耿爽大使在安理会叙利亚政治和人道问题视频公开会上的发言

Remarks by Ambassador Geng Shuang at Security Council Open VTC on Syria (Political and Humanitarian)

2020年12月16日

16 December 2020

主席先生：

Mr. President,

我感谢裴凯儒特使和洛科克副秘书长的通报。安理会同时审议叙利亚政治和人道问题，有助于统筹考虑政治、安全、反恐、人道等各方面因素，以全面综合方式处理叙利亚问题。

I thank Special Envoy Mr. Pedersen and USG Mr. Lowcock for their briefings. Consideration by the Council of both political and humanitarian issues of Syria will help us tackle the Syrian issue in a comprehensive manner, integrating political, security, counter-terrorism, humanitarian and other factors.

中方欢迎叙利亚双方就宪法委员会第四轮和第五轮会议的时间和议程达成一致，很高兴第四轮会议顺利召开，期待明年1月按期举行第五轮会议。这些进展令人鼓舞。中方赞赏裴凯儒特使的不懈努力，希望叙利亚双方继续同特使保持沟通，在现有共识基础上深入政治对话，国际社会应为此创造有利条件。宪法委员会的工作必须保持独立性，不受外来干涉。

China welcomes the agreement between the Syrian parties on the time frame and agenda of the fourth and fifth sessions of the Constitutional Committee and is pleased that the fourth session has been held smoothly. We look forward to the fifth session scheduled for January. These developments are encouraging. China appreciates the unremitting efforts of Special Envoy Mr. Pedersen. We hope that the Syrian parties will continue to maintain communication with the Special Envoy and deepen political dialogue on the basis of existing consensus. The international community should create favorable conditions to this end. The work of the Constitutional Committee must remain independent and free from foreign interference.

今年3月以来，叙利亚西北部总体较为平静，希望阿斯塔纳进程担保国同联合国加强互动，维持当地停火局面。叙利亚各方应积极响应秘书长及其特使关于全球停火的呼吁，稳定叙利亚的安全局势。叙利亚当前的安全威胁主要来自外部占领和恐怖活动。叙利亚政府有权捍卫自身主权、独立、统一和领土完整。国际社会对恐怖分子趁机作乱的行为不能姑息，应根据国际法和安理会决议，加强合作，采取统一标准，坚决予以打击。

Since March this year, the situation has been generally calm in northwest Syria. We hope the Astana Guarantors will strengthen interaction with the UN to maintain ceasefire on the ground. All parties in Syria should actively follow the appeal by the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy for a global ceasefire in order to stabilize the security situation in Syria. The main causes of the current security threat in Syria are foreign occupation and terrorist activities. The Syrian Government has the right to defend the country’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. The international community cannot stand idly by, while terrorists find chances to wreak havoc. The international community should strengthen cooperation, adopt uniform standards, and resolutely combat the scourge in accordance with international law and Security Council resolutions.

主席先生，

Mr. President,

刚刚洛科克副秘书长的通报为我们描绘了一幅叙利亚人道惨状的画面。过去两个月，叙利亚石油、面包价格翻倍，叙磅贬值，民众缺乏燃料抵御严寒，49%的家庭几乎无力购买足够的食物，我们对此深表关切。叙利亚长年遭受战乱和非法制裁，经济危机、人道危机叠加，必须采取有效行动改善叙利亚民众生存状况。我们欢迎叙利亚政府担负起自身责任，积极推进农业改革，促进贸易合作，恢复国内经济。同时，呼吁国际社会向叙方施以援手，支持叙利亚重建基础设施、保障民生、抗击疫情。中方支持联合国继续通过跨境和跨线机制开展人道救援行动，并充分发挥叙利亚政府的作用。中方已通过双多边渠道向叙方提供约1.3亿美元援助，愿继续帮助和支持叙利亚人民。

As briefed by USG Mr. Lowcock, the Syrian people are facing very harsh conditions. In the past two months, the prices of fuel and bread have doubled, the Syrian pound devalued, people lacked fuel to withstand the cold, and monitoring data indicated 49% of households reporting poor and borderline food consumption. We are seriously concerned. For years, Syria has been suffering from conflicts and illegal sanctions, compounded by economic and humanitarian crises. Effective actions must be taken to improve the living conditions of the Syrian people. We call on the international community to provide assistance to Syria to support Syria in rebuilding infrastructure, safeguarding people’s livelihood and fighting COVID-19. China supports the UN in continuing humanitarian relief operations through the cross-border and cross-line mechanisms while bringing into play the role of the Syrian Government. We have provided Syria with assistance worth about 130 million US dollars through bilateral and multilateral channels, and stand ready to continue to help and support the Syrian people.

主席先生，

Mr. President,

上个月，中方同其他四名安理会成员联合主办了单边强制措施问题阿里亚模式会议，会上叙利亚红新月会秘书长埃尔克苏西先生做了通报。根据他的通报，单边强制措施特别是经济封锁严重阻碍叙利亚复工复产、医疗物资供应和人道主义行动，使需要人道救援的人口不断增加，其中最大的受害者是妇女、儿童和流离失所者等弱势群体。希望有关国家代表能看看上个月阿里亚模式会议的视频，了解一下单边强制措施对人道局势的负面影响，了解一下人道豁免机制是否像它们吹嘘的那样有效。希望这些国家能对叙利亚人民遭受的苦难感同身受，不要视而不见。中方再次呼吁立即解除对叙利亚的单边强制措施，切实改善叙利亚人民的生存状况，缓解叙利亚的人道危机。

Last month, China and four other members of the Security Council co-hosted an Arria Formula meeting on unilateral coercive measures (UCMs). Secretary General of the Syrian Red Crescent Mr. Erksoussi gave a briefing at the meeting. According to him, UCMs, especially economic blockade, have severely hindered the resumption of work and production, medical supplies and humanitarian operations in Syria, resulting in an ever larger number of people in need of humanitarian assistance, with women, children, IDPs and other vulnerable groups suffering the most. We hope that the representatives of certain countries could watch the video of the meeting to learn the negative impacts of UCMs on the Syrian people and to see whether the so-called humanitarian exemption is as effective as they boast. We hope that they can empathize with the Syrian people instead of turning a blind eye to their sufferings. China once again calls for the immediate lifting of the UCMs against Syria to improve the living conditions of the Syrian people and ameliorate the humanitarian crisis.

谢谢主席先生。

Thank you, Mr. President.