Brussels, 21/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 18 December, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on the peace process in Syria. It was voted through unanimously by the 15 members of the Council, including Russia.
The resolution gives a legal framework to the roadmap decided upon in Vienna in October and November by the International Syria Support Group (see EUROPE 11431). The resolution asks UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to bring together the representatives of the Syrian government and opposition so that they might urgently engage in official negotiations on a political transition process, aiming for the talks to begin at the start of January 2016. The UN Security Council supports a political process led by the Syrians and facilitated by the EU, which might establish, in six months, credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance, and decide on a timetable and modalities for developing a new constitution, and says it favours the holding of free and legal elections in 18 months (in line with the new constitution) which should be conducted under UN supervision.
The Security Council also believes the political transition must go hand in hand with a ceasefire - which will not apply to the offensive and defensive actions against Islamic State (IS) and the Al-Nusra Front.
Like the roadmap that went before it, the resolution does not, however, focus on the outcome of Bashar al-Assad - an issue that is still causing differences of opinion between the members of the Security Council and the support group.
Ban announced that he had asked the international Syria support group (which met on Friday 18 December before the Security Council) to put the necessary pressure on the Syrian parties so that they might immediately implement four measures to re-build trust. The measures comprise putting an end to the use of weapons that kill indiscriminately against citizens; unconditional and unhindered access to humanitarian aid convoys; an end to the attacks on hospitals and schools; and the release of all prisoners. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)