STATEMENT BY MR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS AT THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO HEAR A BRIEFING BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND HIS SPECIAL ENVOY ON SYRIA MR STAFFAN DE MISTURA ON THE SITUATION IN SYRIA

Thank you very much, Mr President.

1.       Like many other countries, Singapore is concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Syria.  The unfortunate reality is that the people of Syria are the biggest victims of this crisis.  We hope that this tragedy will come to an end as soon as possible.  And in that regard, we support the call for an immediate cessation of hostilities by all parties.

Mr President,

2.       We agree with Mr de Mistura and others who have said that there needs to be a political solution involving all the parties.  In this regard, I wish to make three points.

3.       First, the General Assembly must send a clear and united message by calling on all parties to engage in a constructive manner.  We need all parties to be engaged in order to cease hostilities and address the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people.  We call on all stakeholders to negotiate in good faith and with mutual trust.  And we need all sides to redouble their efforts.

4.       As Singapore, we also believe that the General Assembly has an important role to play by demonstrating our collective commitment to resolving the Syrian crisis.  However, we also believe that it is very important that the General Assembly avoid any exercise of finger-pointing or isolating some parties, as such an approach will not be conducive to finding and building a political solution.

5.       Secondly, this meeting of the General Assembly raises an important question: why has the Security Council not been able to find a way forward?  The adoption of Council Resolution 2254 unanimously in December 2015 was a step in the right direction.  However, discussions in the Council in recent weeks have often looked like one step forward and two steps back.  The situation is particularly disappointing to a small country like Singapore, because we look to the UN Security Council to discharge its primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security. 

6.       The P5, in particular, hold a privileged position that comes with special responsibilities.  And they cannot shirk this responsibility.  Those who are vested with the power to act, notably the Permanent Members of the Security Council, must live up to their responsibilities.  Some Elected Members of the Council have played a useful role in the Council to bridge differences.  However, the hard truth is that a political solution to the Syrian crisis requires leadership from all the Permanent Members of the Council.  I therefore call on the P5 to show leadership on one of the biggest conflicts of our time, one that has imposed a huge cost in terms of human suffering.  The world is watching your actions closely, and the credibility of the UN is at stake.

7.       My third and last point is that it is timely for the Office of the Secretary General to deepen its engagement on this issue.  The Secretary General can play an important role in bringing parties to the conflict together and assist them in implementing the actions they have agreed to.

8.       I thank you, Mr President.

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