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Resolution 2138 (2016)
The situation in Aleppo
1. The Parliamentary Assembly is
appalled by the tragic situation in Aleppo, a Syrian city that has
been partially under the control of rebel fighters and jihadist
groups since 2012 and has become the epicentre of the Syrian war,
now in its sixth year.
2. Throughout one of the worst humanitarian crises since the
Second World War, over 300 000 Syrians have lost their lives, more
than 6.5 million people have been displaced inside the country and
some 4.8 million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. About
70% of the population are without access to drinking water, one
in three people is unable to meet his or her basic food needs, more
than 2 million children are out of school, and four out of five
people live in poverty.
3. The Assembly refers in particular to its Resolution 1878 (2012) and Recommendation 2026 (2013) on the
situation in Syria, Resolution
2016 (2014) and Recommendation
2055 (2014) “Threats against humanity posed by the terrorist
group known as ‘IS’: violence against Christians and other religious
or ethnic communities” and Resolution
2107 (2016) on a stronger European response to the Syrian
refugee crisis.
4. Since late March 2016, there has been a marked upsurge in
the fighting, with indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on
civilian-inhabited areas, particularly through aerial bombardments.
Since 21 September 2016, some of the heaviest bombardments have
been inflicted on eastern Aleppo by Russian and Syrian forces.
5. The Assembly firmly condemns the indiscriminate attacks on
civilians, including on medical workers and hospital facilities,
blocked humanitarian convoys, enforced disappearances, summary executions
and other crimes committed by all parties to the conflict, which
have left Syrians in a state of despair and violence at unprecedented
levels in Aleppo. It is particularly concerned about the tragic
situation of children in Aleppo, which has not received United Nations
humanitarian aid since early July 2016, as many schools and hospitals have
been hit (by Russian and Syrian aerial bombardments) and many children
left to die.
6. The Assembly notes that the conflict has drawn in numerous
rebel groups, opposition figures, terrorist elements, international
powers and religious factions, and has even strengthened Daesh and
other jihadist groups, in particular the Al-Nusra Front, now known
as “Jabhat Fateh al-Sham”.
7. The Assembly deeply regrets that the political process has
stalled despite intense negotiations, for example in the framework
of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), several multilateral
meetings and international conferences.
8. Fully supporting the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria,
Mr Staffan de Mistura, in his efforts to create the conditions for
the resumption of intra-Syrian talks, in line with United Nations
Security Council Resolutions 2254
(2015) and 2268
(2016) and the Action Group for Syria’s Geneva Communiqué
of 30 June 2012, the Assembly:
8.1. calls
for the immediate implementation of the ceasefire agreement of September
2016 and an immediate end to all aerial bombardments of Aleppo by
Syrian and Russian forces;
8.2. calls on all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities
and their allies, to promptly allow humanitarian organisations unhindered
and sustained access to conflict areas, including across conflict lines
and borders;
8.3. condemns all human rights violations and abuses committed
by the Syrian regime and its allies, by Daesh and other terrorist
groups designated as such by the United Nations, and by all other
parties to the conflict, including rebels and opposition groups;
8.4. strongly supports the global coalition in countering Daesh
in Syria and Iraq;
8.5. calls for all breaches of international humanitarian law
and human rights law, some of which may constitute war crimes or
crimes against humanity, to be brought to justice, including, as
appropriate, before the International Criminal Court;
8.6. condemns the use of chemical weapons, which has been proved
by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons–United
Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism;
8.7. reiterates its message that the Syrian refugee crisis
is the responsibility not only of neighbouring States and of Europe
but of the international community as a whole;
8.8. encourages all States to respond positively to the appeals
launched by the relevant agencies of the United Nations, support
the humanitarian organisations and Syria’s neighbouring countries
that are providing assistance to refugees, and open up humanitarian
corridors for the admission and resettlement of Syrian refugees;
8.9. supports the United Nations Human Rights Council’s decision
to request the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on
the Syrian Arab Republic to conduct a special comprehensive, independent
inquiry into the events in Aleppo, and identify all those responsible
for alleged human rights abuses and violations of international
human rights law;
8.10. supports the European Union in imposing restrictive measures
against Syria that target Syrian individuals and entities supporting
the regime, as long as the repression continues.
9. The Assembly fears that the escalation of violence and the
magnitude of the crisis could lead to even deeper conflicts in Syria
and in the whole region, in particular in Iraq, and represent a
threat to worldwide security. It urges the Russian Federation, the
United States of America and all parties involved in the conflict to
search for a common position and take joint international action.
10. Finally, the Assembly stresses that an inclusive Syrian-led
political process leading to a genuine political transition must
meet the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and enable
them to determine their own future independently and democratically,
through free and fair elections, after the country has been stabilised.