UN Security Council Appears United On The Need To Preserve Syria's Sovereignty

U.N. Security Council appears united on the need to preserve Syria’s sovereignty and unity and provide humanitarian assistance to millions in need.

United Nations: The U.N. Security Council appears united on the need to preserve Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity and provide humanitarian assistance to millions in need following the surprise rebel offensive that overthrew President Bashar Assad, the United States and Russia said after a closed U.N. Security Council emergency meeting.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, who called for Monday’s meeting, told reporters that the lightning takeover of Syria took everyone by surprise and the council has to watch and evaluate the fluid situation. “The council, I think, was more or less united on the need to preserve the territorial integrity and unity of Syria, to ensure the protection of civilians, to ensure that humanitarian aid is coming to the needed population,” he said.

Nebenzia said council members discussed issuing a united statement on Syria at the closed meeting, hopefully “in the coming days.” U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood said the U.S. is working to get agreement on a statement “over the next day or so.” “The intention is for the council to speak with one voice on the situation in Syria,” he said.

During the closed consultations, Wood said, the 15 council members showed “a great respect and great understanding of what’s going on on the ground right now.” “No one expected the Syrian forces to fall like a house of cards, and it took a lot of people by surprise,” he said. “It’s very fluid situation, but just about everyone spoke about the need for Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence to be respected, concern about the humanitarian situation.”

Wood said there’s a lot of uncertainty about the future, but Assad’s ouster is a new opportunity for a democratic Syria that respects the human rights and dignity of the Syrian people. At the same time, there are great risks, he said, and “we want to try to take advantage of the opportunities before other nefarious actors, try to take advantage of it for not so good purposes.

Meanwhile, Syria’s U.N. ambassador says the country’s embassies and missions have received instructions to continue doing their job during the current transitional period. “We are with the Syrian people,” Koussay Aldahhak told a group of journalists including The Associated Press on Monday outside the U.N. Security Council where members were holding emergency closed consultations on the rebel overthrow of President Bashar Assad.

“Syria now is witnessing a new era of change, a new historical phase of its history and Syrians are looking forward for establishing a state of freedom, equality, rule of law, democracy,” the Syrian envoy said. “We will join efforts to rebuild our country, to rebuild what was destroyed, and to rebuild the future, a better future of Syria for all Syrians,”

Syria’s U.N. mission follows instructions from the leaders who draw up the country’s foreign policy, he said, adding that while they await a new government "we are continuing with the current one and the leadership.”

On instructions from the current leaders, Aldahhak said he sent letters to the Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Monday condemning and demanding an end to Israeli attacks on Syria on Sunday and Monday, and demanding “to not allow Israel to benefit from the transition that the Syrians are doing now.”

Aldahhak said like everyone he was surprised at the sudden transformation in the country. Asked whether he was happy about it, he said that even though the U.N. mission is thousands of miles from Syria, “When Syrians are happy, we are happy. When Syrians are suffering, we are suffering.” “We want to live in stability and security. Syrians suffered for a long time," he said.