UN chief Guterres visits Syria for first time in 17 years, calls for sanctions relief

Photo: Omar Albam/ap

By Julia Neumann, from Beirut

Plaster crumbles from the walls, dirty blankets lie on the floors, the heavy iron doors stand open. Sednaya was once the most brutal torture prison under the Assad regime, where tens of thousands of people were killed. Over the weekend, UN Secretary General António Guterres walked through the former place of horror.

He was appalled, Guterres said. But he also saw courage and progress in the political transition, "which gives me deep hope that all Syrians can enjoy security and stability."

It is the first visit by a UN chief to Syria in 17 years. Guterres met with Transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, as well as women, youth, and humanitarian workers.

Syria's political transition must bring tangible improvements to people's daily lives, Guterres said. Syria should be reintegrated into the regional and global economy. To this end, all remaining sanctions against the country must be lifted.

UN Agencies Previously Bowed to the Assad Regime

The UN is a "steadfast partner" for the Syrian people, Guterres promised. "Unfortunately, United Nations humanitarian aid currently covers only about 20 percent of the needs of the Syrian population," he added. Guterres headed the UN refugee agency UNHCR between 2005 and 2015. In the last years of his tenure, Syrians were the largest displaced group worldwide.

The role of the UN in Syria under Assad is controversial. During the war, the UN maintained connections to Assad and accepted his conditions for the delivery of humanitarian aid by UN agencies. Russia's and China's veto in the Security Council prevented other, independent routes. According to an independent study, UN aid supplies thus went to companies whose owners were closely linked to the regime.

Activist Hassan Akkad therefore criticizes the UN. "Without justice, there is no peace," he says in a video addressed to Guterres. "The UN effectively financed our murderers. We need an apology and a promise that the UN will immediately stop cooperating with war profiteers."

The UN emergency relief coordination office Ocha and the UN observer mission Undof, which has separated Syrian and Israeli troops on the Golan Heights since 1974, continue to use the Yafour Hotel, according to Akkad. The hotel belongs to Mohammed Hamscho, a Syrian businessman sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for his economic support of the Assad regime.

Criticism of Israel's "Violations of Syria's Sovereignty"

Guterres visited the Undof headquarters on Monday. The UN force is supposed to monitor a supposedly demilitarized zone on the Golan. However, Israel's military repeatedly enters the area with tanks and soldiers. On Monday, Israeli soldiers are said to have again entered the districts of Daraa and Quneitra with military vehicles, searched civilian homes, and kidnapped a resident, reports the state Syrian news agency Sana.

Guterres criticized the Israeli incursions. "We affirm that violations of Syria's sovereignty are unacceptable," he said. "Israel must comply with the 1974 disengagement agreement." He will submit a comprehensive report to the UN.

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