Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Headquarters, 30 July 2012
Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is a great pleasure to see you all. As you know, I came back from a long, hectic trip to China, the Balkan States and London. I came back last weekend. In China, I had intensive discussions with President Hu Jintao, Vice President Xi Jinping, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and other leaders. I also spoke directly to the country’s people through a live interview on Weibo. As you know, I also participated in the China-Africa Cooperation Forum; that was for the fifth time. And I met on that occasion many African leaders who were attending that Forum to discuss the situation in Sahel, Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Sudan – many other issues of our common concern. From China, I proceeded on a six-day, seven-stop tour to all parts of the former Yugoslavia. This was the first such trip by a United Nations Secretary-General. On each stop, I stressed the importance of dialogue, mutual respect, reconciliation and understanding. I came away deeply impressed by the resilience and dynamism of the region. In Kosovo, I had good meetings with the leadership as well as the UN Mission in Kosovo. I am grateful for their important work under Security Council Resolution 1244 to build democratic institutions, protect the rights of minorities and promote confidence. I told leaders in Belgrade and Pristina that I expect serious and sincere commitment to dialogue on both sides. All issues, particularly tensions in the North, must be resolved peacefully. I was also deeply honoured and moved to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina and pay my respects at the Memorial Centre in Srebrenica. I delivered a solemn pledge to the families of the victims – and an appeal to the international community – to honour their memories and do them justice with our actions. In London, I attended a ceremony on the Olympic Truce, together with [UK Foreign Secretary] William Hague, and held a number of bilateral meetings. Throughout my trip, I was focused on the tragic and intolerable situation in Syria. I met in London with Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan. He is working for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but he needs the international community’s united and concrete support to succeed. The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping [Operations], Mr. Hervé Ladsous, recently travelled to Syria, where he called on the Government to halt its use of heavy weapons and demonstrate a commitment to ending the armed violence. Government officials have repeatedly said that they would honour these commitments. We are still waiting for them to act. In his meetings with the Syrian opposition, Mr. Ladsous stressed that all sides must commit to ceasing armed violence. The Government is adding to its brutal crackdown by attacking heavily populated areas with fighter aircraft and helicopters. The armed opposition groups have also stepped up their attacks. Each day, as the violence spirals, more Syrians are killed, injured, tortured or forced to flee their homes or their country. The Joint Special Envoy and I are deeply concerned about the situation in Aleppo. Violence there has already caused large numbers of civilians to flee their homes. I am extremely concerned by the impact of shelling and use of other heavy weapons on civilians in Aleppo and other locations in Syria. I remind the parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law, and urge them to exercise restraint and avoid any further bloodshed. Let me also reiterate my concern about weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons. The use of these arms is prohibited under international law. Any use of such weapons would be an outrageous crime and a major concern for the entire international community. I call on the Government to renounce the possibility of using these weapons under any circumstances, and to ensure the safety and security of stockpiles. We all feel the urgency of the moment. The violence has made it impossible for UNSMIS [United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria] to carry out its normal operations, but the Mission still receives daily requests to patrol, respond to incidents, facilitate local ceasefires and assist in other ways. The teams maintain contact with both sides and take any opportunity to engage. We are continuously assessing the situation and our options. We have also intensified our humanitarian operations. As many as two million people are affected by violence. More fighting is not the answer. Further militarization of this conflict will only perpetuate the devastation and prolong the suffering. A sectarian civil war would also gravely imperil Syria’s neighbours. The only solution is a Syrian-led transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people. UNSMIS remains a key tool. The six-point plan and the Geneva communiqué remain the foundations for a peaceful resolution. I call on all sides to take immediate steps to meet the Security Council requirements, and give Syria the chance it needs to move beyond the violence and onto the path to peace. Finally, let me briefly comment on the Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty. I was disappointed that negotiators were unable to agree on a text. We must press on, building on the negotiations over the past four weeks to achieve a strong treaty that stops the deadly human toll of unregulated weapons. Thank you very much.
