Peace ahead of selfish interests

When all efforts failed to circumvent the Russian veto in the UN Security Council, when it comes to attempts to put an end to the fighting in Syria, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Turkey resorted to a precedent established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 377A, called “Uniting for Peace Resolution”, to break the Security Council’s stalemate. 

Resolution 377A was adopted in 1950 to get around the USSR’s veto at the time of the Korean War, waged between June 25, 1950, and July 27, 1953, which prevented the council from adopting a meaningful resolution to end the war.

As per this precedent, a majority of UN members may call for the convening of an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly and adopt the necessary resolution on a situation that threatens international peace and security.

The resolution stipulates that in any case where the Security Council fails to act as required by the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security because of lack of unanimity among its five permanent members, a special emergency meeting by the General Assembly can be convened to address a certain conflict.

Once the assembly is convened in an emergency session, it may adopt any recommendation it deems necessary to restore international peace and security.

In Syria’s case, the Security Council has been deadlocked, since the start of the conflict, on how to end it and restore peace to the beleaguered people.

Now Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Turkey decided to use this old resolution to salvage what can be still salvaged in Syria before the full fall of Aleppo and the prospect of seeing the death toll increased by tens of thousands of more people.

Already reports put the death toll in Syria at 400,000, people killed in a senseless war that has been ravaging the country for nearly six years and got internationalised through the overt intervention of Russia, Iran and the less obvious interference of other powers with vested interests.

All indications suggest that the initiative will receive a favourable response from at least a majority of UN members. A special meeting of the General Assembly can be expected to be convened in the next few days for the purpose of filing the vacuum created by the stalemated Security Council.

Peace and security issues must not be allowed to become hostage to the whims or dictates of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

The Syrian people deserves better treatment than the kind the international community has provided it so far, and deserves to leave in peace in a sovereign country.

It is high time to put international peace and security ahead of all geopolitical games or ambitions. And this can be done by putting the case of Syria on the agenda of the General Assembly rather than the ineffectual Security Council.