URUM AL-KUBRA: Members of the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the "White Helmets," walk in the rubble outside a health facility that was hit by a reported Russian air strike after midnight in town of Urum al-Kubra in the western countryside of Syria's northern Aleppo province just before a truce went into effect, on August 31, 2019. - AFP

NEW YORK: Kuwait,
Germany and Belgium jointly put forward on Thursday a draft resolution to the
UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in the northwestern
Syrian province of Idlib. Kuwait, Germany and Belgium - three UNSC members and
the council's three co-penholders for the humanitarian situation in Syria -
would work with other members to adopt a draft resolution that aims to put an
end to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Idlib, Kuwait's Permanent
Representative to the UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said in a speech at a
special UNSC session on the developments in Syria.

"The
military escalation in northwestern Syria in the past three months has
displaced nearly half a million people and claimed the lives of at least 500
civilians," he pointed out. The Kuwaiti envoy reiterated his country's
condemnation of military acts, by any party, that target innocent civilians,
healthcare and civilian facilities. He regretted resumption of escalation in
the Syrian province, which has a population of three million, almost a year
after the signing of the Russian-Turkish Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),
which significantly de-escalated the situation there.

Otaibi renewed
calls for all parties to respect international humanitarian and human rights
laws. Counter-terrorism operations in no way absolve any party to a conflict
from obligations under international law, including compliance with the
principles of distinction, proportionality, precaution, protection of civilians
and civilian facilities, he emphasized. He expressed concern that the continued
military escalation in northwestern Syria would negatively affect efforts of
the UN Special Envoy and his team to revive the Syrian political process.

Otaibi stressed
the need to reduce escalation and reach a ceasefire in order to stop blood
shedding of the brotherly Syrian people, who have suffered a lot during the
past few years. He pointed out that Kuwait closely follow up the efforts
exerted for formation of the long-awaited Syria's constitutional committee.
"We hope that the committee will be formed before the beginning of the
next session of the UN General Assembly," he said.

Otaibi asserted
that the constitutional committed line-up should be balanced, inclusive and
credible. He suggested that the political process should be accompanied with
several confidence-building measures, notable making progress in detainees,
prisoners and missing persons dossiers. There is no military solution to the
Syrian crisis, but rather a political solution that takes into consideration
the aspirations of the Syrian people in all its components and retains Syria's
security, sovereignty and territorial integrity based on UNSC Resolution 2254
and the Geneva Declaration of 2012, he stated.

Otaibi dismissed
Syria's representative to the United Nations' allegations of some Kuwaiti
institutions' involvement in financing terrorism in Syria. "I do not
accept from the Syrian representative or anybody to implicitly or explicitly
accuse Kuwait (of financing terror) or try to link it, in one way or another,
to terrorism," he said.

He stressed that
Kuwait gives priority to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and that the Kuwaiti
government certifies that Kuwaiti charities are carrying out humanitarian work
in Syria and have nothing to do with terrorism financing. "We have laws in
Kuwait that hold accountable those who are linked to any terrorist
organization. It is not right (from Syria's representative) to level random
accusations against people or entities," he said, emphasizing that these
accusations are "totally untrue." - KUNA