YouSaid · the spoken record

De Mistura

lines on the record: 707
first: 2008-01-21
most recent: 2018-12-20
sittings or episodes: 34
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“These clashes resulted in another evacuation of armed opposition fighters and civilians from areas of eastern Damascus city, which are called Barzeh and Al-Qaboun. Separately, following the memorandum, we saw some Government attacks on armed opposition groups that are otherwise engaged in fighting Da'esh in the desert near Horns and Al-Suwaydah. While we have registered that the Government of Syria has made some significant advances against Da'esh, we also note with great concern the continued activities of Security Council-listed terrorist groups. We condemn in particular the attack last week by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on civilians in rural Salamiya, a very important and small community that has been there for hundreds of years, and the ISIL assault on Deir ez-Zor city, which is still ongoing today.”
2017-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7944 (2017) · source
“Markets have started functioning anew in those locations. We welcome this, and the efforts of the Astana guarantors should be praised because we want them to succeed. I thank the Kazakh Government for ably hosting the Astana meeting. That is the good news. There is also not-so-good news. Despite the nationwide ceasefire that was announced last December and the de-escalation zones now being created to deepen that effort, we have received reports of ongoing hostilities and even bombardment between the Government and armed opposition groups in areas such as Hama, Horns and Damascus. Some of these areas appear to be outside of the current de-escalation zones. However, as Council members know, their precise areas and ambit will become clear only when the guarantors complete the extremely important so-called mapping process.”
2017-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7944 (2017) · source
“In Astana, my team provided technical support to ceasefire guarantors - Russia, Turkey and Iran - and I was active in political consultations with all of them and with the Syrian parties. Jordan and the United States were represented as observers. In my modest opinion, Astana produced a promising step - a memorandum between the three guarantors on the creation of de-escalation zones. The reports I have received so far indicate a significant drop in violence, including in aerial bombing in most of the areas identified by the memorandum. United Nations contacts on the ground have described tangible change, clear skies and areas quickly coming back to life. That is typical of the Syrian reality. Whenever there is a moment of peace or at least a halt in the fighting, they take their future and their present into their own hands.”
2017-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7944 (2017) · source
“Mr. De Mistura: When I briefed the Security Council in April (see S/PV.7921), we saw two paths ahead - either international and internal escalation and deeper intra-Syrian conflict, or international dialogue, cooperation on de-escalating tensions and moving forward on the political track, even if only in small steps. So far, there are signs that together, we have chosen the latter course. Our common job now is to turn that into something more meaningful, both on the ground and on the political track. In the beginning of May, I attended the high-level Astana meeting to stress that any attempt to de-escalate violence is what the Syrians want and is indeed vital, in and of itself, and can support Geneva, just as Geneva mutually supports Astana.”
2017-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7944 (2017) · source
“That is what I hear from Syrians from all walks of life. That is what we have been told from those who participated in the United Nations Civil Society Support Room and by the Women's Advisory Board. That is the voice of the Syrians. That is what members of the Council have long agreed upon. Let us therefore view this moment of Crisis - and it is a moment of Crisis - as a watershed and an opportunity, perhaps, for a new level of seriousness in the search for a political solution.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“Important countries have assumed the responsibility as guarantors. Those guarantees are being put to a severe test. Next week, the guarantors will meet in Tehran for a working-level meeting before a higher- level meeting in Astana planned for early May. We urge them to work towards renewing the ceasefire and on confidence-building measures linked to the ceasefire, along with a continued effort to fight terrorism. Astana must bring forth Geneva and vice versa. That is why the United Nations will be in Tehran and Astana, and provide whatever technical support it can to what we consider a very important step. It has been said so many times. We have said it together so many times, but I will say it again: there can only be a political solution to that bloody conflict. There is no military solution despite what some try or believe.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“We welcome that direct, high-level diplomatic engagement at this crucial moment between the United States and Russia. I was in Moscow myself just before the last round and in Washington, D.C., yesterday. I participated on behalf of the United Nations in the trilateral encounter with the United States and Russia during the Geneva talks. Those two countries, the co-chairs of the ISSG, have serious differences - we know it - but also common interests and, indeed, responsibilities. They must find a way to work together in order to stabilize the situation in a deliberate, realistic and concerted way in support of the political process. Indeed, the Council, the region, and the ISSG members need to unite behind one process of mediation in Geneva. We also need the ceasefire guarantors to step up and deliver now.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“We must all resolve that the time has come for the intra-Syrian talks to move beyond preparatory discussions and into the real heart of the matter, across all four baskets, in order to secure a meaningful negotiated transition package. The United Nations is ready to do its part. I have consulted with the Secretary-General, and I personally remain at my post and will continue to serve, especially in view of the current emergency. I am ready to reconvene talks in May, and the United Nations is ready to offer a real, substantive starting point for discussion and negotiations among the Syrians. But let us see a few things sorted out first, if we can. As we speak, United States Secretary of State Tillerson is in Moscow to meet with the Russian Government.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“The Secretary-General has made clear his own position. He is appalled by the chemical weapons attack in Khan Shaykhun and calls for accountability for such crimes. In the aftermath of the United States strike, he is mindful of the risk of escalation and appeals for restraint. He calls for for reinstating a nationwide ceasefire and for a refocus on the need for a political solution, which is also essential in the fight against terrorism. This is a time for clear thinking, strategy, imagination and cooperation. on the ground. Those who do not want a negotiated a political settlement - we call them spoilers, as Council members know - are stopping at nothing to undermine the political process. They want us to fall into their trap. We must not allow that to happen.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“People all over the world also realized once again that the Syrian calamity is notjust an affront to our shared values, but that it can affect the lives of citizens of any land, particularly if chemical weapons are used and war crimes, terrorism, mass displacement and unending war are accepted as something that we have to live with. The Syrians cannot live with it and neither can we, wherever we are. A few days later, the United States targeted Al-Shayrat air base with a strike of 59 Tomahawk missiles. Under-Secretary-General Feltman briefed the Council on that extremely serious development on Friday (see S/PV.7919). Since then, we have seen more fighting and violence, with new claims of the use of cluster munitions in inhabited areas, barrel bombs and incendiary weapons, including in close proximity to Khan Shaykhun itself.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“Some opposition voices, on the other hand, also expressed support for military offensives, including battles led by internationally prohibited terrorist groups, or even cast doubt on the need to return to Geneva and give priority to military solutions. Then, as representatives from over 70 countries and international organizations gathered in Brussels in what was supposed to be and has been an important meeting regarding the future of Syrian to address Syrian humanitarian needs and commit to a post- transition reconstruction, which is terribly needed, we witnessed the horrors inflicted by chemical weapons on innocent Syrian victims, including children, women and men, in Khan Shaykun. This outrage shocked the conscience of the whole human family.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“I urged all with influence and leverage to restore the credibility of the ceasefire and to do more to ensure that the United Nations can reach 4.7 million people in hard-to-reach and besieged areas. We are ready to do so. Displacement also has continued. Over the past month, more than 6,000 fighters and their families have been evacuated from Al-Waer to Idlib as part of local agreements. We have also learned of serious developments regarding the so-called four towns. Political statements issued after the Geneva talks also sent some warning signals. The Government stated its intention to reconquer the entire territory of Syria rather than emphasize a ceasefire with real negotiations.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“I had hoped that we could have proceeded in more detail on the constitutional dimension, which has potential for how to ensure the constitutional basis of the transition and how Syrians in transition mode might write and agree a new constitution. Nevertheless, there was a deepening of the process, and this should not be underestimated. But now, let us be frank, this fragile progress is indeed in grave danger. Already in Geneva, the talks were overshadowed by an intensification of fighting on the ground and continued lack of safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access. I sent formal written appeals to the Astana ceasefire guarantors the Russian Federation, Turkey and Iran.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“These United Nations ideas remain living points that can be further developed as the negotiations progress on the substance of each of the baskets. One day soon, we hope, all of these discussions must come together into a package for an overall negotiation - a real negotiation. While it was premature to secure common understanding at this stage, some points became quite clear or more clear than before, at least to me, and perhaps to the Syrians, too. For example, I felt a growing appreciation that the basis of transition must be legally and constitutionally solid and the journey and destination well-mapped out and agreed upon.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“These discussions were framed by the goal of a political transition, while preserving - obviously, we do not want mistakes like those we have made in the past - the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria within the context of the Geneva communique (S/2012/522, annex), the statements of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), and resolutions 2118 (2013), 2254 (2015), 2268 (2016) and 2336 (2016). Council members are all familiar with these, since they adopted them. Yes, the delegations preferred to focus on different issues and yes, the gaps are still wide, but everyone in Geneva did engage on all baskets. They also discussed general principles regarding the character of a future, post-transition Syrian State.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“Before the events of last week, we had made modest but incremental progress towards that goal. The fifth round of intra-Syrian talk in Geneva saw no breakthroughs - let us be frank - but no breakdown, either. The parties engaged - truly engaged - on substance for nine full days, which was no small feat. The discussions were mostly business-like and correct, and on the final day they all told me that they were ready to return to Geneva for a sixth round in May, at our invitation. The Government and the opposition discussed in parallel, in the format of proximity talks, all four baskets: governance issues, constitutional process issues, election issues and counter-terrorism, security governance and confidence-building measures.”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“Mr. De Mistura: The stakes in Syria today are very high; we all know Why. In the light of recent developments, two paths lie before us: one is more outrages, more destruction and death, stoked by regional and international divisions or even escalation and deeper confrontation. That is what all Syrians fear, and I share their fears. But there is another path- more serious discussion, a real de-escalation and ceasefire, and a rallying behind the only way out of the Syrian nightmare. We urgently need a consensus among major stakeholders to support concretely the United Nations-led negotiation process, and this is the occasion for doing it with the goal of attaining a package for an orderly, mapped-out, credible and irreversible agreed political transition as per resolution 2254 (2015).”
2017-04-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7921 (2017) · source
“I look forward, therefore, to briefing Council members in person next week, on 8 December, in order to speak in further detail of the options that may and should exist in order to continue pushing towards the attainment of a political process.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“But make no mistake about the fact that none of the military developments that we are witnessing point to what one could call a stable ongoing, permanent military solution. Indeed, any sustainable solution to the Syrian tragedy, when it comes, will have to include a formula for the stability of the country in order to ensure the non-recurrence of the terrorist threat and the return to What could be a stable Syria. It is my strong conviction that such a formula cannot be brought about without a negotiated political settlement to the crisis, one that involves a mechanism for sharing power and implementing the agenda set forth in Council resolution 2254 (2015).”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“I therefore urge concerned stakeholders not to lose their focus on that practical initiative, which is still valid, particularly at this very delicate moment when the forecast could be that the fighting in eastern Aleppo may continue for weeks with a lot of collateral, tragic effects. That may also spare innocent civilian lives and ensure the separation of terrorist elements from other armed groups. As I said, I will be brief, and as I said, there is plenty of evidence that the military logic is currently prevailing on both sides. The Council, on behalf of the international community, should call on all belligerents and their sponsors to ensure full respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians in Aleppo.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“That proposal is still on the table, and is particularly applicable to that part of eastern Aleppo that is still under the control of the armed opposition with a clear presence of Al-Nusra in it. While the situation on the ground is fast evolving, that proposal has become less obviously applicable immediately, but a part of it, the departure ofAl-Nusra, the actual stopping of the bombing, the humanitarian access and the preservation - I repeat - of the local administration is still on the table. I am convinced that helping to ensure the departure of those fighters whom the Council considers to be terrorists, the Al-Nusra, and who to this day remain in parts of eastern Aleppo still controlled by the opposition, should be and could be an outcome around which everyone in Syria and the international community could still agree.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“It requires an end to the violence, the departure of Al-Nusra Front fighters from eastern Aleppo and the preservation of the local administration - not a separation, not an autonomy, not a new type of administration, but the preservation of the local administration. That would be guaranteed by those with the power to give such a guarantee. That proposal, in one form or another, has actually been discussed now for at least six weeks in Lausanne in follow-up meetings of some of the participants of the original Lausanne meeting and in other discussions. I myself have continued to push those ideas, including most recently during my visit to Damascus and through contacts with the opposition and armed opposition groups.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“When I met Foreign Minister Al-Moualem in Damascus on 20 November, I addressed the issue of aerial attacks on hospitals in eastern Aleppo, which the Secretary-General himself condemned on the same day. I publicly suggested that a verification mission be sent to eastern and western Aleppo to assess damage on the hospitals, which is also a suggestion that, I think, our Humanitarian Coordinator in Damascus has been making. I reiterate that call in the Council today. You will recall, Mr. President, that last month, since there were no other plans going forward that could stop the violence from continuing, I proposed a political initiative for Aleppo, not really a humanitarian one, but a comprehensive one that is separate from humanitarian proposals.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“Our line will unavoidably be - as it has always been the case in the past in other difficult situations - that the United Nations and its partners should be allowed and should be ready to reach all sides of eastern Aleppo with urgent humanitarian aid. That is the principle. If, subsequently, implementing that measure is not immediately possible in a comprehensive and effective manner, the United Nations should nevertheless not hesitate to try to help all those whom it can reach today, in view of the current circumstances. The priority is reaching people, those we have been concerned and worried about and who have been isolated from humanitarian aid since June.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“We are also concerned that, upon reaching Government-controlled areas or those controlled by the Syrian defence forces, civilians perceived to have lived in opposition-controlled areas or to have connections with armed opposition groups may have been detained. Tens of thousands of civilians on all sides are therefore in need of aid. The United Nations should be able to access those in need, wherever they are, by all means or routes possible, and without preconditions. In short, aid needs to be delivered to those inside and outside Aleppo, and those who have left must be protected from retribution.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“Each of those areas deserves a separate description, but the underlying theme remains the same: the continued dominance of a military over a political strategy, and the brutal price paid by civilians in that process. Tens of thousands still remain in opposition- controlled areas in Aleppo, and they are living under constant threat resulting from the ongoing fighting. Others are at risk while attempting to flee the fighting, adding to the dangers associated with attempting to flee across an active front line. We have received reliable reports indicating that, in many cases, opposition groups have been actually preventing civilians from leaving areas under their control.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“Even if attacks on western Aleppo are not on the same scale, we have recently seen attacks from eastern Aleppo on residential quarters there, including the shelling of a school on 20 November in which reportedly 10 children died and many more were injured. Yesterday Stephen O'Brien - we were together in Brussels - reported that up to 25,000 people had been displaced in western Aleppo over the past few weeks. The Council will hear further updates again; as can be seen, the figure is increasing. Even as we focus on Aleppo today, we should remember that the war continues in Idlib, Hama, Al-Waer, Homs, north of Latakia, western Ghouta, north-western Damascus and eastern Ghouta.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“It is likely that thousands more will flee should the fighting continue to spread and further intensify over the coming days. I have therefore strongly suggested - and I have been informed that that has now been agreed upon by the Government - that Ali Al-Za'tari, our Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator in Damascus, together with as many members as possible of the United Nations international country team, should go to Aleppo as soon as possible in order to rejoin our many colleagues who are nationals and have already started to work from within the country team in order to assist the Syrian civilian population in Aleppo, both eastern and western. Violence in Aleppo is not one-sided, let us be frank.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“Over the past two weeks, both ground and air assaults on eastern Aleppo and also, frankly, attacks on western Aleppo have intensified, culminating in the capture last weekend by Government forces of several districts in the northern part of eastern Aleppo, thereby de facto splitting the largest opposition-held urban stronghold into two sides. It is estimated that almost 40 per cent of the area previously held by armed opposition groups is now in the hands of Government forces. Over the past few days, thousands of civilians have fled from eastern Aleppo neighbourhoods to other parts of the city, and initial reports indicated that up to 16,000 people are being displaced; in fact, the figure is growing by the hour, as the Council will be hearing from Stephen O'Brien.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“As the Council is aware and as has already been indicated, my colleague from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, and my colleague UNICEF Regional Director Geert Cappelaere will elaborate further on the humanitarian tragedy and the United Nations response, particularly and specifically with respect to Aleppo. So, on my side, at least at this stage, I am of course available for questions on a few points, because the real floor belongs to those who are handling and want to handle the humanitarian aspect.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“I thank you very much, Mr. President, for this opportunity. (spoke in English) As members are aware, I will be briefing the Council in a few days, on 8 December. On that occasion, I will be able to elaborate more on the overall political process in Syria, which needs to maintain its momentum because, as we have always said, we cannot simply let the facts on the ground take place; we also need to constantly maintain a political momentum. Today, however, let us focus on the immediate crisis in Aleppo.”
2016-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7822 (2016) · source
“At that time, I made a statement on behalf of the United Nations in which I said the following: "The United Nations hopes that the implementation of this understanding will facilitate without preconditions renewed efforts to reach a Syrian- owned and Syrian-led political settlement of the conflict, as called for by the Geneva communique and by resolution 2254 (2015). I will then proceed to consult with the Secretary-General and the International Syria Support Group in order to be able to launch it." That is still my hope. I can therefore confirm that when I send the invitations, as per resolution 2254 (2015), I will do that for direct talks.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“The Ambassador of Syria - I ask him to correct me ifI am wrong - indicated that he did not want to discuss with terrorists or representatives of terrorists or participants in terrorism. I can confirm that I will send the invitations. Obviously, the political process cannot be held hostage by the security environment. At the same time, let me recall what was stated in that regard. On that special day - I consider 9 September a special day, or evening rather - there was a long and very detailed discussion between the Russian Federation and the United States.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“Mr. De Mistura: I wish to respond to one specific question, which was very precise and clearly raised by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation. First, I would like to reply that I am guided by the Geneva communique (S/2012/522, annex) and by resolution 2254 (2015), both with regard to the agenda and the invitations. I have in the past - and this is my reply - witnessed refusals for active direct talks from the High Negotiations Committee, which set preconditions. I asked the Ambassador of Syria, who was also the representative ofthe Syrian Government in Geneva, whether the Syrian delegation wanted to have at that time direct talks with the delegations that were present at the times.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“Mr. De Mistura: protection of civilian infrastructure, a 48-hour humanitarian relief pause and authorization of medical evacuation. He also told us that several loaded trucks are ready and waiting to go. We therefore need a strong and lasting consensus among parties in the fight against terrorism, the international community's common enemy. For as long as the Council is divided and the International Syria Support Group is in deadlock, terrorist organizations will continue to thrive in Syria, attracting an increasing number of foreign terrorist fighters and making that country a safe haven for criminal groups. In the light of this sad observation, the Senegalese delegation reiterates its full confidence in Mr. De Mistura's ongoing efforts to seek a political solution to the Syrian crisis. War is not an option.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“Frankly, all this is leading nowhere and this will send a strong signal." No, I will not, because any sign of my resigning would be a sign that the international community was abandoning the Syrians. The United Nations will never abandon the Syrians, and neither will the Council. We do not need that kind of sign, which would make news for five minutes. And then not only would Syria be abandoned by everyone, but so too the hope that the international community does want to end the conflict.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“The agreement not only provides some basis for the resumption of talks, it also provides a broader framework for how to combat terrorism - we have no doubts about that, and I want to believe we all agree on that - and to de-conflict the region more generally, as well as for grounding the Syrian air force, as that too was part of the agreement. My appeal to the Council today is the following: please, develop a common course of action to enforce a cessation of hostilities in Syria. I am still convinced that we can turn the course of events. We have proved that more than once before. We have come a long way to date to allow the small but tangible achievements of the cessation of hostilities to be buried under the dust of Aleppo's rubble. I have been repeatedly asked by many, "Mr. De Mistura, why do you not resign at this point?”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“But the ISSG and the co-Chairs, and the Council itself - and as suggested in an important comment made by the Chinese Foreign Minister at the ISSG meeting on Thursday - the Council has a responsibility to ensure the relaunching of the cessation of hostilities and its implementation without delay, with all the risks and difficulties that entails. We all know that this conflict cannot be resolved through negotiations without the help and assistance of the co-Chairs and the region. I am therefore asking, indeed urging, both ofthem to go the extra mile to see if they can save their agreement of 9 September, and do so at the eleventh hour.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“But frankly, the international community and the Syrians are swiftly losing any remaining hope, and the international community is losing any credibility with the parties, unless we salvage what was agreed upon. A tiny window of opportunity still exists, and we want to believe that it does, for the Russian Federation and the United States to help the Syrians and the region step away from the brink of more years of a bloody conflict risks becoming even worse. On Wednesday (see S/PV.7774) I reported to the Security Council that the Secretary-General had asked me to present to the sides a framework of proposals as a starting point for negotiations in resumed talks, as requested by the ISSG co-Chairs. I am ready to do just that.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“In the face of these illusions of imminent victory, I must reiterate What we now believe to be an almost self-evident truth, but a truth that does not seem to be actually implemented: a so-called military solution or victory in Syria is impossible, including in Aleppo. Syrians on all sides are still making clear their demand for a ceasefire and a credible political solution. But trust is seriously broken. On 9 September, in Geneva that night, I remember very much both Sergey Lavrov and John Kerry being concerned about it, saying they could not go on making statements that did not have follow-up. But I want to believe - because I am still a naive United Nations official - that they really meant what they said and that they really negotiated hard, comma by comma, because they wanted it work.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“We have seen that in other conflicts, but it is not a reason for anyone to destroy the whole building. The one constant in this violently unpredictable conflict is that neither side Will win, and therefore both ultimately will lose. Above all, the Syrian people are going to lose; they are losing their lives day by day. All we can expect in Aleppo if the Syrian Government is intent on retaking it completely - and this is a military analysis done by people far more competent than us - is a slow, grinding, street-by-street fight over the course of months, if not years, whereby the ancient city will be almost completely destroyed.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“The last few days have seen intense military clashes on major front lines, including Handrat, Sheikh Said, Old Aleppo, Old Ramousa and Hammadiah districts. Yesterday, Government forces said they had taken over Handrat district, north of the city, a claim that armed opposition groups now dispute. Whatever the case, it is a fact that there has been heavy fighting there. There were contradictory statements from the opposition as to whether counter-offensives were being led by the Al-Nusra Front or by Fateh Haleb Operations Room of Free Syrian Army groups. We have seen information from other sources that tells us that more than half of the fighters present in eastern Aleppo are Al-Nusra. We have also seen reports alleging the intentional placement of firing positions close to social infrastructure and inside civilian quarters.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“There are several urgent cases in eastern Aleppo at the moment. Returning to the military situation on the ground, we have seen several accounts of almost every event. There are reports of the Government announcing its intention to retake all of Aleppo city. Shortly after the agreement announced in Geneva by Russia and the United States at almost midnight on 9 September, President Al-Assad visited what was left of Darayya and announced his intention to "liberate every inch of Syria". Furthermore, we saw reports that indicated that the reported objective of Government and pro- Government forces was to "squeeze out terrorists without civilian casualties" and to maintain a corridor for fighters to leave eastern Aleppo. However, what we are seeing is civilians dying in large numbers.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“However, people in eastern Aleppo still remain at risk due to interruptions to safe drinking water. Water from wells, which used to be plentiful, has become highly contaminated due to the conflict. People, particularly vulnerable children, are at risk of catastrophic outbreaks of water-borne diseases. God forbid: that is the last thing we need at a moment like this. If nothing else, from a humanitarian point of View, we ask the Security Council, first, to press for a cessation of the violence and for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure; secondly, to press for weekly 48-hour pauses in the fighting to ensure at least that the United Nations and its partners can reach eastern Aleppo, without preconditions from either the Government or, frankly, from the opposition; and, thirdly, to press for medical evacuations.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“Obviously, there was hesitation on both sides to see the convoy moving, and we saw the result of that. Currently, 2 million people have no access to running water through the public network, after intense fighting stopped the flow of water from the two key pumping stations that service the population in both the eastern and western parts of the city. On 22 September, the Bab Al-Nairab water pumping station, which serves the eastern part of the city, was reportedly hit by airstrikes. In retaliation, Jaish Al-Fateh turned offwater to 1.5 million people in the western part of the city. There is therefore no water, in a grave tit-for-tat type of move. Luckily, water is now back on more regularly, we hope, after difficult last-minute negotiations led by UNICEF.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“WFP mobilized a convoy of 40 trucks - I have the pictures here - which have been ready and waiting to go every morning at 5 o'clock, loaded with supplies sufficient to provide full food rations for approximately 35,000 people, and wheat flour assistance for an additional 130,000 people of the 275,000. We all know what happened. The convoy never moved because it never received sufficient guarantees - frankly, let us be honest - from either side, and the cessation of hostilities broke down. Complicated arguments were raised by the Government, such as driving licences suddenly becoming crucial in the conflict. On the opposition side, arguments were made asking for all sorts of impossible conditions in order to make sure we would have the guarantees.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“World Food Programme (WFP) stocks inside eastern Aleppo amount to only 12,000 food rations, which means sufficient supplies for 60,000 out of 275,000 people. There is no prospect for replenishing them, since both roads are blocked. Bakeries are being hit and bread is available only for three days a week, which could decrease again in coming days. There is a lack of fuel for general public use, thereby reducing availability for transport services, private wells and household use, especially for cooking. As the Security Council is aware, the United Nations and WFP had planned to send a convoy to eastern Aleppo at the beginning of the renewed cessation of hostilities.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“There are ongoing reports that medical centres are being targeted, including an alleged strike on an ambulance and medical triage centre in an area held by armed opposition groups in south-western Aleppo, which also caused fatalities among medical staff once again. We hear of streets so filled with rubble - huge piles of rubble - due to these new types of bombs that ambulances cannot even pass through them. As I mentioned at the beginning, up to 275,000 people in eastern Aleppo - and, frankly, they cannot all be terrorists - have now been under a form of de facto siege for almost 20 days, since the Al-Ramouseh corridor was closed and after the Castello Road was blocked on 7 July. Since that closure, the humanitarian situation has taken a turn for the worse. In essence, supplies are running out.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“Civilians across town must be asking themselves where on Earth it is now safe to be in that tormented city. We have also seen reports of armed opposition groups firing hellfire rockets. Do members know what they are? They are basically gas canisters full of nails, stones and iron, which are being launched in a rudimentary way across the other side of the line. These do in fact kill civilians, including one which hit the Al-Maari school in Hamidiya neighbourhood on 22 September. On 19 September, the area close to the United Nations hub in western Aleppo was hit by two mortar shells coming from the opposition, killing one civilian.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“Sources on the ground tell us that they no longer have the capacity to count them accurately, given the chaos in Aleppo city and the fact they often take place at night and with remarkable new intensity. We heard the word "unprecedented" used to describe the quantity, scale and type of bombing. We have seen reports, videos and pictures of the reported use of incendiary bombs that create fireballs of such intensity that they light up the pitch darkness in eastern Aleppo, as though it were actually daylight. We now hear of bunker-busting bombs being used, and see pictures oflarge craters in the ground much larger than in previous aerial bombings. If it is confirmed, the systematic indiscriminate use of such weapons in areas where civilians and civilian infrastructure are present may amount to war crimes.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source