New York - Damascus: Europe and the Arabs
The United Nations envoy on Syria expressed grave concern about the deadlock in the political process, stressing that it is the only solution to end the conflict and the impossibility of achieving a military victory for any party. According to what was stated in the United Nations news bulletin, of which we received a copy on Thursday morning, and it also stated that
In his periodic statement to the UN Security Council, UN envoy Geir Pedersen spoke about the deterioration of the situation in Syria and the suffering of Syrians inside and outside their homeland due to the conflict and the absence of a real political process.
Pedersen said, in a speech he delivered before the council via video link, that the latest indications of this suffering are embodied in the deterioration of the economic situation.
He pointed to the devaluation of the Syrian pound during the past three months by more than 80%, bringing its price to the dollar - in the unofficial market - to 15,500. It is noteworthy that the price of one dollar was 47 Syrian pounds in 2011.
Many Syrians are suffering to provide food for their families in light of the high prices of basic materials, such as food, medicine and fuel, which are out of control, the UN official said.
Pedersen said several steps were taken to respond to this "sudden deterioration", including doubling the government minimum wage to $13 per month. However, he said that the price of the food basket, which includes basic items, in June was approximately $81, according to the World Food Programme.
The "tragic truth" that Pedersen presented to the members of the UN Security Council is that the suffering of the Syrian people will worsen with the continuation of the violent conflict and the stagnation of the political process.
He said that moving on the path of implementing UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254 is the only way to start addressing the many crises that Syria is suffering from.
The Security Council, in its resolution 2254, issued in 2015, endorsed the road map for the peace process in Syria and set timetables for talks between the government and the opposition facilitated by the United Nations, in addition to defining a nationwide cease-fire that begins once the concerned parties take the steps of a political transition.
Regarding the humanitarian situation, Geir Pedersen called for financing the Humanitarian Response Plan for Syria, which has received only 25% of the amount required to carry out relief activities during 2023. The Regional Refugee Support Plan has also received only 10% of the total funding needed for it.
Pedersen concluded his speech by saying that everyone is paying a heavy price for the conflict, the first of which is the Syrian people, most of whom have lost almost everything over more than ten years.
He said the situation is becoming more difficult in light of the decline in international interest and funding for Syria. He stressed that the only way to end that situation is through the political process in which the Syrian parties participate in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254.