Syria: Adoption of Presidential Statement
Today (14 March) at 12:30 pm, the Security Council is expected to adopt a presidential statement on the situation in Syria. The statement, co-authored by Russia and the US, is a response to sectarian conflict between 6 and 10 March that reportedly left hundreds of civilians dead in Syria’s coastal governorates of Latakia and Tartous, representing the most dangerous escalation of violence in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.
Background
Violence erupted after Alawite militias loyal to Assad—who is of Alawite ethnic descent—coordinated attacks on security and military sites of the caretaker authorities, which led to forces affiliated with the authorities moving into the region and pursuing the Assad-loyalist fighters, resulting in large-scale killings, including of many civilians. In a 9 March statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk highlighted reports of “summary executions on a sectarian basis by unidentified perpetrators, by members of the caretaker authorities’ security forces, as well as by elements associated with the former government”. In a 10 March interview with Reuters, Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa alluded to a lack of coordination between Syria’s military forces, noting that “many parties entered the Syrian coast and many violations occurred”.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based human rights monitoring organisation, has said that around 1,454 people, including 973 civilians, had been killed between 6 and 9 March, and attributed most civilian deaths to Syria’s caretaker forces and their allied groups. These reports have not been independently verified, however, and the exact number of deaths and their attributions remain unclear.
At the request of Russia and the US, joined by Denmark, France, and Greece, Council members held closed consultations on 10 March, during which Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen briefed on the latest developments in the country. During this meeting, Russia and the US announced that they would be circulating a draft presidential statement to address the recent escalation in violence.
Draft Presidential Statement
The agreed draft presidential statement echoes many of the messages expressed by Council members in the 10 March consultations, during which they apparently urged the caretaker authorities to swiftly ensure that violence stops, to protect civilians, and to pursue accountability against those responsible for the violence.
In the agreed statement, the Security Council condemns “the widespread violence perpetrated…in Latakia and Tartus, which has included mass killings of civilians, particularly among the Alawite community”. The statement calls on all parties to immediately cease all violence and to ensure that all civilians, civilian infrastructure, and humanitarian operations are protected. Similarly, it calls on the caretaker authorities “to protect all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religion”. While welcoming the public condemnation of the Syrian caretaker authorities of instances of violence, it also calls for further measures to prevent its recurrence.
On 9 March, Sharaa announced the formation of an independent fact-finding committee tasked with identifying those responsible for the mass killings and bringing them to justice. He also announced the formation of an additional committee to maintain public peace and reconciliation and facilitate support and communication between communities towards national unity. These developments are noted in the agreed text, which calls for “swift, transparent, independent, impartial and comprehensive investigations, in line with international standards, to ensure accountability and to bring all perpetrators to justice”. The statement further underlines the “urgency of inclusive and transparent justice and reconciliation processes” in Syria. According to media reports, Sharaa has stressed that he is ready to punish “even among those closest” to him for complicity in the killings.
Grave concern is expressed in the agreed presidential statement about the “acute threat” posed by foreign terrorist fighters. The statement urges Syria to take decisive measures to address this threat, in line with Security Council resolutions related to countering terrorism and to the situation in Syria. In this regard, eyewitness accounts have indicated that a number of foreign fighters participated in attacks against Alawite civilians during the hostilities. At the 10 March consultations, Pedersen apparently stressed that the challenge regarding the foreign fighters is significant and suggested that the caretaker leadership has underestimated the consequences and scope of their influence.
The agreed statement further calls for an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, based on key principles outlined in resolution 2254, a message that has been reiterated by Council members on several occasions. (Adopted on 18 December 2015, resolution 2254 focused on a political solution to the Syria crisis.) The statement underscores that the political process should meet the “legitimate aspirations of all Syrians” in a way that allows them to “peacefully, independently and democratically determine their futures”.
Negotiations on the Draft Presidential Statement
Members recognised the need for the Council to respond swiftly in response to the outbreak of the recent violence in Syria. The negotiations were therefore apparently marked by constructive engagement from members.
Russia and the US shared an initial draft of the presidential statement with Council members on Monday evening (11 March), requesting comments by Wednesday afternoon (12 March). The co-penholders then circulated a second draft late on Wednesday evening and put it under silence until yesterday afternoon (13 March), but silence was broken by the “A3 plus” members (Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Guyana) . A third draft, which was circulated yesterday evening, was agreed following a second brief silence period.
One key issue in the negotiations centred on language proposed by the “A3 plus” members related to Israel’s military activity in Syria. This group and other members have expressed concern about Israel’s actions in Syria since Assad’s ouster, which many members believe is fostering further instability in the country, at a time when it is facing various other security challenges. Although the final statement calls on all states to uphold Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, the “A3 plus” members would have preferred to explicitly cite language from Council members’ 17 December 2024 press statement on Syria. That statement called for respect of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria, including the principles regarding the Area of Separation in the Golan, and stressed “the obligation on all parties to fully abide by its terms and to maintain calm and reduce tensions”. While the agreed presidential statement does not include an explicit reference to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, language was added calling on all states to “refrain from any action or interference that may further destabilize Syria”. (For more information, see the brief on Syria and the brief on the UN Disengagement Observer Force [UNDOF] in our March 2025 Monthly Forecast.)
During the negotiations, language was added to the draft presidential statement explicitly condemning attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals. It appears that the penholders incorporated this text by adapting an amendment proposed by the “A3 plus” members. The “A3 plus” members also proposed an amendment recognising the UN’s role in facilitating the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, which was accepted and is included in the agreed presidential statement.
While the initial version of the draft urged decisive measures to be taken to counteract the threat of terrorism in Syria, it did not indicate who should be responsible for taking such measures. One of the permanent members apparently suggested that “the Syrian interim authorities” should be explicitly referenced in this regard. Ultimately, the final version of the text urges “Syria” to take decisive measures against foreign terrorist fighters.
Some of the issues raised in the presidential statement are likely to be discussed during consultations on UNDOF planned for 19 March. The Council is also scheduled to meet on Syria on 25 March to discuss political and humanitarian developments in the country. However, other Council meetings on the file could be convened before then, given the rapidly unfolding developments in the country.
