Twelve years into a civil war, “Syria is in ruins and peace remains remote,” according to UN Special Envoy on Syria Geir Pedersen. “Gaps of political will, the distance between substantive positions of the parties, deep distrust, and the challenging international climate - all play a part in the deadlock.”
The growing sense of hopelessness and frustration among Syrians is deepening. Indeed, thousands of demonstrators blaming the Bashar-al-Assad regime for a failing economy and government repression have been protesting in al-Sweida governorate since mid-August. At the same time, fighting between various factions; infighting among pro-Government units; skirmishes between the Syrian Free Forces and terrorist groups; as well as terrorist encroachment on Syrian territory, continue.
One bright spot is the resumption in mid-September of humanitarian deliveries from Türkiye into north-west Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing. Since then, 65 trucks have crossed, and more are expected.
“The United States welcomes the resumption of UN humanitarian assistance convoys through the Bab al-Hawa crossing – a crucial access point that allows aid to reach millions of vulnerable Syrians,” said United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
“As the single largest humanitarian donor to the Syrian response effort, the United States supports aid through all modalities to reach Syrians in need – including cross-border and cross-line aid – to all areas of Syria,” she said.
“On the political front, we are monitoring reports about popular protests in Syria, and we continue to support the Syrian people’s call for peace, dignity, security, and justice,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.
“The United States also supports the Syrian people’s ability to exercise the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. The renewed protests in Syria underscore the need for a Syrian-led political solution,” she said.
“We urge the Syrian regime to engage meaningfully in the political process … by returning to the Constitutional Committee, which has not met in over a year. We believe the regime’s participation would be an important signal of its intent to return to the political process,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.
“We must not let Syria fall to the wayside. Not as humanitarian needs continue to spike; not as peace efforts continue to stall."
“When I traveled to the border of Türkiye and Syria last year, a Syrian refugee told me that she was worried the world would forget about the plight of her people. And I told her the United States would not let that happen.”
