Press stakeout by UN Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, following the UN Security Council briefing

SdeM: Thank you. This was an open session, so you I’m sure you have been following it and you heard what was said. So basically, what I can say is that the Security Council was now in the private session, completely supportive of the role that the UN is expected to have in following up both on resolution 2254 and on the outcome of the declaration in Sochi for the facilitating the establishment of the constitutional committee in Geneva. I can’t speak for the President [of the Council], but I can tell you what I told them when I thanked them for what I heard.

Second - now going back to the main points because there are some points that are more important than others - you must of heard how extremely worried everybody was about the military escalation in several areas of Syria, you heard that and frankly that was repeated. And it was also particularly evident due to a clear danger of regional spillovers which can have unpredictable consequences; that is a major concern. And then the consequence of lack of humanitarian access, and you heard that too and it was reiterated again at level of Security Council. And the fact that as I said in four years this is probably one of the most potentially dangerous moments I’ve seen in the conflict.

On the political process, I explained the outcome of the recent Sochi conference, which has a final declaration - only one, there is only one final declaration and the Russian Federation very wisely and very effectively today distributed to the Security Council; and that one speaks very clearly on what is the UN role and what are the expectations of a UN role. We will be working on that basis and working hard with a role of facilitating, in a most creative possible way, what is required for a UN-facilitated, but Syrian-led, constitutional process. There is no country in the world where the constitution be written by foreigners, we all agree on that. But in view of the major differences which exist among the Syrians, there is no surprise that 2254 - that is the only mandate I have - but also Sochi have indicated the need for the UN to facilitate that in Geneva and that’s what we plan to do. Over to you, I know you have a question.

Question: Yes Special Envoy, we listened very carefully to what Ambassador Jafari said, that he seemed to say that it wasn’t your role to choose the members of this constitutional committee. We’ve watched you do this hard work for four years going all over the world, but what we constantly see is the Syrian Government not being prepared to fully engage with your plans, isn’t now time it’s yet again they seem not to be engaging for you to call them out on their obstruction?

SdeM: Thank you, I’m a diplomat and I’m a facilitator, my job is not to call out anyone - it’s actually to make sure that we move forward. And as I just said, we are working on the basis of a very clear Security Council mandate and basically on a very clear message I got from the Security Council today; and what is said in the final declaration is that we have a job to do with respect to the Syrian-led job to do in writing a new constitution, but we will implement what we’ve been asked to do.

Question: You choose the members though, do you?

SdeM: I’m not talking about members, I’m talking about rules, the procedures, the timing; all that needs to be properly organized by the Syrians with the UN facilitation.

Question: Mr. Special Envoy, I want to ask you about French Ambassador’s comments that we are now at serious risk of an international and regional confrontation in Syria, do you share the same concern about it, given the recent deteriorating developments in Syria, do you share the same concern?

SdeM: I think I said it actually, if you read or heard carefully what I said, I think that in four years of my current mandate I think there’ve been few moments where the danger, potential danger not only of an implosion inside but of an explosion in terms of regional spillover of unpredictable consequences is there; that’s why the Security Council needs to be united. I must say I found in the private meeting [consultations] a lot of unity and frankly common concern about it. Sometimes when thing gets so dangerous, that’s exactly when the Security Council is more motivated to be united.

Question: Special Envoy, you didn’t mention in your remarks the proposal for a 30-day humanitarian ceasefire, which is before the Council now in the form of a draft resolution, do you think such a ceasefire is feasible? Do you think Russia should support that?

SdeM: First, I leave it to Russia to answer the second part, although in the meeting they were expressing themselves some concern regarding the lack of humanitarian action, but anyway I leave it to them. Regarding a ceasefire, for humanitarian access, as you know I have a very senior and very respectable colleague which is Mark Lowcock who has that file - that’s why I didn’t elaborate on that, my file is more on the political, but you’re right everything is connected; having political talks in Geneva with humanitarian tragedy or escalation obviously is not a good proposition at all, we have done that, through that before. Bottom line what I think I would have said if I had more time to elaborate on that was, there is an urgent need for de-escalation which means ceasefire, specifically in order to allow convoys to reach the besieged and the hard-to-reach areas. Now thirty days, forty days, twenty days, I leave it to Mark Lowcock to indicate - but sustained and sustainable yes–it can’t just be one day.

Question: I would like to read to you a few words from the speech of Ambassador Bashar Jaafari, he is arguing that the people, the Syrian people in Sochi conference did not give Mr. de Mistura, Special Envoy to Syria, any authorization for mandate to (inaudible) the constitution of the, constitutional committee and that we in Syria are committed to what the people have voted for in that conference and we are not concerned with any, with any committee being formed by a foreign body - meaning the UN in this case. He’s arguing that you don’t have the mandate from the conference in Sochi and hence they’re not concerned. If the chief negotiator of the Syrian Government is not concerned with what your efforts are going to be, how do you aim, how you going to create success?
SdeM: First of all you were - he was referring and you are referring to the Sochi declaration -correct? Good. Let me read it to you. The Sochi declaration says that the constitutional committee would at the very least comprise government, opposition representatives in the intra-Syrian talks (the opposition we convene in Geneva), experts, civil society, independents, tribal leaders and women. Care would be taken to ensure adequate representation of Syria ethnic and religious components – OK? Final agreement is to be reached in the UN-led, UN-led Geneva process on the mandate, terms of reference, powers, rules of procedure, selection criteria for the composition of the constitutional committee. And the Sochi declaration, which is the one Ambassador Jaafari was referring to says, we appeal to the UN Secretary-General to assign the Special Envoy for Syria for the assistance – facilitation - of the constitutional committee work in Geneva. That’s what I will be doing.

Question: But Mr. de Mistura, you must agree that if the chief negotiator does not recognize all what you have just read now and he is not concerned with the committee that you gonna form under (inaudible) supervision that doesn’t overwhelm to the success of your mission Sir?

SdeM: My mission is not an easy one. Thank you.

New York, 14 February 2018