Kassioun Editorial 1251: Resolution 2799 – Syria Under Chapter VII!

Although the final text of the resolution had not yet been published on the official UN website at the time of writing, the official news release confirmed that the resolution was decided under Chapter VII, and that it reaffirmed the necessity of implementing a number of previous resolutions, foremost among them UNSC Resolution 2254 (2015).

According to information released so far, the resolution also includes a number of operative provisions, such as:

• Affirming Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
• Continuing the fight against ISIS and al-Qaeda, and emphasizing the need for the interim government’s cooperation in that effort.
• Continuing to address the issue of foreign fighters.
• Requiring the interim government to pursue a comprehensive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, with the participation of all Syrians regardless of sect, religion, or ethnicity.

Issuing a new UN Security Council resolution on Syria — specifically under Chapter VII — fundamentally reflects the following points:

First: It indicates that the crisis in Syria remains ongoing and deep, and that there has not yet been success in neutralizing or reducing foreign interference.

Second: It shows that the crisis has not only persisted but has also grown more complex and dangerous, as demonstrated by its increasing internationalization — reaching the highest possible level with the invocation of Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which opens the door for “the international community” to resort to military intervention should the required commitments not be fulfilled.

Third: The procrastination of the previous authority and their practical refusal to implement UNSC Resolution 2254 did not lead to its annulment or neutralization — rather, it led to its own demise, while the resolution itself remained on the table. Today, too, the delay in implementing the essence of the resolution over the past 11 months has not nullified it; instead, it has led to a new resolution under Chapter VII, which reaffirms UNSC Resolution 2254 and thereby places it, in legal terms, under Chapter VII as well. Meaning, the delay has raised the level of obligation to implement it.

The lesson to be drawn from the adoption of this new resolution is the same as that which should have been drawn from UNSC Resolution 2254: Every delay in achieving a comprehensive political solution based on genuine participation of the Syrian people in determining their own destiny — through political consensus, national dialogue, and a general national conference — will only further increase internationalization, expand foreign interventions, and weaken all Syrian parties.

The situation today with UNSC Resolution 2799 is, in essence, the same as it was with 2254: although the major powers agreed on its text (with the difference that China abstained from voting this time rather than approving, a significant indication), each had its own motives and vision regarding it — and some among them never intended for it to be implemented at all.

Nevertheless, the resolution represents a new opportunity for Syria and Syrians to reclaim control over their own affairs and to realize that Syria cannot be governed by the mentality of a “leading party” nor through domination or the victory of one segment of the people over another.

Syria can only be governed through the unification of Syrians based primarily on their shared socioeconomic interests — interests that unite the 90% who have been impoverished and exploited, belonging to all religions, ethnicities, and sects — forming a single front that serves as the solid foundation for Syria’s unity and stability, through a comprehensive political solution.

(النسخة العربية)