UNITED NATIONS: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres supports the work of the UN’s independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria in gathering evidence of alleged crimes against civilians during the 6 1/2-year civil war and regrets the resignation of Carla del Ponte, the UN said Monday.
Del Ponte announced she was resigning from the commission in frustration at the Security Council’s inaction to hold criminals accountable in war-battered Syria where she said “everyone is bad.” In comments published Sunday by the Swiss magazine Blick, she criticized President Bashar Assad’s government, his opponents and the international community.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general considers accountability “critical” and “supports the continued work of the commission as an important and integral part of the accountability process.”
As for del Ponte, he said Guterres “is grateful for her service and her contribution to the important work of the commission, also as a tireless advocate for the cause of accountability throughout her career.”
Del Ponte, who gained fame as the prosecutor for the international tribunals that investigated atrocities in Rwanda and Yugoslavia, has repeatedly decried the Security Council’s refusal to appoint a similar court for the Syrian conflict.
Permanent members Russia, a key backer of Assad’s government, and ally China vetoed a UN resolution in May 2014 to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, the world’s permanent war crimes tribunal.
“Believe me, the terrible crimes committed in Syria I neither saw in Rwanda nor ex-Yugoslavia,” del Ponte told Blick. “We thought the international community had learned from Rwanda. But no, it learned nothing.”
“I give up. The states in the Security Council don’t want justice,” Del Ponte said. “I can’t any longer be part of this commission which simply doesn’t do anything.”
The commission was set up in August 2011 by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to investigate crimes in Syria, no matter who committed them. Since then, it has compiled thousands of interviews and keeps a list of suspected war criminals under lock and key at the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
Del Pointe, who was appointed to the commission in September 2012, said she will take part in the commission’s September meeting, her last.
The commission issued a statement saying it was aware since mid-June of del Ponte’s plans to leave and insisted that its work “must continue” to help bring perpetrators in Syria to justice.
Del Ponte’s resignation shrinks the commission to two members — chair Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and Karen AbuZayd.
Dujarric said “the commission will continue its work” and questions about a replacement for del Ponte should go to the Human Rights Council and the remaining commission members.
He stressed that accountability takes time.
“Information needs to be gathered in a way that will stand up wherever and whatever circumstances people will have to face justice,” Dujarric said. “It’s something we can understand is deeply frustrating to the victims first and foremost.”
With Security Council action blocked, the UN General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, voted last December to establish an investigative body that will assist in documenting and prosecuting the most serious violations of international law in Syria, including possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Dujarric noted that the new head of this body, French judge Catherine Marchi-Uhel, who was the ombudsperson considering appeals by individuals and entities subject to UN sanctions for links to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State extremist group, starts work on Tuesday.
“It is no secret to anyone that the deadlock in the Security Council, I think, has been a source of frustration not only for the secretary-general but for others inside the UN,” Dujarric said. “There’s no getting around the Security Council, and I think we have repeatedly called for greater unity of purpose from Security Council members on the issue of Syria.”
UN chief supports UN commission on Syria despite resignation
UN chief supports UN commission on Syria despite resignation
Palestinians in Jenin observe a general strike
- The Palestinian Authority exercises limited authority in population centers in the West Bank
An Associated Press reporter in Jenin heard gunfire and explosions, apparently from clashes between militants and Palestinian security forces. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded. There was no sign of Israeli troops in the area.
Shops were closed in the city on Monday, the day after militants killed a member of the Palestinian security forces and wounded two others.
Militant groups called for a general strike across the territory, accusing the security forces of trying to disarm them in support of Israel’s half-century occupation of the territory.
The Western-backed Palestinian Authority is internationally recognized but deeply unpopular among Palestinians, in part because it cooperates with Israel on security matters. Israel accuses the authority of incitement and of failing to act against armed groups.
The Palestinian Authority blamed Sunday’s attack on “outlaws.” It says it is committed to maintaining law and order but will not police the occupation.
The Palestinian Authority exercises limited authority in population centers in the West Bank. Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast War, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state.
Israel’s current government is opposed to Palestinian statehood and says it will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Violence has soared in the West Bank following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there.
Qatari minister arrives in Damascus on first Qatar Airways flight since Assad’s fall
DUBAI: Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs arrived in Damascus on Monday on the first Qatar Airways flight to the Syrian capital since the fall of President Bashar Assad two weeks ago, Doha’s foreign ministry said.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Mohammed Al-Khulaifi was the most senior official of the Gulf Arab state to visit Syria since militants toppled the Assad family’s 54-year-long rule.
Iran foreign ministry affirms support for Syria’s sovereignty
- Assad fled Syria earlier this month as rebel forces led by the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) entered the capital Damascus
TEHRAN: Iran affirmed its support for Syria’s sovereignty on Monday, and said the country should not become “a haven for terrorism” after the fall of president Bashar Assad, a longtime Tehran ally.
“Our principled position on Syria is very clear: preserving the sovereignty and integrity of Syria and for the people of Syria to decide on its future without destructive foreign interference,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing.
He added that the country should not “become a haven for terrorism,” saying such an outcome would have “repercussions” for countries in the region.
Assad fled Syria earlier this month as rebel forces led by the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) entered the capital Damascus after a lightning offensive.
The takeover by HTS — proscribed as a terrorist organization by many governments including the United States — has sparked concern, though the group has in recent years sought to moderate its image.
Headed by Ahmed Al-Sharaa, Syria’s new leader and an ardent opponent of Iran, the group has spoken out against the Islamic republic’s influence in Syria under Assad.
Tehran helped prop up Assad during Syria’s long civil war, providing him with military advisers.
During Monday’s press briefing, Baqaei said Iran had “no direct contact” with Syria’s new rulers.
Sharaa has received a host of foreign delegations since coming to power.
He met on Sunday with Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, and on Monday with Jordan’s top diplomat Ayman Safadi.
On Friday, the United States’ top diplomat for the Middle East Barbara Leaf held a meeting with Sharaa, later saying she expected Syria would completely end any role for Iran in its affairs.
A handful of European delegations have also visited in recent days.
Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, which has long supported Syria’s opposition, is expected to send a delegation soon, according to Syria’s ambassador in Riyadh.
Iran says ‘no direct contact’ with Syria rulers
- Foreign ministry spokesman: ‘We have no direct contact with the ruling authority in Syria’
TEHRAN: Iran said Monday it had “no direct contact” with Syria’s new rulers after the fall of president Bashar Assad, a longtime Tehran ally.
“We have no direct contact with the ruling authority in Syria,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press briefing.
Jordan FM holds talks with Syria’s new leader, calls for inclusive government
- It was the first visit by a senior Jordanian official since Bashar Assad’s fall
- Safadi expressed concern over Israel's growing involvement in Syria, warning that it is exacerbating regional conflicts
AMMAN: Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urged the formation of a Syrian government that represents all factions, during his meeting with Syria’s new leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Damascus on Monday,
He emphasized the need for a comprehensive political process to resolve the ongoing crisis and called on the United Nations to step in and assist Syria. The minister also reaffirmed Jordan's readiness to support efforts aimed at rebuilding the war-torn country.
Meanwhile, Safadi expressed concern over Israel's growing involvement in Syria, warning that it is exacerbating regional conflicts.
It was the first visit by a senior Jordanian official since Assad’s fall.
Jordan, which borders Syria to the south, hosted a summit earlier this month where top Arab, Turkish, EU and US diplomats called for an inclusive and peaceful transition after years of civil war.
Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad on December 8, has welcomed senior officials from a host of countries in the Middle East and beyond in recent days.
Jordanian government spokesman Mohamed Momani told reporters on Sunday that Amman “sides with the will of the brotherly Syrian people,” stressing the close ties between the two nations.
Momani said the kingdom would like to see security and stability restored in Syria, and supported “the unity of its territories.”
Stability in war-torn Syria was in Jordan’s interests, Momani said, and would “ensure security on its borders.”
Some Syrians who had fled the war since 2011 and sought refuge in Jordan have begun returning home, according to Jordanian authorities.
The interior ministry said Thursday that more than 7,000 Syrians had left, out of some 1.3 million refugees Amman says it has hosted.
According to the United Nations, 680,000 Syrian refugees were registered with it in Jordan.
Jordan in recent years has tightened border controls in a crackdown on drug and weapon smuggling along its 375-kilometer border with Syria.
One of the main drugs smuggled is the amphetamine-like stimulant captagon, for which there is huge demand in the oil-rich Gulf.
