday) in New York with Ambassador Domingos Fernandez, Deputy Head of Mozambique’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. As Mozambique holds a seat on the UN Security Council for 2024 and currently presides over the group of non-permanent member states on the council, the two parties discussed the latest international developments and emphasized the need for Security Council resolutions to be enforced as binding mandates. They also addressed the critical role of council members in establishing mechanisms and frameworks that hold accountable those parties that evade or refuse to implement these resolutions.

The delegation, which included the Director of the Commission’s Legal Office, Attorney Tarek al-Kurdi, and commission member Fadwa Ojily, provided an update on Syria’s current situation and the commission’s ongoing efforts to achieve a comprehensive political solution based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

The Syrian Negotiation Commission highlighted its commitment to international resolutions, stressing that it respects and seeks to implement them. However, the Syrian regime has consistently refused to comply, despite a strong international and regional consensus on these measures. The delegation warned that the current situation poses severe risks to Syria’s security, humanitarian conditions, and economy, while exacerbating the global refugee crisis.

The delegation further underscored the importance of the Security Council intensifying its pressure to advance the issue of detainees and the disappeared in Syria. They urged action for the release of detainees held by the Syrian regime and for uncovering the fate of those who have been forcibly disappeared.