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Syria - Q&A on current unrest
The Syrian authorities continue to ignore the urgent appeals made by the international community including a number of regional States, the Gulf Cooperation Council, by the Secretaries-General of the League of Arab States and of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. They continue to violently repress their people in an attempt to subdue peaceful protest. They have ignored the voices of thousands of Syrians and consistently misled them and the international community with empty promises.
Russia and China vetoed a European-backed UN Security Council resolution that threatened targeted measures against the Assad regime if it did not halt its military crackdown against civilians. It would have been the first legally binding resolution adopted by the Security Council since Syria security forces began using tanks and soldiers against protesters in mid-March.
Commenting on the vote’s outcome the Foreign Secretary said “the decision of Russia and China to veto this resolution, and to side with the brutal regime rather than with the people of Syria is deeply mistaken and regrettable. They will have this action on their conscience. We will redouble our efforts to work with other nations to increase the pressure on the regime wherever we can, and assure the people of Syria that they will not be forgotten."
Meanwhile, the Syrian authorities, ignoring the mounting death toll from the bloody government crackdown on dissent, says external critics were to blame for the violence and for causing delays in President Assad's plans for democratic reforms. But the facts on the ground, as documented by the UN, western NGOs and Syrian human rights activists speak louder: the Syrian government has engaged in a merciless campaign of killings, torture, and arbitrary detentions to silence its people. The international community needs to take notice and act.
The British Government have released a number of statements over recent months condemning the appalling violence and calling for the Syrian regime to stop.
What is the UK Doing?
The UK tabled with France, Germany and Portugal a carefully drafted and entirely reasonable resolution which they put to a vote on Tuesday 04 October. The text took account of the need for all sides to reject violence, stressed that a political transition should be Syrian-led and was explicit that Security Council consideration of sanctions against Syria should not include military action. The tabling of this Resolution followed months of horrific abuses against civilians by President Assad and his regime, during which the regime has had repeated opportunities to stop the violence and to reform had it intended to do so. The Russian and Chinese decision to veto the resolution will be seen in the region as a decision to side with a brutal regime rather than with the people of Syria, and will be a bitter blow to all those Syrians who have implored the international community to take a stand. The vote on the Syria UNSC resolution was not our ideal outcome but we will redoubling our efforts as we continue to work with our international partners to increase the pressure on the regime wherever we can.
The UN Human Rights Council met in Geneva on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 August for a special session on Syria and passed a strong resolution that condemned the gross human rights violations and established an independent Commission of Inquiry – it had broad regional and international support, including the full backing of the United Kingdom.
On 18 August, the British, French and German Government’s issued a statement calling for Assad to step aside and that “he had lost all legitimacy and can no longer claim to lead the country.” They added:
“The Syrian authorities have ignored the urgent appeals made over recent days by the United Nations Security Council, by numerous States in the region, the Gulf Cooperation Council and by the Secretaries-General of the League of Arab States and of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. They continue to cruelly and violently repress their people and flatly refuse to fulfil their legitimate aspirations. They have ignored the voices of the Syrian people and continuously misled them and the international community with empty promises…We urge the Syrian regime to stop all violence immediately, to release all prisoners of conscience and to allow free access to the United Nations for an independent assessment of the situation…Our three countries believe that President Assad, who is resorting to brutal military force against his own people and who is responsible for the situation, has lost all legitimacy and can no longer claim to lead the country. We call on him to face the reality of the complete rejection of his regime by the Syrian people and to step aside in the best interests of Syria and the unity of its people.”
The US Government released a statement on the same day announcing that Assad should step aside.
The British Government is now considering further steps to increase pressure on Assad to bring an end to the brutal violence, working with the EU to develop further sanctions and continuing our diplomatic activity with UNSC partners.
On sanctions:
The British Government has led the way in introducing European Union measures against the Syrian regime, including against President Assad. The measures include an arms embargo, a suspension of technical funding related to military activities to Syria, a ban on the export of items that could be used for internal repression and a ban on the import of Syrian oil and petroleum products. In 7 rounds of sanctions, the EU has subjected a total of 56 individuals and 18 entities to asset freezes and travel bans which are targeted against those supporting, or benefitting from, the regime, and those associated with them. On 24 September the EU imposed a ban on new investment in the Syrian oil industry, an embargo on exports of Syrian banknotes and coinage from the EU to the Central Bank of Syria, and a freeze on, amongst others, the assets of Dounia TV, SyriaTel and Cham Holdings held in the EU. Members of the Syrian Government were also listed.
The sanctions are targeted carefully and designed to encourage President Assad and those around him to reject the use of violence and embrace genuine reform. They must recognise that they must do so or step aside.
The UK and its EU partners will keep up the international pressure on the Syrian regime until there is a complete end to the violence, all political prisoners have been released, Syrian population is allowed to protest peacefully, and the Syrian Government engages substantively and concretely with the legitimate demands of the protestors.
Why are you calling for President Assad to go?
After months of resorting to brutal military force against his own people, including the killing of approximately 2000 civilians and the detention and torture of thousands more, it is clear that President Assad and his regime are not committed to delivering the reform demanded by the Syrian people. The British Government believes that Assad has lost all legitimacy and can no longer claim to lead the country. It is in the best interests of the Syrian people for him to step aside. This follows months of the British Government calling for Assad to either reform or step aside but through his failure to deliver on the much promised reforms, the time has now come for a peaceful transition to a different type of regime in Syria.
It is not for the British Government to decide who should govern Syria. It is for the Syrian people to determine the leadership of their country and their own future. The most important step which Assad must take is to stop the violence. As long as the killing and detentions continue there can be no discussions about a way forward.
You're calling for Assad to go/step aside. Does this mean you think the Opposition are ready to take over? If Assad does go, wouldn't this create a power vacuum in Syria and lead to sectarian chaos?
The British Government wants to see an end to the violence and a peaceful transition to a more representative form of government. Syrian Opposition groups are making rapid progress to deliver a coherent and credible transition strategy to win over the middle-ground of Syrian opinion. This is despite the incredible level of repression, intimidation and violence directed against them and their family members by an increasingly desperate Assad regime. With our encouragement and support, the Syrian Opposition can help to bring about the vision of a more stable, representative and secure Syria, without Assad.
Why are you calling for Assad to step aside now, just as he has announced that military operations have stopped?
The most up-to-date information we have about the situation on the ground does not support these claims. While some elements of the Syrian security forces have withdrawn from district centres, they remain in many other areas. We have seen before the movement of security forces from town to town and city to city, following those fleeing the violence. This was the case in Hama following the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister earlier this month. But as we saw then, the violence continued and spread further. Countries in the region and the wider international community have called for an immediate end to all the violence in Syria. What we have seen today/in recent days is not an immediate stop to the violence and the repression. President Assad has the ability to stop the violence. He has chosen not to. President Assad will judged by his actions, not his words. As the E3 statement said, the Syrian authorities have continuously misled the Syrian people and the international community with empty promises. The British Government urges the Syrian regime to release all prisoners of conscience and to allow free access to the United Nations for an independent assessment of the situation.
Is the UK and the rest of the international community trying to impose their will on Syria?
These events have been driven by the Syrian people. They were neither started nor perpetuated by outside intervention. The Arab Spring has shown that demands for political and economic freedom will spread more widely and by themselves, not because western nations advocate these things, but because they are the natural aspirations of all people everywhere. Each country is different and has the right to develop its own political model. Change has been led by the people of the people of the region. But this is a historic moment of change. We will support reform and greater respect for human rights and will not stand by when there is repression and human rights abuses.
All international pressure has had the sole aim of discouraging the Syrian regime from repression and bloodshed, to allow space for genuine dialogue and reform. This is not and should not be about Britain or anyone else imposing a particular model on another sovereign state.
We are adding our voice to those of ordinary Syrians who have made it abundantly clear they want Assad to leave. Getting the Assad regime to step aside is the main unifying factor behind this groundswell of Syrian people and Opposition groups. Whilst there is no agreed manifesto that represents all of the opposition or protestors on the street, this initiative is fast developing
Where a regime thinks it can act with impunity to repress peaceful protest or arrest activists for their political views, the international community has an obligation to exert legitimate and legal pressure on that state to refrain from such behaviour and respect the fundamental rights of its people. The UK and EU will continue to stand up to protect the values it believes in, including freedom of expression and respect for human rights.
There is appalling bloodshed in Syria. More people have died than in Libya. Where is your consistency?
Each situation is different. There is not the same level of international support to take action. In the case of Libya the Arab League issued a call for intervention to the rest of the world through the United Nations Security Council. The United Nations Security Council carried a resolution authorising the protection of civilians. No such consensus has been achieved in the case of Syria.
It is also clear that just because we can’t act everywhere, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t act somewhere. Our principles remain the same: Governments need to respond to legitimate aspirations with reform not repression to enhance their/the region’s long-term stability and prosperity.
Syrian Reform: Myths and Reality
The Syrian Government has responded to protest and criticism of its subsequent actions by claiming to start a process of reform. This piece examines the gap between what it has promised and what it has delivered.
