At
UN,
Draft GA
Resolution of
Syria Now
Online, Saudi
in Lead, UK
Was Busy
By
Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 10 --
Hours after
Inner City
Press first
exclusively reported that a
draft
resolution on
Syria was
being
prepared for
he General
Assembly
session on
Syria set for
February 13,
it obtained
the draft, and
is now putting
it online.
In
twelve
multi-part
paragraphs,
the resolution
repeated much
of what was
dual
vetoed on
February 4 in
the Security
Council --
except that
the
General
Assembly does
not have the
powers of the
Security
Council, to
require member
states to act,
and to
authorize
force.
While
the target
told Inner
City Press
that "the
Qatari
President of
the General
Assembly is
not the
mastermind,
that is the UK
and Saudi
Arabia,"
UK Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant at 6 pm
on Friday
denied
to Inner City
Press that he
had been
involved: too
busy with the
Falkland
Islands, or
Malvinas as
Argentina
called them.
So
with the
Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia
in the lead,
the draft:
The
General
Assembly,
Recalling
its
resolution
66/176 of 19
December 2011,
as well as
Human Rights
Council
resolutions
S/16-1, S/17-1
and S/18-1,
Expressing
grave
concern at the
deterioration
of the
situation in
Syria, in
particular the
ongoing human
rights
violations and
use of
violence by
the Syrian
authorities
against its
population,
Reaffirming
the
role of
regional and
sub regional
organizations
in the
maintenance of
international
peace and
security as
set out in
Chapter
VIII of the
Charter,
Reaffirming
its
strong
commitment to
the
sovereignty,
independence,
unity and
territorial
integrity of
Syria, and to
the principles
of the
Charter,
Reaffirming
that
all Member
states of the
United Nations
should refrain
in their
international
relations from
the threat or
use of force
against the
territorial
integrity or'
political
independence
of any State
or act
in any other
manner
inconsistent
with the
purposes of
the United
Nations,
Welcoming
the
engagement of
the
Secretary-General
and aU
diplomatic
efforts
aimed at
ending the
crisis,
1.
Commends
the League of
Arab States
for its
efforts in
promoting a
peaceful
solution to
the Syrian
crisis, and
welcomes in
this regards
the League of
Arab States'
Action Plan of
2 November
2011 and its
subsequent
decisions,
including its
decision of 22
January 2012
2.
Strongly
condemns the
continued
widespread and
systematic
violations
of human
rights and
fundamental
freedoms by
the Syrian
authorities,
such as the
use of force
against
civilians,
arbitrary
executions,
killing and
persecution of
protestors,
human rights
defenders, and
journalists,
arbitrary
detention,
enforced
disappearances,
interference
with access to
medical
treatment,
torture,
sexual
violence, and
ill-treatment,
including
against
children;
3.
Calls
upon the
Syrian
government to
immediately
put an end to
all
human rights
violations and
attacks
against
civilians,
protect its
population,
fully comply
with its
obligations
under
applicable
international
law and fully
implement
Human Rights
Council
resolutions
S-16/1,
S-17/1, S-18/1
and its
resolution
66/176,
including by
cooperating
fully with the
independent
intemational
commission of
inquiry;
4.
Condemns
all violence,
irrespective
of where it
comes from,
and calls
upon all
parties in
Syria,
including
armed groups,
to immediately
stop all
violence or
reprisals in
accordance
with the
League of Arab
States'
initiative;
5.Stressing
again
the importance
to ensure
accountability
and the need
to end
impunity and
hold to
account those
responsible
for human
rights
violations,
including
those that may
amount to
crimes against
humanity,
6.
Demands
that the
Syrian
govemment, in
accordance
with the Plan
of
Action of the
League of Arab
States of 2
November 2011
and its
decision of 22
January 2012,
without delay:
(a)
cease
all violence
and protect
its
population;
(b)
release
all persons
detained
arbitrarily
due to the
recent
incidents;
(c)
withdraw
all Syrian
military and
armed forces
from cities
and towns,
and retum them
to their
original home
barracks;
(d)
guarantee
the freedom of
peaceful
demonstrations;
(e)
allow
full and
unhindered
access and
movement for
all relevant
League
of Arab
States'
institutions
and Arab and
international
media in all
parts of Syria
to determine
the truth
about the
situation on
the
ground and
monitor the
incidents
taking place;
and
(f)
allow
full and
unhindered
access to the
League of Arab
States'
observer
mission;
7.
Fully
supports the
League of Arab
States' 22
January 2012
decision to
facilitate a
Syrian-led
political
transition to
a democratic,
plural
political
system, in
which citizens
are equal
regardless of
their
affiliations
or ethnicities
or beliefs,
including
through
commencing
a serious
political
dialogue
between the
Syrian
govemment and
the
whole spectrum
of the Syrian
opposition
under the
League of Arab
States'
auspices, in
accordance
with the
timetable set
out by the
League of Arab
States;
8.
Calls
upon the
Syrian
authorities to
cooperate
fully with the
League
of Arab
States'
observer
mission, in
accordance
with the
League of
Arabs States'
Protocol of 19
December 2011;
9.Calls
upon
all Member
States to
provide
support to the
Arab League
initiative, as
requested;
10.
Calls
upon the
Syrian
authorities to
allow safe and
unhindered
access
for
humanitarian
assistance in
order to
ensure the
delivery of
humanitarian
aid to persons
in need of
assistance;
11.
Requests
/ invites the
Secretary-General
to provide
support to the
efforts of the
League of Arab
States,
including its
observer
mission,
both through
good offices
aimed at
promoting a
peaceful
solution to
the Syrian
crisis,
including
through the
appointment of
a Special
Envoy, as well
as through
technical and
material
assistance;
12.
Requests
the
Secretary-General
to report on
the
implementation
of
this
resolution, in
consultation
with the
League of Arab
States,
within 15 days
of its
adoption.
The
target told
Inner City
Press it would
be 15 or 30
days. It is
15. Watch this
site.
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