Opposition from Afrin to attend Astana 13 and international call to investigate government’s targeting of infrastructure in Idlib
North-Press Agency
UN Security Council members called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to investigate the targeting of infrastructure in Syria, coinciding with continued escalation northwestern the country, at the time the opposition parties and Syrian government prepare for Astana meetings in the Kazakh capital, Nursultan (Astana previously).
International call for investigation
10 members in UN Security Council called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to form an international committee to investigate Russian backed Syrian government’s targeting of infrastructure in Idlib governorate northwestern Syria.
As the 10 countries who call for forming of the committee, sent a letter to Guterres on that regard, while the latter asked the Office of Legal Affairs to resolve the matter by providing legal advice about the proposed committee for investigation.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations has these powers to start investigations, as it was done previously when a convoy was targeted in the north of the country three years ago.
The United Nations has announced on Tuesday, the death of more than 500 civilians and the displacement of more than 440.000, as a result of continued air strikes and shelling on the northwestern Syria since late April.
New Astana
At the same time preparations are under way for a new round of Astana talks, which holds number 13 and will take place on Thursday and Friday, with the participation of the guarantors of the agreement: Russia, Turkey and Iran and for the first time, Iraq and Lebanon alongside with Jordan as observers, will also participate.
The Syrian government delegation, led by Syria’s UN representative, Bashar Al-Ja’afari, left the Syrian capital, Damascus for the Kazakh capital of Nursultan (Astana previously), while the international envoy to Syria, Geer Pedersen, will not attend this round of talks for health issues, as his deputy Khawla Matar will attend on behalf of him.
Yaser Abdulrahim, military spokesman of Syrian opposition from the city of Afrin(which was seized by Turkish backed and led armed opposition in 2018) confirmed the going to the new round of Astana talks, on the pretext of “Defending multiple demands of the cessation of shelling and the release of the detainees.”
Moreover, the Syrian opposition accused government forces of escalation before the start of the international meetings, considering attending the talks as “preventing the government from running up the political rounds alone and to prove to the world that Russia is a criminal”.
A cautious, intermittent calm
In a related context, the relative calm in terms of direct clashes between the Syrian government forces and armed opposition groups returned in the axes of northern countryside of Hama.
The cautious calm followed escalation operations of aerial bombardments with rockets and explosive barrels by the Syrian Air Force, which reached various areas of Hama governorate, coinciding with the government’s attempt to advance in the vicinity of Wadi Hasmin and Zakat, north of Hama.
While the early hours of Wednesday morning witnessed targeting operations by the armed opposition groups against sites within the control of government forces in Al-Hakoura and Wadi Hasmin, causing death and injury of a number of the members of the latter.
The Gulf Cooperation Council expressed its concern about civilians in Idlib and Hama, demanding the stopping of external interference in Syria, while air and ground bombardments on areas in Idlib, Hama, Aleppo and Lattakia renewed with the expansion of bombing.
The Secretary-General of the Council Abdullatif Al-Zayani, expressed his deep concern regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the areas of Idlib and Hama.
Al-Zayani stressed the necessity of a ceasefire, protection of civilians, permission of providing humanitarian aid and the continuation of relief operations. He called for an end to external interference in Syria, as well as to swiftly implement the resolutions of international legitimacy on Syrian affairs.
While the Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, accused Western countries in the UN Security Council, of seeking to maintain the “terrorist enclave in Idlib to be used against the Syrian authorities” coincided with accusations to Russia and the Syrian government of committing a massacre.