Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
U.S. Representative to the United Nations
New York, New York
May 30, 2024
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you, Under-Secretary-General Griffiths and Special Envoy Pedersen, for your sobering briefings on the political and humanitarian situation in Syria. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Martin Griffiths – as you heard, this is his last in-person briefing on Syria. And as we know, you are headed or have plans for retirement. So, I do want to really thank you for your outstanding work as the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, to thank you for your commitment and all of your efforts worldwide. You are an extraordinary humanitarian, and we will sorely miss you in these chambers. Thank you very much.
Mr. President. The United States remains committed to the UN’s provision of humanitarian assistance, including through cross-border and crossline modalities in Syria. At Monday’s Brussels Conference, we pledged $593 million dollars to that end.
At the same time, we’ve made clear that reauthorizing the crossings at Bab al-Salam and al-Rai in 90-day increments is not a sustainable approach to addressing the scale of humanitarian needs in Syria. We reiterate our call for the Syrian regime to allow long-term UN access through Bab al-Hawa crossing, well before the six-month authorization expires in July. Syrians cannot be left hanging on the edge every few months.
What’s more, we must call attention to the desperate situation in Rukban IDP settlement in southeast Syria. For years, the regime and its Russian backers have blocked all UN attempts to provide aid to thousands of civilians living in Rukban. Now the regime is cracking down on the commercial traders providing Rukban’s primary source of food, basic medicine, and other necessities. Reports from Rukban indicate that food could run out within days.
There is no justification for the regime and Russia stopping humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians in need. There is just no justification at all. The regime must immediately consent to the UN’s requests for access, and stop blocking aid from those who so desperately need it.
Colleagues, [given] Syria’s dire humanitarian situation, human rights violations, and lack of accountability for regime crimes and abuses, it is no wonder that Syrian refugees overwhelmingly believe they cannot return to their country.
We thank countries in the region that continue to protect Syrian refugees, and we encourage all countries hosting them to uphold the principle of non-refoulement.
It is clear that the Syrian regime has not created the conditions for safe, voluntary, and dignified returns. It has yet to guarantee humanitarian access or end its practices of disappearances, unjust detentions, torture, and death. It has yet to clarify the status of missing individuals or put a stop to mandatory conscription. And it has yet to respect rights related to housing, land, and property.
In addition to these humanitarian and human rights concerns, the political situation in Syria remains untenable. We note the Bahrain Declaration’s affirmation of the need to end the Syrian crisis in line with Security Council Resolution 2254.
And indeed, we share the concern that Secretary-General Guterres recently expressed to Arab leaders about the Syrian people’s suffering. And we call on Council members to press the regime for concrete actions to implement Resolution 2254.
That said, ahead of last year’s Arab League Summit, the United States expressed our belief that inviting Assad to sit at the same table as other regional leaders would do nothing to help the people of Syria, and would not end this decade-plus-long conflict. We remain skeptical that the Arab League’s engagement with the Syrian regime will accomplish its objectives.
Still, we continue to urge those engaging with the regime to do so in pursuit of the objectives of Security Council Resolution 2254.
For our part, the United States will continue to support efforts to hold the Assad regime accountable for its atrocities, and will continue to lead the way in providing assistance to the Syrian people.
Thirteen years since this conflict began, it is long past time that the regime end its intransigence, and genuinely work with the opposition to reach agreement on a path forward for all of Syria. And I think a good place to start would be a return to the Constitutional Committee.
Absent authentic and enduring progress toward a political resolution of the conflict, we cannot consider lifting U.S. sanctions.
And let me reiterate the U.S.’s concern that the Syrian regime has allowed Iranian-aligned militia groups to operate on its territory, even as Iran provides these militias with advanced weapons systems, intelligence support, financial aid, and training. Iran’s militant proxies and partners only seek to advance their own destabilizing agenda, and it is clear the Syrian people increasingly resent their presence.
The United States will continue to work with our diplomatic partners to prevent further escalation in Syria and its neighboring countries. And we will continue to push for sustainable humanitarian aid, and a sustainable political resolution to this conflict, to give the Syrian people a taste of democracy, stability, and the freedom they deserve.
And let me say to my Russian colleague: Don’t throw stones when you live in a glass house. You are carrying out an unprovoked war in Ukraine – against the people of Ukraine. And yet you speak here about peace? It is a clear reflection of your commitment or lack there of and your humanitarian concerns.
And finally, I really want to ask about your commitment to Syria. What did you contribute to Syria’s humanitarian needs or to Syria’s recovery needs that you speak so strongly about? So, let’s not talk about hypocrisy in this room.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
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