UNITED NATIONS, May 21 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said Wednesday that the atmosphere in Damascus is "ripe with cautious optimism and a yearning for renewal" following far-reaching international moves on Syria.
In his briefing to the Security Council, Pedersen hailed as "historic developments" the lifting of Western sanctions as well as international support rendered by regional countries.
He noted that U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week that he would order the cessation of sanctions on Syria.
The European Union followed the U.S. move and announced on Tuesday the lifting of its economic sanctions. Britain revoked its previous sanctions regime against Syria last month, he noted.
"I have long called for bold steps on sanctions, as have millions of Syrians in and outside the country, and I warmly welcome these international steps," said Pedersen via a video link from Damascus.
He also welcomed the support extended by regional countries to Syria, most notably Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Qatar, including efforts to resolve Syria's outstanding obligations to international financial institutions, support in the payment of public-sector salaries, and ensuring the provision of critical energy resources, in addition to initiatives on sanctions relief.
"These are indeed historic developments. They hold major potential to improve living conditions across the country and to support the Syrian political transition," said Pedersen.
The world body will follow closely and support the moves to lift sanctions, he said. "But we also know that Syria faces significant structural challenges, with an economy ravaged by over a decade of war and conflict, and a host of other destabilizing factors. Revitalizing a devastated economy will require from the interim authorities sustained actions, including on overall economic reform and governance standards across the financial system, and this will need international support."
On political transition, Pedersen noted the decrees issued last week by the interim authorities announcing the establishment of two key institutions: the National Commission for Transitional Justice and the National Commission for Missing Persons.
"The creation of a dedicated commission for missing persons attests to the centrality of this issue in the Syrian national experience, which has impacted almost every Syrian household as we have heard from Syrians time and again," he said. "In its next steps, we hope this commission will move to cooperate with the UN dedicated bodies, Syrian civil society and, above all, with victims and survivors' associations who have formulated concrete proposals for their inclusion into such a process."
The creation of a transitional justice commission is another essential stepping-stone in Syria's recovery from conflict and restoration of Syrians' right to truth, justice and reparation. The United Nations hopes that this commission will develop a victim-centered, inclusive and comprehensive approach to transitional justice in line with the Constitutional Declaration as well as international standards, he said.
Under the Constitutional Declaration, a crucial next step in the Syrian political transition will be to establish a high committee responsible for selecting the members of the new People's Assembly, a process that includes electing two-thirds of its members.
This transitional legislative authority will be responsible for working on an urgent legislative reform agenda, a critical part of rebuilding Syria's political consensus, state institutions and creating the necessary frameworks on the economy, justice, political parties, elections, and much else besides, said Pedersen.
Many Syrians also continue to look ahead to the envisaged future constitutional process, which needs to be inclusive of all social and political components in shaping a new social contract, and paving the way for free and fair elections, he said.
The UN envoy warned that many challenges of protection, confidence and participation need to be squarely faced.
There were serious setbacks in late April, when tensions dramatically escalated in Druze-majority residential areas in Damascus suburbs and then on the outskirts of Sweida Governorate, he said.
The unacceptable violence and incitement of communal tensions in Druze areas came on the back of the grave incidents that took place in the coastal areas in March against the Alawite community, he noted.
Pedersen raised the alarm at renewed Israeli airstrikes in Syria.
"Such attacks are unacceptable and must cease. Syria's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity must be respected. There are clearly diplomatic possibilities and these must be prioritized," he said.
Pedersen voiced concern that the Islamic State has been escalating its attacks in various areas in recent weeks, with signs of more coordinated operations involving improvised explosive devices and the use of medium-range weapons.
Regarding the Kurd-majority northeast, the March 10 agreement, under which the Syrian Democratic Forces agreed to integrate into Syrian state institutions, continues to present a historical opportunity to solve one of the key outstanding issues in this conflict, said Pedersen. "We are continuing to deepen our engagement in support of this process, whose success is critical for this transition to succeed."
This process needs to move forward. Compromises will be needed on both sides, and progress on all key aspects of the agreement is a priority for stability in Syria and the region, for the restoration of Syria's sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity, and for the success of the overall political transition, he said.
The envoy said further steps in security-sector reform are also needed -- along with measures on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, adding that action on the core issue of foreign fighters is also needed.
The challenges facing Syria are enormous, and the real dangers of renewed conflict and deeper fragmentation have not yet been overcome. However, the Syrian people have taken heart from the fact that the decisions to lift sanctions give them a better chance than before to succeed against great odds, he said.
The Syrians are looking to the interim authorities to seize this moment and push toward a fully inclusive transition and to the international community for support. The United Nations is absolutely committed to playing its full role in this regard, said Pedersen. ■
