I thank Special Envoy Pedersen for his briefing on the political situation in Syria. My special gratitude goes to Ms. Hussein for joining us today. Your honest testimony on the situation on the ground was extremely informative.
It is clear that repressions in Syria continue. Millions have been displaced. Violence prevails, while thousands remain arbitrarily detained and missing. Under these difficult circumstances, it is even more encouraging to see Syrian activists standing up and making a change, even when the Constitutional Committee is in a deadlock.
The work that the members of the Syrian Women Political Movement are doing is a vivid example of the will people have to participate in the political life. Estonia insists on the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace processes and finding a political solution for the Syrian conflict. The UN and the Security Council cannot let down women, who have risked their lives to take part in deciding their country’s future.
The Security Council needs to act decisively against the widespread and systematic violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in Syria. Attacks against civilians and the use of chemical weapons amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. These violations often take place with almost absolute impunity.
Estonia reiterates the call of the European Union on the need to create an international mechanism to locate missing people or their remains. There must be accountability for the many war crimes and crimes against humanity – and an end to impunity. Without justice for victims, there will not be any real peace in Syria.
I further highlight the Security Council resolution 2474, championed by our Kuwaiti colleagues two years ago. In this resolution, the Security Council calls to ‘actively search for persons reported missing and enable the return of their remains’. Estonia will keep demanding this from the Syrian regime.
Investigative mechanisms, such as the IIIM of the General Assembly, Commission of Inquiry of the Human Rights Council, Fact Finding Missions of OPCW – all these bodies play a central role in collecting evidence, and moving towards accountability.
Estonia and the European Union remain committed to finding a lasting and credible political solution to the conflict in Syria in line with the Security Council resolution 2254 and the 2012 Geneva Communiqué.