The Russian draft resolution on Syria

Vitaly Churkin (centre), Russian Permanent Representative, is approached by reporters as he exists the Security Council’s meeting on Syria. January 27, 2012. (Click on picture) 

The Security Council,

PP1 Recalling its Presidential Statements of 3 August 2011, 21 March 2012 and 5 April 2012, and also recalling all relevant resolutions of the General Assembly,

PP2 Reaffirming its support to Joint Special Envoy for the United Nations and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan, and his work,

PP3. Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, and to the purposes and principles of the Charter,

PP4 Noting the Syrian government’s commitment on 25 March 2012 to implement the six-point proposal of the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, and to implement urgently and visibly its commitments, as it agreed to do in its communication to the Envoy of 1 April, and noting also the Syrian opposition’s expressed commitment to respect the cessation of violence, provided the government does so,

PP5 Noting the Envoy’s assessment that the parties appeared to be observing a cessation of fire as of 12 April 2012 and that the Syrian government had started to implement its commitments to (a) cease troop movements towards population centres, (b) cease all use of heavy weapons in such centres, and (c) begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centres and supporting the Envoy’s call for an immediate  and visible implementation by the Syrian government of these commitments in their entirety,

1. Reaffirms its full support and calls for the urgent, comprehensive, and immediate implementation of all elements of the Envoy’s six-point proposal aimed at bringing an immediate end to all violence and human rights violations, securing humanitarian access and facilitating a Syrian-led political transition leading to a democratic, plural political system, in which citizens are equal regardless of their affiliations, ethnicities or beliefs, including through commencing a comprehensive political dialogue between the Syrian government and the whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition,

2. Calls upon the Syrian government to implement visibly its commitments in their entirety, as it agreed to do in its communication to the Envoy of 1 April,

3. Calls upon all parties in Syria, including the opposition, immediately  cease all armed violence in all its forms;

4. Expresses its intention, subject to a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties, to establish immediately, after consultations with the Syrian government, a United Nations supervision mission in Syria and requests formal proposal thereon from the Secretary-General by 16 April 2012;

5. Decides to authorize an advance team of up to 30 unarmed military observers to liaise with the parties and to begin to report on the implementation of a full cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties, pending the deployment of the mission referred to in paragraph 4 and calls upon the Syrian government and all other parties to ensure the advance team is able to carry out its functions; 

6. Calls upon all parties, including opposition, to guarantee the safety of the advance team without prejudice to the freedom of movement and access, and stresses that the primary responsibility in this regard lies with the Syrian authorities;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to report immediately to the Security Council any obstructions to the effective operation of the team, by any party;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council on the implementation of this resolution by April 19, 2012 ;

9. Decides to remain seized of the matter and consider further steps as appropriate;

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