Topic: Syria
Country: France
Delegate Name: Bob Wang
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All France position papers GLIMUN 2011 committees
The events that have occurred and are currently occurring in Syria can only be described as horrifying and inhumane. As protestors, part of the Arab Spring, grew in countries such as Egypt and Libya, they also began to build in Syria as well. However, unlike in Egypt and Libya, Syria demonstrated a much tighter, and much more violent, control over the protestors. Beginning on the 15th of May, 2011, the Syrian government under the rule of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, began to respond to the protestors with brutality, violence, and force, which left over 3,000 civilians dead and thousands wounded, tortured, disappeared, and arbitrarily arrested as of September 2011. Furthermore, reports from the Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights detail that orders from President Bashar al-Assad’s government have cut off access to and communication with several cities, deployed tanks and troops to meet protestors, and deprived cities of access to food, water, and medical supplies as well as restricting access to hospitals. All these events have not only caused the unnecessary deaths of thousands of civilians, but have also caused approximately 12,000 Syrians to flee to Turkey.
The French Republic has had many relations with the Syrian Arab Republic in the past, which started with the French Mandate of Syria. After Syria gained its independence in 1946, ties between France and Syria have remained strong but are also sometimes strained due to differences in the Syrian policy in Lebanon. However, current relations with Syria, in response to the current situation, have deteriorated. Syria’s continued actions of violence and the bloodshed of innocent civilians go against the French Republic’s values of the universal rights of every man to liberty and equality, as stated in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
The UN Security Council has already issued a statement condemning the actions of Syria. France, along with fellow countries Britain, Germany, Portugal, and more, not only have led the charge against Syria brutal responses, but have also drafted a Resolution that endorses Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s statements that denounces the violence and demands an immediate end to the force used against protestors along with independent investigations into alleged crimes that have occurred. However, due to uncertainties from countries, such as Russia and China, the Resolution was not passed.
In light of the terrible situation, the French Republic further emphasizes the necessity of swift action. For the Security Council to stay silent on such a tragedy would be intolerable. France urges other countries to rise up against violations against basic human rights and use all available leverage to encourage an end to Syria’s brutal responses, as action today will save many lives, prevent the situation from deteriorating any further, and send a clear message to others contemplating a similar response to peaceful protests.
