Syria

Johannesburg: The violence in Syria continues unabated and has claimed thousands of lives and left many more injured while the country’s infrastructure is being razed to the ground. It is now general knowledge that thousands of fundamentalists, supported by armed foreign groups, are fighting against the government forces. The terrorist attacks have increased sharply. Recently the leader of the al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) announced that al-Nusra was an extension of the AQI and called on the Syrian people to implement Sharia law. These disastrous developments in Syria have forced the United Nations Security Council to place the matter on the table for discussion. Tragically, however, the draft resolution of the “Friends of Syria” is heavily biased in favour of the opposition with very scant regard for the government. The resolution offers no solutions to reach a negotiated settlement in that country.

Johannesburg: Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, urges the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) to focus attention on the humanitarian crisis in Syria, corporate accountability and creating an enabling environment for civil society when they meet in Durban for the Fifth BRICS Summit from 26-27 March 2013. The BRICS mechanism claims to “achieve peace, security, development and cooperation” and contribute significantly to “the development of humanity and establish a more equitable and fair world.” With the agenda of the BRICS meetings widening considerably to encompass various global issues and political developments, CIVICUS urges the five governments to focus on the following issues:

Cairo:  Organisation of Islamic Cooperation leaders met on Thursday for the second and final day of a summit dominated by the Syrian conflict which has divided the Muslim world along sectarian lines. The closed-door meeting of half of the OIC's 57 members started at around mid-morning, officials said, with a final press conference expected when the meeting wraps up in the evening. A draft resolution on Syria, seen by AFP, calls for a "serious dialogue" between the Syrian opposition and government officials "not directly involved in oppression".

New York:  The Syrian crisis can only be resolved through diplomatic means, the head of a United Nations-backed inquiry today urged, while warning that the conflict in the Middle Eastern country was steadily worsening amid the growing presence of armed jihadist groups. In an interview with UN Radio, the chairperson of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, Paulo Pinheiro, expressed concern that the conflict in Syria had deteriorated since his Commission presented its report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva last month.

Johannesburg: South Africa has questioned the value and credibility of the Middle East Quartet that is tasked with mediating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even suggesting that it should be disbanded. In a monthly United Nations Security Council debate on the region, South Africa pointed to the lack of progress in moving parties closer to direct negotiations by the group comprising the United States, European Union, Russia and the UN – arguing that the prospects for peace were quickly diminishing.

New York:   The BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have called for an immediate ceasefire in  Syria and start of a process of political reconciliation as they expressed concern over the worsening security and humanitarian situation in the country.  The BRICS ministers of foreign affairs discussed the situation in Syria when they met here yesterday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly annual session. 

Johannesburg: I am particularly grateful to the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) for bringing us together this evening to reflect on South Africa’s role in the United Nations (UN) Security Council in Promoting Peace in the Middle East and North Africa. It has been South Africa’s privilege to serve in the UN Security Council (UNSC) for four of the past six years. These historical first and second terms have brought with them many challenges and opportunities.

New York: South Africa on Thursday reiterated that the Syrian crisis cannot be solved by military means, warning that the collapse of Syria will adversely affect regional stability in the Middle East. The statement came as Baso Sangqu, the South African permanent representative to the United Nations, was taking the floor at an open meeting of the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria, where the political crisis have been going on for some 18 months.

Cairo: President Mohamed Morsi entered Tehran's Summit Conference Hall on Thursday morning to hand over the presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  The fact that Morsi chose to accept the Iranian invitation to be in Tehran, with which Cairo has not had full diplomatic relations for three decades, was itself a revolutionary move.  What was indeed more revolutionary was Morsi's speech to the opening session of the NAM summit, the 16th since its establishment during the Cold War.