Syria: Briefing and Consultations
Tomorrow morning (21 May), the Security Council will hold its monthly meeting on the political and humanitarian situations in Syria. Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis is expected to chair the meeting. UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Director of Coordination Ramesh Rajasingham will brief the Council. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.
There have been major political and security developments in Syria in recent weeks. The transitional government led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa—the former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Security Council-listed terrorist group with previous ties to al-Qaeda—has conducted extensive diplomatic engagement to garner support for Syria’s rebuilding and reintegration into the international community.
On 13 May, US President Donald Trump announced that he would lift all US sanctions against Syria—which include wide-ranging trade and financial restrictions—and consider normalising ties with Damascus. Trump’s announcement was made at a meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders during his state visit to Saudi Arabia, and he indicated that the move was requested by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On 14 May, Trump held a meeting in Riyadh with Sharaa, bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who joined remotely. According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump had five asks for Sharaa, namely to: establish diplomatic ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords; tell all “foreign terrorists” to leave Syria; deport “Palestinian terrorists”; help the US to prevent the resurgence of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh); and assume responsibility for ISIL detention centres in northeast Syria. At tomorrow’s meeting, the US is likely to reiterate these priorities.
Due to the complexity of US sanctions against Syria, it may take months to fully lift them and unlock the expected benefits. The announcement was celebrated in Damascus, however, as sanctions have posed a significant obstacle to the country’s economic recovery. In a 15 May state address, Sharaa said that the US decision will alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, help advance their progress, and lay the foundations for stability in the region. He added that Syria is committed to strengthening its economy and allowing investment that contributes to the country’s reconstruction and development.
Sharaa has also been conducting diplomatic outreach to European countries. On 7 May, he held a meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron. It marked Sharaa’s first visit to Europe since becoming interim President of Syria. During the meeting, Macron expressed support for lifting the European Union (EU)-imposed sanctions on Syria, contingent on the Syrian interim government’s commitment to justice and reforms. Today (20 May), EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas announced that EU foreign ministers had agreed to lift all remaining economic sanctions against the country. At tomorrow’s meeting, EU Security Council members—Denmark, France, Greece, and Slovenia—may refer to this development and highlight the importance of supporting Syria’s reconstruction and stability.
In a 13 May statement, Pedersen underscored the importance of sanctions relief in enabling the delivery of essential services, reviving the economy, unlocking regional support, and enabling Syrians to contribute to rebuilding their country. In a subsequent 15 May joint statement, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis Ramanathan Balakrishnan noted that sanctions relief has the potential to alleviate the protracted suffering of millions of Syrians and to “unlock tangible progress” in the delivery of humanitarian assistance and early recovery efforts. Tomorrow, speakers are likely to echo these messages, call for the swift implementation of sanctions relief, and urge the international community to leverage this opportunity to advance Syria’s early recovery.
Despite the lifting of sanctions, Pedersen might stress that the Syrian interim government still faces structural and capacity challenges that require additional international support to overcome. He may note that Syria’s economy is in dire condition due to years of instability and in this regard welcome the financial support provided by Qatar and Saudi Arabia to clear Syria’s outstanding debt to the World Bank. On 16 May, the World Bank said that the clearance allows them to “reengage with the country and address the development needs of the Syrian people”.
Rajasingham will likely emphasise that Syria remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with approximately 16.5 million people in need. He may highlight that funding shortfalls are negatively impacting response efforts, and that financial support is urgently needed to help address the rising needs of the population as thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons continue to return to their homes. Council members may also highlight other humanitarian concerns faced by Syrians, including lack of access to electricity and water and the threat of explosive remnants of war.
The country is also facing an unstable security situation. Tomorrow, Council members will likely raise concerns about the waves of sectarian violence that have taken place in recent weeks. Following the widespread attacks in March in the country’s coastal regions against Alawites—the ethnic minority to which former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad belonged—the end of April saw further clashes in the suburbs of Damascus targeting the Druze community—another minority group—which reportedly killed at least 119 people, including over a dozen civilians. Despite subsequent agreements aimed at de-escalating tensions, the violence has stoked fear of further violence among Syria’s minorities.
Against this backdrop, Council members are likely to underscore the need for Syria’s interim authorities to implement security sector reform and consolidate control over weapons to prevent additional clashes. Some speakers may call for the full implementation of the 10 March agreement between the Syrian interim authorities and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—a Kurdish-led group which controls most of Syria’s northeastern territory—which aims to integrate the SDF’s military and civilian structures into Syrian state institutions.
Council members are also likely to call on the Syrian interim government to pursue credible transitional justice and accountability efforts and take measures to prevent further violence against minorities, echoing the Council’s 14 March presidential statement. Members may note steps being taken by the interim government to address these issues, such as the fact-finding committee investigating the coastal violence in March and the recently established national commissions on transitional justice and missing persons. Some members may stress the need for these bodies to conduct their work in a fully transparent, impartial, and inclusive manner and call on the Syrian authorities to ensure that all perpetrators of violence are prosecuted irrespective of their affiliations.
Furthermore, several speakers may express concern about Israel’s continued military occupation of territory in the Golan, which extends beyond the lines established by the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between the two countries. Israel has also conducted hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian territory, including a 2 May airstrike close to the Syrian presidential palace, which Israel reportedly intended as a warning to the Syrian authorities that it would not permit threats to the Druze community. Since then, reports have emerged that the countries are engaged in discussions about security issues and the potential normalisation of relations. Tomorrow, some Council members may stress the inviolability of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and call on Israel to fully respect the 1974 Agreement.
Pedersen and Council members are also expected to reiterate the need for the Syrian interim government to take further steps to pursue a credible, transparent, and inclusive political process grounded in the principles of resolution 2254 of 18 December 2015, which focused on a political solution to the Syrian crisis. Pedersen may underscore the importance of ensuring that the upcoming establishment of Syria’s interim legislature aligns with these principles so that it enjoys legitimacy and represents the full diversity of the Syrian people.
