Introduction

1. The present report is submitted in compliance with General Assembly resolution 66/253 B of 3 August 2012, in which the Secretary-General was requested to report to the Assembly, within 15 days, on the implementation of the resolution. The report provides an update on the implementation of the political, security, humanitarian and human rights aspects of the resolution during the period from 3 to 17 August.

2. The overall situation in the Syrian Arab Republic continued to deteriorate during the reporting period, with the most intense fighting seen to date taking place in Aleppo. The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and elements of the armed opposition continued to engage in violent confrontation. The Government remained convinced that it would be able to succeed militarily against the opposition and refused to engage in any political dialogue or move forward with the promised implementation of the six-point plan unless the opposition lay down arms. The armed opposition was equally convinced that its military efforts would succeed in toppling the leadership of the country and refused to accept the Government’s preconditions for dialogue. Temporary, localized reductions in troop strengths were seen in some areas although, in others, the conflict intensified. Armed opposition elements launched offensives in Aleppo and Damascus, while government forces maintained their use of heavy weapons in and around population centres and significantly increased the use of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft in their operations.

3. The humanitarian situation remained dire and continued to deteriorate as fighting in and around urban centres increased. The estimated number of internally displaced persons surpassed 1 million. As at 17 August, more than 170,000 Syrians had sought refuge across international borders. Such levels of internal and international displacement, against a backdrop of destruction of civilian infrastructure and residences in areas of origin, posed significant problems for many communities across the country. Both Government and opposition groups continued to commit gross human rights violations.

4. International diplomatic efforts continued to lack unity and cohesion, despite some attempts to address the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic over the past few weeks. The Government of the Republic of Iran held a meeting of 30 nations on 9 August, and Saudi Arabia hosted a summit meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on 14 and 15 August.

United Nations envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi walks off stage after addressing the U.N. General Assembly, Sept. 4, 2012.

U.N. finds wide consensus on Syria in

General Assembly, but remains

powerless as war worsens

(CBS News) UNITED NATIONS - With “acrimonious fault lines” between members blocking action by the United Nations Security Council on Syria’s escalating civil war, as a senior European put it to CBS News, the General Assembly came together Tuesday - for the second time - to shine a light on the issue and try to present a more unified front.

Diplomats accused both President Bashar Assad’s government and the opposition of violating human rights. They pointed to the recent report that more than 100,000 Syrians fled their country in August alone. They called on nations to meet the appeals for humanitarian aid.

In the end, however, and with great frustration, they threw up their hands. There is, after all, not much that the General Assembly can do.

The U.N.’s hopes for diplomacy now rest with seasoned Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, the global body’s new envoy to Syria, who has taken over Kofi Annan’s role as negotiator-in-chief after the former U.N. secretary-general quit the position having accomplished little.

“The destruction is reaching catastrophic proportions,” Brahimi told the General Assembly’s 193 member nations. “The support of the international community is indispensable and very urgent.”

Brahimi’s pleas came two days after he told the BBC that his mission was “nearly impossible,” comparing it to standing in front of a brick wall and looking for tiny cracks - a loosely veiled reference to the “acrimonious fault lines” between the U.S. and other nations which believe Assad has lost all credibility as a leader, and Russia and China, which continue to block any external intervention - be it military or via further sanctions.

“As we gather in this great assembly today, millions of Syrians remain in a state of huge uncertainty, fear and death in their own country,” said current General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar. “U.N. agencies now estimate that some 2.5 million Syrians are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.”

In light of the stalemate in the Security Council, Al-Nasser beseeched the General Assembly to take action.

“The Charter places a responsibility on the General Assembly to take steps, where necessary, to promote and ensure international peace and security. This has become all the more necessary because of a deadlock and lack of unity in the Security Council.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, meanwhile, said “regional leaders have a key role to play in creating the conditions conducive to a solution.”

His remarks came as The New York Times reported that, according to U.S. officials, Iran has resumed flying military equipment to the isolated Syrian regime via Iraq’s airspace - shipments which would violate U.N. sanctions already in place. Iraq has demanded the U.S. government provide proof of the shipments, saying the Iranians have told them the flights are carrying food and other humanitarian supplies.

“It is the time for the international community to close ranks and to send a united message to the Syrian parties to walk back from their military approach and to embrace the only path to bring about an end to the violence and a sustainable peaceful solution through an inclusive political process,” said Algeria’s U.N. ambassador Mourad Benmehidi.

If presenting a more united voice on the Syrian crisis was the goalpost for the General Assembly, then it did its part on Tuesday.

But the overwhelming majority view of the 193 nations will do nothing to alter the deadlock in the Security Council, or to improve the outlook for the thousands of Syrians suffering a brutal civil war.

This story was written by CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk, edited by CBSNews.com foreign editor Tucker Reals

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Washington, D.C.—Fifty-six foreign policy experts and former U.S. government officials signed an open letter today urging President Obama to act more assertively to stop the Assad regime’s continuing atrocities against Syrian civilians.  Organized by the Foreign Policy Initiative and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the letter calls on the President to immediately establish safe zones and no-go zones within Syrian territory; establish contacts with the Free Syrian Army and provide a full range of direct assistance including self-defense aid; improve U.S. coordination with political opposition groups and provide them with secure communication technologies; and work with Congress to improve crippling U.S. and multilateral sanctions on the Syrian government.

For eleven months, the Syrian people have been dying on a daily basis at the hands of the Assad regime.  The letter urges that, “Given the United Nations Security Council’s recent failure to act…the United States cannot continue to defer its strategic and moral responsibilities in Syria to regional actors such as the Arab League, or to wait for consent from the Assad regime’s protectors, Russia and China.”

The letter calls on the President to lead on Syria. “Unless the United States takes the lead and acts, either individually or in concert with like-minded nations, thousands of additional Syrian civilians will likely die, and the emerging civil war in Syria will likely ignite wider instability in the Middle East.  Given American interests in the Middle East, as well as the implications for those seeking freedom in other repressive societies, it is imperative that the United States and its allies not remove any option from consideration, including military intervention.’”

The full text of the letter and signatories can be found below.

February 17, 2012

 
The Honorable Barack H. Obama
President of the United States of America
The White House
Washington, D.C.
 
Dear Mr. President:
 
For eleven months now, the Syrian people have been dying on a daily basis at the hands of their government as they seek to topple the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad.  As the recent events in the city of Homs—in which hundreds of Syrians have been killed in a matter of days—have shown, Assad will stop at nothing to maintain his grip on power.
 
Given the United Nations Security Council’s recent failure to act, we believe that the United States cannot continue to defer its strategic and moral responsibilities in Syria to regional actors such as the Arab League, or to wait for consent from the Assad regime’s protectors, Russia and China.  We therefore urge you to take immediate steps to decisively halt the Assad regime’s atrocities against Syrian civilians, and to hasten the emergence of a post-Assad government in Syria.
 
Syria’s future is not purely a humanitarian concern.  The Assad regime poses a grave threat to national security interests of the United States.  The Syrian government, which has been on the State Department’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list since 1979, maintains a strategic partnership with the terror-sponsoring government of Iran, as well as with Hamas and Hezbollah.  For years, it facilitated the entry of foreign fighters into Iraq who killed American troops.  For years, it secretly pursued a nuclear program with North Korea’s assistance.  And for decades, it has closely cooperated with Iran and other agents of violence and instability to menace America’s allies and partners throughout the Middle East.
 
Equally troubling, foreign powers have already directly intervened in Syria—in support of the Assad regime.  Russia is providing arms and supplies to the Syrian government.  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah are reportedly operating in Syria, and assisting Syrian military forces and pro-regime militias in efforts to crush the Syrian opposition.  In turn, the lack of resolve and action by the responsible members of the international community is only further emboldening the Assad regime.
 
Given these facts, we urge you to take the following immediate actions to hasten an end to the Assad regime and the humanitarian catastrophe that it is inflicting on the Syrian people:

• Immediately establish safe zones within Syrian territory, as well as no-go zones for the Assad regime’s military and security forces, around Homs, Idlib, and other threatened areas, in order to protect Syrian civilians.  To the extent possible, the United States should work with like-minded countries like Turkey and members of the Arab League in these efforts.

• Establish contacts with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and, in conjunction with allies in the Middle East and Europe, provide a full range of direct assistance, including self-defense aid to the FSA.

• Improve U.S. coordination with political opposition groups and provide them with secure communications technologies and other assistance that will help to improve their ability to prepare for a post-Assad Syria.

• Work with Congress to impose crippling U.S. and multilateral sanctions on the Syrian government, especially on Syria’s energy, banking, and shipping sectors.

Unless the United States takes the lead and acts, either individually or in concert with like-minded nations, thousands of additional Syrian civilians will likely die, and the emerging civil war in Syria will likely ignite wider instability in the Middle East.  Given American interests in the Middle East, as well as the implications for those seeking freedom in other repressive societies, it is imperative that the United States and its allies not remove any option from consideration, including military intervention.

The Syrian people are asking for international assistance.  It is apparent that American leadership is required to ensure the quickest end to the Assad regime’s brutal reign, and to clearly show the Syrian people that, as you said on February 4, 2012, the people of the free world stand with them as they seek to realize their aspirations.

Sincerely,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16995279