Guterres calls on Syria to be protagonist of its own transition, one year after the fall of Al Assad

MADRID, December 7 (EUROPA PRESS) –

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has marked the anniversary of the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s regime by applauding the Syrian people and calling on the international community to facilitate the “difficult” transition process.

“I pay tribute to the resilience and courage of the Syrian people, who never stopped nourishing hope despite unimaginable difficulties,” Guterres said in a statement released on Sunday, on the eve of Al Assad’s departure from power after a multi-front offensive led by the now-disbanded jihadist organization Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS).

Guterres believes that Syria faces “much more than a political transition”, but also “the opportunity to rebuild broken communities and heal deep divisions”.

After once again pledging the full support of the UN to make the transition a success in the face of “considerable but not insurmountable challenges”, he also called on the international community to facilitate this work for the transitional president and former leader of the HTS, Ahmed al Shara.

“The past year has shown that meaningful change is possible when the Syrian people are empowered and supported to lead their own transition,” he said.

“While humanitarian needs across the country remain immense, progress has been made in restoring essential services, expanding humanitarian access and creating pathways for the return of refugees and displaced people,” added Guterres.

“The international community must strongly support this Syrian-led and Syrian-owned transition. This includes ensuring respect for Syria’s sovereignty, removing obstacles to reconstruction, funding humanitarian appeals, promoting economic development and ensuring that the transition brings tangible benefits to Syrians on the ground,” he concluded.