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S/PV.7817 the Situation in the Middle East 21/11/2016

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S/PV.7817 the Situation in the Middle East 21/11/2016 United Nations S/ PV.7817 Security Council Provisional Seventy-first year 7817th meeting Monday, 21 November 2016, 10 a.m. New York President: Mr. Seck ...................................... (Senegal) Members: Angola. Mr. Gimolieca China ......................................... Mr. Shen Bo Egypt ......................................... Mr. Aboulatta France ........................................ Mr. Delattre Japan ......................................... Mr. Bessho Malaysia ...................................... Mr. Ibrahim New Zealand ................................... Mr. Van Bohemen Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Safronkov Spain ......................................... Mr. Oyarzun Marchesi Ukraine ....................................... Mr. Yelchen ko United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Mr. Rycroft United States of America .......................... Ms. Power Uruguay ....................................... Mr. Rosselli Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) ................... Mr. Suárez Moreno Agenda The situation in the Middle East Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 (2015) (S/2016/962) This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 16-39409 (E) *1639409* S/PV.7817 The situation in the Middle East 21/11/2016 The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m. terrible. Let us leave it at that. Shame on us all for not acting to stop the annihilation of eastern Aleppo and its Adoption of the agenda people and much of the rest of Syria, as well. Of all the facts and reports that I gave last month (see S/PV.7795), The agenda was adopted. not one of them has been changed, qualified, denied or proven wrong by anyone in or outside of this Chamber. The situation in the Middle East My statement then detailed the objective reality of Report of the Secretary-General on the what was taking place in Aleppo. It was hoped that implementation of Security Council resolutions the advocacy undertaken by me and others demand 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 that sanity and humanity prevail and reporting based (2015) (S/2016/962) on clear and undisputable facts — although it is sometimes unpleasant to hear and even an inconvenient The President (spoke in French): In accordance truth — might have an impact. There was a glimmer with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of of hope. A unilateral Russian and Syrian pause on procedure, I invite the representative of the Syrian aerial bombardment over eastern Aleppo instituted Arab Republic to participate in this meeting. on 18 October for an initial 72 hours was maintained In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s beyond the stated end. We last met on 26 October (see provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following S/PV.7795), when I welcomed the then ongoing pause briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. Stephen in air strikes from the Russian Federation and the O’Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Government of Syria, although members will recall Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; and that my welcome was not heard that day in all quarters Ms. Elizabeth Hoff, World Health Organization of the Council. representative in Syria. Daily and even weekly, the pause held over eastern Ms. Hoff is joining today’s meeting via video- Aleppo. The same was not the case for western Aleppo, teleconference from Damascus. as non-State armed groups launched hundreds of mortars into civilian areas in the western part of the The Security Council will now begin its city. Had all parties had the fortitude to cease all attacks consideration of the item on its agenda. over Aleppo, today’s might have been a different I wish to draw the attention of Council members to briefing. But I cannot leave it at that because — one can document S/2016/962, which contains the report of the hardly believe it — it is even worse now. Regrettably, Secretary-General on the implementation of Security over the past week we have seen an intense unleashing Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 of military aggression in Aleppo and the surrounding (2014) and 2258 (2015). rural area with truly devastating consequences for civilians. The pause over eastern Aleppo was shattered, I now give the floor to Mr. O’Brien. thereby returning the city and its inhabitants to death Mr. O’Brien: As we meet again this month, the and destruction once again. Reports of a high tempo suffering of civilians in Aleppo and across Syria of air strikes and shelling across areas of Aleppo city, rages on unabated. Horror is now usual; it is a level held by non-State armed groups, reportedly by Syrian of violence and destruction that the world appears to Government forces began again on 15 November. For consider normal for Syria and for the Syrian people. the sake of accuracy and completeness, let me report Month after month, I have reported to the Council that here that the Russian Federation has repeatedly asserted the level of depravity inflicted upon the Syrian people that its air force and air strikes have resumed only in cannot sink lower, only to return the following month, Idlib and Homs and not over eastern Aleppo. in shocked disbelief, with hideous new reports of ever- Since last Tuesday, the bombing of eastern Aleppo worsening human suffering. has not stopped. Over the past days, reports have I am more or less at my wits’ end as a human being, indicate that hundreds of civilians have been killed, but I am here, like my colleagues, to be professional injured or otherwise affected by the relentless attacks and objective. I had hoped to say today that last month on eastern Aleppo. Entire families were reported I put it all on the table, and, frankly, it is still just as to have been buried under rubble in the Al-Sukkari 2/25 16-39409 21/11/2016 The situation in the Middle East S/PV.7817 district as first responders searched for survivors. Fires And along with limited food and medicine, there raged from incendiaries and household gas breaches in has been growing discontent with protests against residential buildings following the attacks that stretched corruption and a monopoly on goods reported last throughout eastern Aleppo. Deaths were reported in week, some of which turned violent, indicating the at least 10 neighbourhoods. As of yesterday, there are extreme desperation of the trapped citizens. And to barely any functional hospitals left in eastern Aleppo add to the humanitarian crisis, they will shortly face able to treat those who have escaped death, as all the a harsh winter without heating or the bare essentials hospitals are being bombed into oblivion. for life. The United Nations has employed significant and tireless efforts to deliver life-saving aid. I yield to In parallel, more than 350 mortars and rockets no one in saluting the undiluted, selfless bravery of all have been reportedly launched by non-State armed humanitarian aid workers across the United Nations, groups indiscriminately into western Aleppo since including the international NGOs, the local NGOs, 1 November, killing over 60 people, including women first responders and people in their communities and and children, and injuring more than 350 others. Over families. They do that time and again, if they do not the weekend, an attack on a school in the Al-Furqan fall victim themselves at the time that they venture out, district in western Aleppo with mortar shells and rocket even risking a cynical second follow-on air strike, shell projectiles by non-State armed groups reportedly killed or sniper’s bullet deliberately aimed at them, searching eight children and injured several others, while the local for life and saving lives. Let us repeat — they are university was also hit. Overall, some 25,000 people not a target. And I urge the Government of Syria to have been displaced in western Aleppo in the last few give the Secretary General’s internal board of inquiry weeks as a result of shelling by non-State armed groups. into the attack on the humanitarian convoy, which Let me be clear. We are not just seeing a resumption of resulted in the death of aid workers on 19 September violence in Aleppo. It is not business as usual. What at Oram Al-Kubra, full access in Syria to conduct has been unleashed on civilians this past week is yet its investigations. another low in an unrelenting inhuman onslaught, and Our teams in Damascus and Gaziantep have it is as heart-breaking as it is not inevitable. The parties presented successive plans to all sides, working to to the conflict are — all of them — choosing to do this. ensure delivery of medical supplies and evacuation It is civilians who pay the price. of the most urgent medical cases. We stand ready to Since July, 275,000 civilians have been trapped move the moment that security guarantees by all in eastern Aleppo owing to the siege tactics placed on parties are granted. The United Nations four-point them by the Syrian Government and its allies. Russia plan presented last week to all parties includes critical and Syria have opened corridors for civilians to leave, medical evacuations and delivery of medical supplies. but they are reportedly unsafe or perceived as unsafe It includes the provision of food and other essential to traverse. There have also been reports that non-State relief items.
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