The extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council held this Tuesday at the request of Russia has become a demonstration of condemnation of the attack the day before in Damascus, attributed to Israel, and an almost unanimous call for containment to prevent the region is swept up in conflict. Only the US and the United Kingdom distanced themselves, pointing to Tehran as the main responsible for the spiral of violence in the region. It was also an opportunity for the majority of Council members – all but the US – to try to revive resolution 2728, the first ceasefire so far in the war, which was adopted last Monday but left to die in the act by the United States by describing it as “non-binding.”
All members of the Council, except the United States and the United Kingdom, expressed their condolences to the people and Government of Iran for the death of several compatriots, including three senior officers of the Revolutionary Guard, in Monday's attack in the Syrian capital. . Almost all interventions were calls for compliance with international law, especially the 1961 and 1963 conventions on the inviolability and security of diplomatic missions; and to the containment of the parties involved in “this proxy war” denounced by the representatives of Washington and London. A miscalculation can lead to undesired consequences, claimed the 13 remaining members of the Council, along with representatives from Iran and Syria who were mainly affected by Monday's attack.
The Russian ambassador, Vasili Nebenzia, pointed out the increase in Israeli attacks on Syrian soil “to further fuel the conflict” and warned that hitting a diplomatic representation is a precedent so that “next time the diplomatic representation of any state can be target of an air attack. His Chinese counterpart recalled the bombings suffered by his legation in Belgrade 25 years ago, during the NATO offensive against Slobodan Milosevic's regime over the Kosovo conflict. “Since October of last year, we have witnessed attacks on homes, attacks on schools, attacks on hospitals, attacks on humanitarian facilities, attacks on UN agencies, and today attacks on diplomatic premises. “The red line of international law and the basic norms of international relations have been violated time and again and the moral line of human conscience has been crushed time and again.”
Reactivate the ceasefire resolution
The Slovenian ambassador also connected the respirator to the ceasefire resolution 2728 approved last week by the Council and, in practice, nothing has changed: nothing has changed on the ground despite it being a legally binding resolution, despite the Washington's opinion. One after another, except for the United States, the rest of the diplomats who spoke in this session of mourning and warnings urged compliance with the text. “No one should be interested in a further dangerous escalation in the Middle East, because any of the geographically separated but ultimately intertwined crises could take on a life of their own,” said the Slovenian diplomat, referring to the conflicts in Palestine, Yemen, Syria or Lebanon. “This Council must make a clear call for restraint on the part of all, starting with compliance with resolution 2728 that demands a ceasefire.”
In the same terms, until the intervention of the United Kingdom and the United States, the rest of the members of the Council expressed their condemnation of the attack and their concern about a possible regional fire, at the same time as the pressing need to immediately apply the ceasefire. fire approved by the Council. Algeria, an elected (non-permanent) member, was especially harsh, in a speech with a marked political tone in which it referred to Israel as “the occupying power.”
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Nothing was expected from the resolution beyond messages of mourning and concern, but the intervention of the US vice ambassador was the anticlimax. “We still do not have confirmation of the status of the building that was attacked in Damascus. Any attack confirmed to a property that In fact If it were a diplomatic facility it would be a cause for concern for the United States (…) As I noted previously, we are also concerned by reports that terrorist leaders and elements were allegedly present at this facility and we condemn Iran's continued coordination, training and arming of terrorists. and other violent extremists”, a point that his British colleague also elaborated on. Both countries refused to offer their condolences to Iran and instead accused the Islamic republic of setting the Middle East on fire with its support for groups and militias that attack Israel and Western interests.
“It is Iran that is destabilizing the region, through its financing and support of groups that attack navigation in the Red Sea and against international forces” in the region, stated the British diplomat. His American colleague stressed that his country had nothing to do with the Damascus attack, “which we have communicated directly to Tehran.” The diplomat recalled the repeated calls to Iran “to contain itself and cease the destabilization of the region, avoiding taking advantage of the war. However, he has ignored those warnings.”
The American diplomat gave Israel another slap on the wrist for the deadly attack on chef José Andrés' NGO World Central Kitchen, which this Monday cost the lives of seven of its collaborators. “This incident is yet another reminder that Israel needs to do much more to protect humanitarian personnel and facilities in Gaza. It is unacceptable and inexplicable that almost six months after this conflict, the Israeli military mechanisms of deconfliction are not working. We join other countries that lost citizens in this incident in calling for a transparent and thorough investigation. “This must not happen again.”
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