Syria: Serious obstacles remain - DPPA Briefing | United Nations

“Syrians have made great strides since a year ago, but serious obstacles remain,” UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council. Briefing the Council, she said the Syrian government has restored state institutions, begun integrating armed factions under a single command, issued a constitutional declaration and formed a new cabinet, with indirect legislative elections held in October. DiCarlo also pointed to shifting international dynamics. “Many countries have lifted bilateral sanctions on Syria,” she said, noting that the US Congress had repealed the Caesar Act and that the Security Council last month adopted resolution 2799, removing designations on President Sharaa and Interior Minister Khattab. However, she warned that security risks persist, particularly in southern Syria. “Israeli airstrikes and incursions in the south have aggravated the security situation,” DiCarlo said, citing a late-November incursion into the town of Beit Jinn that, according to Syrian authorities, killed 13 people and displaced families. She reiterated the Secretary-General’s call on Israel to refrain from violations of Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity.


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