The Syrian Negotiation Commission discusses activating the opposition’s role within UN institutions
The Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC) held a special symposium with UN expert Larry Johnson on February 14 and 15, to develop its work and activate the role of the opposition within UN institutions.
The SNC said in a statement that “It discussed with Johson developing its work, bringing its interaction with international organizations to a more effective level, finding mechanism to activate the role of opposition inside UN institutions, how to activate the international resolutions, preserving the international recognition, and keeping the Syrian file present within internation organizations’ arena.”
The SNC focused on mechanism of dealing with the United Nations and its affiliated organizations in order to restore the internation attention on the Syrian issue and use all diplomatic and legal methods to activate the role of SNC in all international venues.
According to the statement, Johnson talked in-depth explanations about the United Nations, its charter and bodies, and its main actors, in addition to the Security Council and its rules, the role of the five permanent members, “Arria Formula” meetings, dialogue with non-member states, and the veto right.
Johnson also spoke about the General Assembly, its committees and their role, the Security Council sessions, and the UN resolutions on Syria, clarifying the difference between the special representative and the special envoy, and discussed the mission of the UN special envoy to Syria, and the means of going to the General Assembly.
The statement pointed out that the Commission discussed the issue of detainees, and forcibly disappeared persons in depth in UN texts, and in texts related to the Syrian issue, and the importance of checking the international resolutions in which detainees are referred to, and reviewing the wording used in this regard.
The SNC discussed activating the role of the Syrian opposition within UN institutions. It also discussed the importance of cooperation with human rights organizations that are not affiliated with the UN to engage them in the Syrian file and use these platforms to convey the Syrian voices to the diplomatic community in the United Nations.
