Minister of State for the Middle East, , hosted an event at
the FCDO on 27 April with the Syrian Emergency Task Force.
"Distinguished guests, colleagues, friends.
Thank you for joining us today for this important discussion on
the need for accountability in Syria. In particular, a very
special thank you to our panellists, all of whom have been
resolute in their demands for justice.
While I will let them tell their own stories, what will become
clear is that the Syrian regime has, for more than 12 years,
shown a complete disregard for the sanctity of human life.
It is impossible not to be moved by the powerful images on
display. While these images make for harrowing viewing, bearing
witness is a first, critical step in the pursuit of justice.
The Syrian people have endured unimaginable suffering. And while
the propaganda merchants of Damascus, Moscow and Tehran seek to
rewrite history, the evidence we can see and hear today
underlines where responsibility for these abuses principally
lies: with the Asad regime, and its allies – Russia and Iran.
The UK has stood with the Syrian people from the outset of this
conflict. We continue to work with our partners, and the UN, to
advance an inclusive political process and an end to the
conflict. We have delivered more than £3.8 billion in
humanitarian assistance since 2012, our largest ever commitment
to a single humanitarian crisis.
Most recently, the UK acted swiftly to respond to the devastating
earthquakes of 6 February, increasing support to our partners on
the ground; we were able to provide a package of support worth
more than £43 million.
But, UK support goes further than humanitarian funding. I am
proud of the relationships the UK Government has built with
Syrian civil society. The Syrian people are at the heart of
justice and accountability efforts, and your voices will always
have a place in guiding UK policy.
The UK also uses our position in the Human Rights Council and at
the Security Council to highlight the scale of human rights
abuses in Syria - we will not let up.
We support information sharing and evidence collection
mechanisms, which have helped with judicial convictions,
including the landmark trial of Anwar Raslan.
We support the creation of a new UN mechanism to focus on the
missing. And we maintain a robust sanctions regime – our second
largest – on those responsible for atrocities against the Syrian
people.
We also work to expose the malign way in which the Syrian regime
is destabilising the region. The regime enriches itself and its
war machine, for example through the narcotics trade, whilst the
Syrian people starve. To our friends in the region: you have our
full support in addressing the harmful influence that Syrian
narcotics and this conflict have on your societies.
Right now, some of our closest partners might be reconsidering
their relations with Syria. Dialogue has hastened and we are all
aware of ongoing discussions about Syria’s role in the region; we
understand our partners’ desire for peace, but I want to
emphasise that the UK’s stance on non-engagement with Damascus
has not changed.
We will not work with a regime which shows no remorse and which
has not shown any willingness to change its behaviour.
Our stance is guided by our values, but also by the evidence from
other contexts of how conflicts can be sustainably ended. We
believe the best way to achieve a lasting peace in Syria is
through collective pressure, with clear demands of the regime
including: a nationwide ceasefire; releasing those arbitrarily
detained; conditions for safe refugee returns; and opening a safe
political space, leading to free and fair elections. We will
continue to work with our partners in the region and elsewhere to
achieve these goals.
A Syria for all Syrians is possible. A Syria where people are
free to live without fear of forced disappearance; without fear
of systematic torture and sexual violence; and without fear that
chemical weapons will again be used against them.
Let me end by saying that there can be no peace without
accountability; that is as true in Syria as it is in Ukraine. The
UK remains as committed to the Syrian people as we were when you
first took to the streets demanding the most basic of freedoms.
The cause of accountability is not straightforward. But as Martin
Luther King put it, though the arc of history is long, it bends
towards justice.
Thank you all, once again, for joining us today and I will now
hand over to Charles King, our Acting Special Envoy to Syria."
