The Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC) held its periodic meeting in Geneva, on November 17-18, 2023. The SNC discussed the general political situation and heard briefings of its committees regarding the Syrian political process, including the Constitutional Committee and the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to Syria to make meaningful progress in confidence building measures related to humanitarian issues. The SNC noted that those efforts have not only failed to achieve any breakthrough in the detainees file, but detentions of and violations against Syrian women and men continue to date. Furthermore, those efforts have not been able to reach a comprehensive ceasefire that guarantees the safety of civilians, and medical and public facilities, as the regime and its backers continue targeting civilians and civilian facilities in Idlib. Further, the UN Security Council has repeatedly failed to extend resolutions or issue a new resolution guaranteeing safe and continued cross-border humanitarian aid reaches those in need without discrimination or politicization. It has become very clear that the persistent stalemate in the UN-led political process in Geneva is directly attributed to the regime’s rejection of any efforts to reach a durable political solution through the full and strict implementation of UNSCR 2254 (2015), and also attributed to the absence of international consensus to push forward the political process in a manner that restores to the UN Special Envoy to Syria the ability to take the initiative and break the silence regarding the regime’s continued blocking of the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to Syria.

The SNC calls upon the UN Secretary-General, his Special Envoy to Syria and members of the Security Council to shoulder their responsibilities towards the tragedy Syrians are experiencing, inside Syria and abroad, and take serious steps to reinvigorate the political process by calling for direct negotiations in Geneva on ways to implement UNSCR 2254 and its four baskets.

The SNC further demands that a special Security Council session be held to discuss the obstacles facing the political process to implement UNSCR 2254, and ways to address these obstacles in the presence of the Syrian opposition stipulated in said resolution, represented by the SNC as one of the two Syrian sides entrusted to negotiate the implementation of said resolution.

The SNC further calls upon the UN, relevant organizations, and member states to uphold their commitments and obligations towards the rights of refugees and IDPs to protection and securing their humanitarian needs, in addition to ending violations and measures committed against them with the aim to push them to forced and unsafe return.

The SNC reiterates its demand to introduce justice and accountability mechanisms for the war crimes and crimes against humanity, which have been and continue to be perpetrated against the innocent Syrian people, through binding UN General Assembly resolutions as provided by the UN Charter, to end the obstruction of adopting such mechanisms in the Security Council.

The SNC salutes the struggles of the Syrian people across the country and underscores indications of the rise in new areas after the exemplary organized peaceful movement of Syrians in Suwayda reflecting social and national unity.

The SNC discussed the critical situation in the region, represented by the occupation forces’ invasion of the Gaza Strip. The SNC stresses its condemnation of this invasion and the massacres perpetrated by the occupation government against innocent civilians in Gaza, in addition to targeting medical and civilian facilities. The SNC further expresses solidarity with the Palestinian people, highlighting the importance of ending their suffering. While the SNC values the diplomatic and political efforts made by the Arab Group in regional and international arenas to thwart the displacement scheme and provide the Palestinian people relief to support their survival and resilience, nevertheless it finds it necessary to immediately end the aggression and allow safe and continued access to humanitarian aid and relief. The SNC further expresses its full endorsement of the Arab Peace Initiative adopted in the Beirut Summit in 2002.

Recognizing the ambiguity and risks engulfing the future of our region including our homeland Syria, the SNC stresses the importance of unity, rejection of division, and enhancing political and organizational efforts to stand up to all the looming challenges.