The United Nations Security Council is preparing to open consultations on a new draft resolution on Syria. The draft should arrived on the tables of the 15 any day now. In the meantime, the situation on the ground in Syria is worsening, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his concern over a “dangerous intensification” of the conflict. Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi will be meeting the Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil El Araby, at the Foreign Minister on Wednesday 13 June, with a press conference scheduled at the end of the meeting.
Ban Ki-moon’s concern
The UN Secretary General’s expression of concern was accompanied by a request to allow UN observers access to the city of Haffa, where heavy shelling has been reported in the last few days. Ban Ki-moon added that “intensive military operations” against Homs and other towns by government forces, in some cases using helicopters, have caused a large number of civilian victims.
The intensification of the UN’s diplomatic action was confirmed by Ahmad Fawzi, the spokesperson of Kofi Annan, the UN and Arab League Special Envoy for Syria. Fawzi reported that Annan and the Secretary General are working to push all governments with powers of influence to “twist arms” to get the parties to implement the Special Envoy’s 6-point plan for a cessation of violence and the opening of a political dialogue.
Towards a new resolution
Work continues at the United Nations for a new resolution, while Russia is working on an international conference to resolve the crisis, which has now lasted more than 15 months. The knot to be unravelled is the possible presence of Teheran, the Syrian regime’s chief ally, at the conference table. The goal is to negotiate concrete steps to find a lasting solution to end the massacres. Another aim is to encourage the role of external operators who could exert a real influence to encourage the different parties on the ground to adopt concrete measures to support the Annan Peace Plan and ensure that UN Security Council resolutions 2042 and 2043 are implemented.
