Syria: Briefing and Consultations
Tomorrow morning (17 December), the Security Council will hold a briefing on the political and humanitarian situations in Syria. Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher will brief on political and humanitarian developments, respectively, via videoconference (VTC) from Damascus. Two civil society representatives are also expected to brief. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing. Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Türkiye are expected to participate under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.
Tomorrow’s briefing will mark the Council’s first open meeting since the 8 December ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as a result of a major offensive launched by rebel forces, involving Security Council-listed terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian National Army, a coalition of armed groups allegedly backed by Türkiye. (For more information, see our 9 December What’s in Blue story.)
On 10 December, Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani), HTS’ leader and commander of the new administration, installed Mohammed al-Bashir to lead a caretaker government through March 2025. (Bashir had previously headed the Syrian Salvation Government [SSG] in Idlib, a body established by HTS in 2017 to govern the territory it controlled.) In the following days, the transitional government announced its ministerial portfolios, which reportedly include individuals affiliated with the SSG. On 12 December, the transitional authorities announced that the Syrian parliament and former constitution would be suspended for the interim transitional period and a new legal and human rights committee would be established to examine and introduce amendments to the constitution.
Although the situation continues to evolve, the developments in Syria so far have already brought about a pivotal shift in the region’s geopolitical landscape. Iran and Russia, close allies of ousted President Assad who have maintained a military presence in the country over the years, seem to be recalibrating their positions. Media reports cited an Iranian government spokesperson as saying that 4,000 Iranian citizens had been evacuated, although it was unclear if they included pilgrims, diplomats, or military personnel. Russia has reportedly evacuated 400 soldiers from Damascus, in coordination with HTS, who had been stationed at the Syrian Army’s fourth division headquarters in Qudsaya. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative of the President of Russia for Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov reportedly confirmed Moscow’s contacts with HTS and expressed hope that Russia would be able to retain two key bases in Syria, a naval base in Tartous and the Khmeimim air base near Lattakia.
Meanwhile, on 14 December, Türkiye reopened its embassy in Damascus, which had been closed since March 2012 when it severed diplomatic ties with Syria amid the Assad government’s violent crackdown on civil unrest during the Syrian civil war. Yesterday (15 December), Qatar announced the resumption of operations in its embassy in Damascus starting tomorrow, noting that the decision coincided with the “triumph of the Syrian people’s revolution”. Earlier, media reports indicated that Türkiye’s intelligence chief, İbrahim Kalın, and Qatar’s head of state security, Khalfan al-Kaabi, visited Damascus on 12 December to meet with the transitional leadership.
Recent days have witnessed a flurry of high-level diplomatic engagement on the situation in Syria. On 12 December, the Group of Seven (G7)—which includes Council members France, Japan, the UK, and the US—issued a statement expressing support for a Syrian-led political transition process in line with principles enshrined in resolution 2254 of 18 December 2015, which focused on finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis. The statement stressed the need for establishing a credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance system that upholds the rule of law and human rights, protects all Syrians—including religious and ethnic minorities—and promotes transparency and accountability. It highlighted the importance of preventing institutional collapse, supporting recovery efforts, and ensuring safe, voluntary returns for displaced Syrians. Tomorrow, the briefers and several Council members are likely to reiterate some of these messages.
On 14 December, the Arab ministerial contact group on Syria—comprising Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and League of Arab States (LAS) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit—convened in Aqaba, Jordan. The meeting was also attended by the foreign ministers of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar. In a statement released following the meeting, the representatives expressed support for a peaceful and inclusive political transitional process, that will be “sponsored” by the UN and the LAS, and follow the principles and objectives of resolution 2254. They stressed the need for an inclusive transitional period leading to a new political system through UN-supervised free and fair elections, based on a new constitution and within specific timeframes in accordance with the mechanisms adopted by resolution 2254. They also requested the UN Secretary-General to begin working on establishing a UN mission to assist Syria in achieving a political process. On the margins, the Arab contact group and other countries that participated in the 14 December meeting held a joint meeting with Pedersen and representatives of France, Germany, Türkiye, the UK, the US, the European Union (EU).
Tomorrow, Pedersen is expected to update Council members about his engagements with international stakeholders and the different Syrian parties. In his remarks upon arrival in Damascus on 15 December, Pedersen highlighted several challenges facing the country, including the urgent need to initiate an inclusive political process, restore state institutions, increase humanitarian assistance for Syrians and returning refugees, address justice and accountability for crimes, and work towards economic recovery. At the time of writing, Pedersen had met with Sharaa, Bashir, and a delegation of the Syrian Negotiations Commission (SNC)—which was established as the political opposition to the Assad government and includes military representatives who had taken part in the recent military offensive in Syria. In his engagements, Pedersen briefed on the outcome of the 14 December meeting in Aqaba and stressed the need for a credible and inclusive Syrian-led political transition based on the principles of resolution 2254. Tomorrow, members might be interested in hearing Pedersen’s assessment of the current situation on the ground, the willingness of the parties to engage in an inclusive political transition, and potential steps to advance the political process within the framework of resolution 2254.
Fletcher is expected to provide an overview of the dire humanitarian situation in the country, including challenges stemming from the recent military campaign. He may also address the economic disruptions and obstacles hindering the delivery of humanitarian assistance. According to a 12 December flash update from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the situation has stabilised in parts of Syria, although insecurity remains high in others, notably in the city of Menbij in the Aleppo governorate and in north-east Syria, including in the Al-Hasakeh and Ar-Raqqa governorates. Since 27 November, almost 1.1 million people have been displaced across the country due to the intensified hostilities, the majority of whom are women and children.
The OCHA update added that humanitarian activities continued where security conditions allowed, with limited operations resuming in Damascus, Tartous, Lattakia, and Ar-Raqqa. Moreover, the cross-border humanitarian operations from Türkiye continued without impediments, according to the update. It also noted that humanitarian access and aid delivery remained challenging in parts of north-east Syria, where movement is restricted across Ar-Raqqa, Tabqa, Hassakeh, and Derik due to checkpoints.
Tomorrow, Fletcher is likely to stress the urgent need to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure as well as humanitarian aid workers. He may call on the parties to adhere to international humanitarian law, emphasise the need for unhindered humanitarian access throughout the country, and appeal for increased funding for humanitarian operations. Fletcher might also share his impressions from his visit to Damascus, where he met with Sharaa and Bashir. In a statement issued earlier today, Secretary-General António Guterres referenced Fletcher’s engagements and welcomed the transitional authorities’ commitment to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers, and their agreement to grant full humanitarian access through all border crossings, streamline permits and visas for humanitarian workers, and ensure the continuity of essential government services.
Tomorrow, some members might also voice concern about the continuing hostilities in some parts of the country, particularly the north, and call on relevant parties to maintain calm and agree to a nationwide ceasefire. Some members might also underline the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and condemn the continuing Israeli airstrikes in the country. Since the collapse of the Assad government, Israel has reportedly struck Syria more than 450 times, targeting its navy and dozens of air bases, ammunition depots, and other military equipment.
Council members are currently negotiating a French-authored draft press statement on the situation in Syria and the areas of operations of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). At the time of writing, a revised draft of the press statement was under silence until 11 am tomorrow.
