New York — The U.N. secretary-general called for calm and avoiding violence Sunday, in the aftermath of the sudden and stunning fall of Syria’s Assad regime to rebel forces.
“After 14 years of brutal war and the fall of the dictatorial regime, today the people of Syria can seize an historic opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future,” Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
“The future of Syria is a matter for the Syrians to determine, and my Special Envoy will be working with them towards that end.”
His envoy, Geir Pedersen said that the country is in a “watershed moment” in its history, with immense challenges ahead, and must avoid bloodshed and preserve unity as it transitions.
“This dark chapter has left deep scars, but today we look forward with cautious hope to the opening of a new time — one of peace, reconciliation, dignity, and inclusion for all Syrians,” U.N. Syria envoy Pedersen told reporters in Doha, Qatar where he is attending meetings about the situation.
On November 27, multiple rebel groups aligned under the leadership of U.N.-designated terror group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched their biggest challenge in years to the regime of President Bashar Assad.
They made stunning gains in just over one week, first sweeping into the northwest city of Aleppo, then taking towns and villages in Idlib governorate. Emboldened, they continued to the central city of Hama and then Homs, capturing them. Late Saturday, the rebels made their way to the capital, Damascus. President Assad and his family reportedly left the city ahead of their arrival to an unknown destination.
The U.N. envoy said he had no information on Assad’s whereabouts.
On their telegram channel Saturday, HTS announced Assad’s fall and said it is the beginning of a new era for the country, which has been torn apart by nearly 14 years of civil war. It will be a “new Syria” where “everyone lives in peace and justice prevails,” the group said.
The Assad family has ruled Syria with an iron grip since 1971, first Hafez and then his son, Bashar.
“Let me urge all Syrians to prioritize dialogue, unity, and respect for international humanitarian law and human rights as they seek to rebuild their society,” Pedersen said. “Let me stress that there must be a collective effort to secure peace and dignity for all.”
He said he is ready to support the Syrian people in their journey toward a stable and inclusive future that they will decide and shape themselves.
“But to this end, let me emphasize the clear desire expressed by millions of Syrians that stable and inclusive transitional arrangements are put in place urgently, and that the Syrian institutions continue to function, and that the Syrian people are enabled to begin to chart the path to meeting the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and restore a unified Syria, with its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, in a way that can receive the support and engagement of the entire international community,” Pedersen said.
Pedersen acknowledged that the fact that HTS is a designated terrorist group “creates challenges.”
“It's extremely important that we now see on the ground a development that proves that we can achieve, you know, a transition to what I hope will be a democratic future for Syria,” he emphasized.
The U.N. has been involved in trying to end the Syrian conflict since its start in 2011. Security Council resolution 2254 in 2015 laid out a road map for a Syrian-owned and led process with U.N. facilitation for reaching a political settlement. Mediation has been stalled for years. Pedersen is the fourth in a string of U.N. envoys who have tried to resolve the conflict, which has killed an estimated half-million Syrians and displaced more than 12 million others.
The United Nations said Friday that at least 370,000 people have been displaced in northwest Syria in the latest fighting.
