UNITED NATIONS: UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that the escalating conflict in Syria was the result of a “chronic collective failure” of diplomacy, as he called for an end to the fighting.
After years of dormancy, the Syrian civil war reignited last week as Islamist-led rebels launched an offensive against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and captured the commercial center of Aleppo, adding the city of Hama to theirs on Thursday. victory
It marked the most intense fighting since 2020 in the civil war that began with the suppression of pro-democracy protests in 2011.
“We are seeing the bitter fruits of the long collective failure of previous de-escalation arrangements to generate a genuine nationwide ceasefire or a serious political process to implement Security Council resolutions,” the secretary-general told reporters.
“After 14 years of conflict, now is the right time for all parties to seriously engage with my Special Envoy for Syria, Geer Pedersen, to finally chart a new, inclusive and comprehensive approach to resolving this crisis in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254.” Guterres said.
That resolution, adopted by the Security Council in 2015, established a road map for a political transition in Syria.
“Thousands of civilians are at risk in a region already on fire,” Guterres said.
He said he spoke on Thursday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country supports the rebels. Russia and Iran are Assad’s main allies.
“I stressed the urgent need for immediate humanitarian access to all civilians in need and a return to the UN to facilitate a political process to end the bloodshed. All parties are bound under international law to protect civilians,” Guterres said.
