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Guterres in Damascus
UN Secretary-General António Guterres began his first visit to Damascus as UN chief nearly two years after the fall of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad, urging the international community to support the people of Syria and criticizing Israel’s actions in the country’s south.
Guterres held talks with Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, before touring the old quarter of Damascus and the Umayyad Mosque, and he also visited the Saydnaya military prison just north of Damascus.
The UN chief said, “I appeal to the international community to spare no effort to support the people of Syria,” as he kicked off a three-day visit and was scheduled to visit the UN force deployed along the border with Israel.
AP reported that Guterres’ visit comes as Syria tries to recover from the civil war that broke out in March 2011 and killed nearly half a million people, with rebuilding expected to cost tens of billions of dollars.
In the same reporting, Guterres told journalists during a joint news conference with Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani that the UN recognizes “without limitations, that the Golan Heights belong to Syria.”
Sovereignty and sanctions
At a Saturday press conference in Damascus, Guterres reiterated the UN’s position on sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying, “Violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are unacceptable and must cease.”
The Jerusalem Post quoted Guterres stressing the same point on the Golan Heights, saying, “I’d like to remind the international community that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory.”
Kurdistan24 reported that Guterres called for the immediate removal of all sanctions imposed on Syria during Bashar al-Assad’s rule, saying, “all these sanctions must be removed immediately.”
Euronews added that Guterres welcomed steps easing sanctions but said they were not enough, quoting him: “all these sanctions must be removed immediately,” as he concluded a two-day visit.
Euronews also reported that Guterres met senior officials including President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and visited Sednaya prison near the capital.
What comes next
Guterres framed Syria’s transition as a “moment of possibility,” telling reporters in Damascus that “The opportunity now is not only to recover from conflict, but to lay the foundations for a future that will be more stable, more inclusive and more prosperous for all Syrians.”
UN News reported that he urged the international community to seize the opportunity to help rebuild a nation emerging from more than a decade of conflict, describing Syria’s recovery as “a humanitarian imperative – and it is also an investment in development, in peace and regional stability.”
The UN chief said the UN stood ready to accompany Syria’s political transition, including efforts to ensure transitional justice, draft a permanent constitution, and hold free and fair elections, while insisting, “We have no UN agenda for Syria. Our agenda is the agenda of the Syrian government and the Syrian people.”
In a separate account, Al Jazeera reported that Guterres was expected to address Syria’s new parliament on Monday and to hold talks with government officials and representatives of Syrian civil society, with a field tour to inspect the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
AP reported that Guterres’ visit also includes a scheduled stop at the UN force deployed along the border with Israel, as Syria tries to recover from the war and the effects of crippling Western sanctions.
