Geneva/ Information Office/ 28 February 2017/ HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi said that ensuring accountability in Syria will help put an end to the cycle of violence and prevent the spread of hate while also ending the root causes of violent extremism and terrorism.
HE Al Muraikhi was speaking during a briefing meeting at the ministerial level held under the organization of the permanent delegations of Lichtenstein and Netherlands to Geneva on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the 34th regular session of the Human Rights Council.
The meeting was focusing on the Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) that was established in December 2016 based on the U.N. General Assembly Resolution 71/248 that was proposed by Qatar and Lichtenstein to assist with accountability for the perpetrators of mass atrocity crimes in the Syrian civil war since March 2011.
HE the minister stressed that any political transition or settlement in Syria that does not hold accountable those involved in crimes and violations will be neither sustainable nor successful.
He added that the Syrian people have been suffering for several years the violations and crimes that, according to many U.N. reports, were mostly committed by the Syrian regime, which responded to the legitimate and peaceful demands by using excessive military force that included chemical and internationally prohibited weapons.
He said that the continuation of impunity in Syria can't be tolerated morally and legally, adding that the Security Council's failure to refer the Syrian case to the International Criminal Court has contributed to the escalation of violations and lessened hope of achieving justice for victims.
Out of Qatar's legal, moral and humanitarian responsibility, HE Al Muraikhi said, Doha has backed the different international efforts to address impunity for all perpetrators of crimes and violations in Syria and other international platforms. He added that these efforts culminated recently in the U.N. Resolution 71/248 that established an international, impartial and independent mechanism to assist with accountability for the perpetrators of mass atrocity crimes in the Syrian civil war since March 2011.
HE Al Muraikhi said the resolution was the first step towards ensuring accountability and justice for Syrian victims, adding that more serious work must be done to guarantee the appropriate execution and effectiveness of the new mechanism.
The minister of state for foreign affairs thanked all the countries that offered financial support to the mechanism and urged all countries and concerned entities to provide all the needed support in order to help the mechanism in carrying out its mandate in an optimal manner, pointing in this regard to Qatar's $500,000 financial contribution to the mechanism.
Concluding his address, the minister reiterated Qatar's unwavering support for the legitimate demands of the Syrian people and efforts aiming to reach a political settlement for the Syrian crisis as well as facilitate and accelerate the work of the international mechanism and move towards independent and just criminal proceedings in line with the international law.
In turn, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad offered an update on the establishment of the international, impartial and independent mechanism and reviewed the major financial, administrative, legal challenges. In addition, Paulo Pinheiro, chairperson of the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, briefed the meeting about his views on means of coordination and cooperation between the U.N. IIIM and the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria.