Statement by

H.E. Mr. Amir Saeid Iravani

Ambassador and Permanent Representative

of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations

Before the United Nations Security Council

on “The situation in the Middle East: (Syria)”

New York, 25 January 2023

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Mr. President,

We thank Mr. Pedersen and Madam. Ghada Mudawi for their insightful briefings.

Mr. President,

On the political track, we emphasize once again our steadfast position that the Syrian crisis must be resolved in accordance with principles of international law.  A political solution based on a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process facilitated by the UN is the only way to end the crisis.

Throughout this process, the national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic must be fully respected.

Mr. President,

Terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to Syria and the region; however, the presence of foreign forces in the north of Syria under the pretext of combating terrorism should not be used to violate and undermine Syria's national sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Such illegal presence continues to violate the UN Charter and international law and creates ideal conditions for terrorist activity, which must be ended.

 In order to create conducive grounds for ending the crisis in Syria, all uninvited foreign forces must leave that country without any precondition or delay, and terrorist groups must be confronted.

Equally important, the Council must compel the Israeli regime to end all acts of aggression against Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity immediately. The Israeli regime continues to commit such international wrongful acts despite repeated requests from the Arab Republic of Syria for the Security Council to explicitly condemn such crimes.

We strongly condemn the Israeli regime's recent terrorist attacks on Damascus International Airport on 2 January, which constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and endangering regional and international peace and security.

Mr. President,

We, like the other members of the Astana format, support the Constitutional Committee's work, which must continue in accordance with its procedures and without foreign interference or artificially imposed timelines.

We hope that the procedural obstacle of the Constitutional Committee will be removed as a result of constructive engagement and good faith of the parties and that the Committee's next meeting will be held soon.

In this context, we support the constructive engagement of the Parties with the Special Envoy in order to effectively resolve differences over the Constitutional Committee meeting. We also support the Special Envoy's interaction with Syrian authorities, which is required for the political process.

Mr. President,

Given the increasingly dire humanitarian situation in Syria, Iran welcomes the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2672, which extends the cross-border mechanism for additional six months, and regards this action as an important step toward addressing Syria's pressing needs, particularly in light of the harsh winter conditions. However, we continue to stress that the cross-border mechanism is only temporary in nature.

We believe that in a new extension in July, the legitimate concerns of the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as the identified gaps and challenges must be addressed.

Mr. President,

We commend the efforts made so far by the UN and other humanitarian actors to meet the needs of the Syrian people.

We are confident that in implementing Resolution 2672, the focus will be on improving early recovery projects for the rebuilding of critical infrastructure, enhancing cross-line aid operations, and supplying electricity, which has been identified as a pressing challenge and a basic requirement for all Syrians.

As such, political conditions should not prevent humanitarian aid from reaching those in need, and all parties must strictly adhere to the basic principles governing humanitarian assistance while maintaining neutrality and transparency.

We reiterate our call for the lifting of unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria, particularly those targeting ordinary people and patients in the health sector. Such illegal actions are preventing the resolution from being implemented, making humanitarian aid more difficult to deliver, and even delaying the return of refugees and internally displaced people.

We urge the international community to increase funding for the humanitarian effort in Syria, particularly considering the harsh winter conditions.

Finally, Mr. President, we commend and support the Syrian Government's ongoing efforts for local and national reconciliation, which are a critical step toward restoring Syria's stability and facilitating dignified, safe, and voluntary returns of refugees and internally displaced people.

Syria has always played an important role in the region, and it is a key pillar of regional peace and security.

We support Syria's regional standing and improved diplomatic relations because we believe that a safe, secure, and prosperous Syria benefits the Syrian people, the region, and the global community.

I thank you, Mr. President