Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
2013
STUDY GUIDE
President: Kamakshii Kanojia Vice President: Raghav Poddar Moderator: Prerana Adhikari
CONTENTS
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT ........................................................................................ 3 INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMITTEE ................................................................................... 4 HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM ................................................................................................... 5 CURRENT SITUATION ............................................................................................................. 7 RELEVANT UN ACTIONS ......................................................................................................... 9 PROPOSED SOLUTIONS ........................................................................................................12 DIRECTIVES AND COMMUNIQUES ........................................................................................14 POSITION PAPER FORMAT ....................................................................................................15 BLOC POSITIONS ....................................................................................................................17 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH .........................................................................19 REFERENCES .........................................................................................................................20
20 parties, both states and involved parties have agreed to a one-time negotiation session. All involved parties, including certain organizations designated as terrorists by some members of the international community have come together as a one-time discussion panel under the United Nations. This committee will only be valid for the three days of the conferences and will have the right to make a binding resolution with a two-third majority without the interference of vetoes from the P5 nations, after which it will be dissolved, regardless of its success or failure.
19461971
1971
Hafez al-Assad is elected President by a national referendum for a seven year term
1973
Syria and Egypt go to war with Israel for the Golan Heights, which results in a disengagement treaty between Syria and Israel.
1980
1981
1982
Muslim Brotherhood leads an uprising against the government in the city of Homs but they are crushed by the government forces; the government is accused of killing thousands
1983
Hafez al-Assad falls sick; seizing his opportunity, Hafez al-Assads brother Rifaat alAssad carried out a failed coup against him. When Hafez recovered he sent his brother to exile pretending to send him on a mission to France.
2000
Hafez al-Assad passes away and the constitution is amended to reduce the mandatory minimum age from 40 to 34 to make Bashar al-Assad the President. To
mark his presidency, Assad releases 600 political prisoners. The Damascus Spring was a period of intense political debate with reforms discussed in informal forums called salons. The government officials announced reforms, political prisoners were released and amnesties were granted. Human rights organizations were established, and unlike under Hafez al-Assad, they were not repressed. Unfortunately, this period was short-lived; the government retightened its grip on the freedom of speech and Bashar al-Assad started employing his fathers way of ruling.
CURRENT SITUATION
Incited by the surge of revolutions brought about by the Arab Spring, the Syrian Civil War began with the uprising that took place of March 15, 2011 demanding the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad from the Arab Socialist Baath Party and had reached nationwide proportions by April 2011. In retaliation, the Syrian Army open-fired on demonstrators throughout the country in April 2011, turning what started out as a peaceful protest into a full-blown civil war.
The escalating violence in Syria has left a death toll of 106,423 casualties as of 9/08/2012 since 18/3/2011 according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It has reported that the deceased includes
38,660 civilians (including 5,553 women and 3,607 children) 15,191 rebel fighters 2,106 defected soldiers and officers 26,853 regular soldiers 2,680 unidentified casualties (documented with pictures and footage) 3,198 non-Syrian and unidentified rebels (most of whom are non-Syrians) 17,564 combatants from the Popular Committees, National Defence Forces, Shabiha, and pro regime informers 171 fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah
These reports exclude the existence of more than 10,000 detainees, over 4.25 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) , over 6.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance within Syria itself and thousands of people who have poured into Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan as refugees.
They have also stated that the real number of casualties from regular forces and rebel fighters is twice the number documented, because both sides are discreet about the human losses resulting from clashes.
Currently, the government controls 30-40% of the country with 60 % of the population, the rest being in the hands of the deeply divided rebels, some of whom have shown ties with terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and the Lebanese Hezbollah. These terrorist organizations have been supplying both the rebels and the Syrian Government with arms, al-Qaeda showing ties with al-Nusra and Hezbollah showing ties with Iran and the Syrian Government. International sanctions have been placed on Syria owing to its arming of the Lebanese Hezbollah. Assads government has shown the greatest intransigence, supporting several anti-Israel armed groups by the US such as Hezbollah and the Hamas. Also responsible for the lack of negotiations is the Syrian National Coalition, which has refused to come to any form of peace talks unless Assad steps down. The Alawite minority, represented by al-Assad in the Baath party is also one of the reasons for alAssads prolonged rule. The minorities fear that if Assad steps down, their representation in the Syrian Government will be non-existent and will soon become extinct, which is a very possible scenario.
RELEVANT UN ACTIONS
Security Council
Date
Actions
07/20/12
The Security Council adopted a resolution renewing the placement of 300 UN observers in Syria for 30 days in hope that the government would stop using heavy weapons and stop employing violent means
07/03/13
The deeply divided Security Council considered whether to approve a statement calling on the Syrian government to facilitate immediate access to the estimated 2,500 civilians trapped in the central city of Homs as a result of recent heavy fighting.
04/18/13
Two Security Council sessions with an open briefing followed by closed consultations took place regarding the humanitarian situation in Syria
07/16/13
The Security Council held a public briefing on the humanitarian situation in Syria followed by closed consultations
07/26/13
The Security Council held a meeting with the leaders of the Syrian National Coalition in closed sessions as organized by the United Kingdom
07/27/13
The Security Council renewed the peace-keeping mission in the Israeloccupied Golan Heights monitoring a decade-old truce between Israel and Syria that has been affected by the spillover violence by the Syrian civil war for six months now
United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) The United Nations mission in Syria was set up in 2012 as a result of United Nations Security Council resolution 2043 which was a heavy response towards the uprising civil war that existed in Syria.
Dates
Actions
04/16/12
06/07/12
It was declared that the six-point plan of UNSMIS had not been implemented
07/20/12
The Security Council extended UNSMIS for 30 days stating that any further extension would be possible only in the event that the Secretary-General reports and the Security Council confirms the cessation of the use of heavy weapons and a reduction in the level of violence sufficient by all sides to allow the UNSMIS monitors to implement their mandate.
08/19/12
Due to the failure in the fulfillment of the set conditions, the UNMIS was dissolved
General Assembly
Dates
Actions
16 February, 2012
The resolution condemned the violence in Syria. Adopting an Arab backed resolution, the Assembly called upon all diplomatic efforts to end the crisis.
3 August, 2012
The UN General Assembly approved a resolution on Syria strongly condemning the increasing use of heavy weapons including indiscriminate shelling. This resolution deplored the Security Councils failure to act on
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15 May, 2013
The General Assembly approved a resolution condemning the violent actions of the Syrian government: use of indiscriminate violence against civilian populations. This lead to the establishment of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as interlocutors needed for a political transition. With 107 votes in favor, 12 votes against and 59 abstentions the resolution was adopted.
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PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
1. Arab League Mission The Arab League Peace Plan On 3 November, 2011, the Arab League suggested ceasefire was accepted by the Syrian government. However, the continued suppression of the rebel groups and the killing of over 250 people during the time span of 2nd to 12th November lead to the breakdown of the ceasefire. On a second attempt at a solution, Syria complied to the Arab League peace plan on 19 th December, 2011 that dictated the release of 3,500 prisoners the arrival of observers into the country that occurred on 3rd January 2012 and 552 detainees on 5th January, 2012. The Arab League Observers Mission In accordance with the Arab League Peace Plan, 50 observers arrived in Syria on 26 th December 2011. Even after the technical expiry of the Arab League Observers on January 18th, there were 165 observers as of 22nd January present in Syria. However, the mission was suspended on January 28th due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Syria. UN Resolution Proposal The Arab League requested the adoption of a Security Council resolution calling for Assad to step down on 31st January, 2012. China and Russia vetoed this resolution and a non-binding General Assembly resolution was adopted with opposing votes from China and Russia after the failure of the adoption of the Security Council resolution on 4th February 2012. 2. The Russian Proposal Russia has maintained that the Syrian conflict needs to be dealt with internally without the interference of the international community. It hosted informal talks between the Syrian Government and the opposition representatives on 30th January 2012. 3. The Kofi Annan Peace Envoy The Kofi Annan peace envoy for Syria, also known as the six-point peace plan for Syria was launched on 23rd February 2012 when Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, was appointed as the joint UN-Arab League special envoy to Syria. A six-point peace plan was submitted to the UN on 16th March, 2012, which, on 27th March, was accepted by the Syrian government. A failed attempt at a ceasefire mediated by Kofi Annan was made. On the 12th of April, the Syrian government declared a ceasefire, which only initiated on 14th April. Both sides had violated the
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ceasefire agreement. Kofi Annan resigned on 2nd August 2012 on the basis of the intransigence shown by both the rebel groups and the Syrian government. The United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria Security Council Resolution 2043 authorized a UN peacekeeping mission in Syria in response to the Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria. It was suspended on June 16, 2012 due to the escalating violence by Robert Mood, the major general commanding the mission. 4. The Lakhdar Brahimi Peace Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister, was appointed Koi Annan's position as the UNArab League special representative for Syria on August 17, 2012, two weeks after Annan resigned. 5. US-Russia Peace Proposal The United States of America and the Russian Federation issued a joint proposal in May 2013, signifying an important turn of events for the Security Council had been deeply divided with US and Russia on clashing sides on the issue up until then. G8 Summit Discussions The 39th G8 Summit came up with a seven-point plan for Syria calling for better humanitarian aid, condemning the use of chemical weapons by anyone, backing a transitional government, encouraging peace talks, maintaining Syrian public institutions and instilling a new non-sectarian government. Geneva II The Geneva II Middle-East conference will be held In September 2013, primarily focusing on the Syrian Crisis
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Communiqu: A communiqu is a mini-resolution that will be used to resolve crises. A minimum of one sponsor, maximum of two and a two-thirds majority voting for the communiqu will be required in order for a communiqu to pass. It will have no perambulatory clauses. A minimum of one and a maximum of ten operative clauses may be presented in a communiqu. The delegates may make amendments to a communiqu if they wish to change any particular clause. Two types of amendments may be made. Substantive Amendment: If a part of a clause or the clause itself is to be added, amended or deleted, it will be called a substantive amendment and will require a simple majority to pass Non Substantive Amendment: If a grammatical, factual or formatting error is being corrected, a non substantive amendment is made and no voting will take place on type of amendment
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3.
The Korean National Assembly refused to entertain the possibility of the formation of a private military company to organize, recruit and train a Korean constable force similar to the US-based Blackwater in Iraq in March 2008 claiming that it would be similar to sending mercenaries on behalf of the US What does my country plan to do in the future to further support or condemn question 1?
A standard definition of what jurisdiction a non-state organization comes under and what they are authorized to do must be included in the Security Council resolutions. A monitoring body funded by respective states must be established in any country that has non-state military organizations and the actions of Private Military Companies should be strictly monitored and regulated by the government International laws demanding the regulation and control of non-state military actors and holding the said actors accountable for their actions must be established.
References: http://www.un.org/en/sc/1540/transparency-and-outreach/outreachevents/pdf/ChairmanStatementaSaudi1540Event2013-Day3.pdf http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/328/43/PDF/N0432843.pdf?OpenElement http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N08/318/65/PDF/N0831865.pdf?OpenElement http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N11/306/79/PDF/N1130679.pdf?OpenElement http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unamid/facts.shtml http://timshorrock.com/?p=1375 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Mercenaries/WGMercenaries/Pages/NationalLegislationSurve y.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Mercenaries/WGMercenaries/Pages/NationalRegulatoryFram eworks.aspx http://psm.du.edu/national_regulation/ http://www.privatesecurityregulation.net/countries/results/taxonomy%3A237.185
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BLOC POSITIONS
Arab league: The Arab League, of which Syria is also a member, consists of 22 nations from the Middle East and Northern Africa. On November 12, 2011, the Syrian government's membership was suspended and sanctions were placed against members of the government due to the rapidly escalating violence. The Syrian National Coalition was invited into the League to be the representative of Syria on March 6, 2013 and is now the official representative of Syria in the League. The League called upon Bashar al-Assad to step down and hand over power to his deputy and even proposed a resolution in the Security Council asking him to do so, but it failed due to China and Russia vetoing the resolution. At the moment the Arab League has called back all its observers European Union: The European Union supports the opposition; it has condemned the use of violence by the government forces and also imposed sanctions on Syria. The sanctions include: Asset freezes and travel bans imposed on top members of the Syrian military and government, including Assad and his family Establishment of an arms embargo Sanction on the Syrian central bank Bans on the import of Syrian oil and the export of equipment for the petroleum industry
China and Russia: China and Russia believe that the Syrian conflict can only be solved by internal political dialogue; both the nations are strongly against military intervention as both have important economic and military ties with Syria. They have vetoed three resolutions in the Security Council that asked Assad to step down. China and Russia fear that if a military intervention takes place, the situation similar to the chaos in Libya might arise. Russia frequently supplies the Syrian government with high-tech weapons and it also maintains a naval base in the country. United States of America: USA has supported the rebels but it refuses to intervene in the conflict as complications may arise. The United States has placed sanctions on Syria that prohibits bilateral trade. USA has frozen assets related to several Syrian Government officials and it has also frozen assets the Central Bank of Syria. Like in the EU, Syrian petroleum products are currently banned for import in the USA. Iran: Iran, along with its ally Hezbollah, has constantly aided the Syrian government with monetary funding and military assistance. It is reported that Syria was supplied with riot control equipment, intelligence monitoring techniques, oil supply, and snipers. Iran has also given $9 billion in monetary assistance to
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ease the pressure of Western sanctions. Iran strongly condemns the possibility of a military intervention citing destabilization of the entire region as a consequence. However, Iran welcomes peace talks held between the opposition and the government; Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying "When there is a problem between the people and their leaders, they must sit down together to reach a solution, away from violence". Israel: Israel and Syria have had a bitter history and this history is reflecting on the crisis at hand. Syria has constantly demanded the Golan Heights and this has become a major obstacle to the peace process between them. On 24 March 2011, Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs said, The same principles, activities the Western world [has taken] in Libya I hope to see those regarding the Iranian regime and the Syrian regime. Lieberman hoped for an intervention in Syria to stop the killings and peace in the region. Israel is ready to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, but it refrains from entering the civil war itself. Israels views were supported by actions; Israel has conducted four air strikes on Syrian land in suspicion that those weapons could or were going to fall in the hands of Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia and Qatar: Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing the rebels with light arms but at the request of the United States of America they stopped this supply; instead, they supply arms through the Supreme Military Council of the SNC. Turkey: Turkey was a staunch of supporter of Syria until the governments aggression increased. Turkey has supported the rebels and has facilitated the arms supply to the Syrian opposition. In October 2012, Turkey shelled several Syrian targets in cross-border mortar attacks. Egypt: Egypt has called on the opposition and the government to hold talks but for the moment Egypt had cut all diplomatic ties with Syria. The Al-Nusra Front: The Al-Nusra Front has been one of the deadliest and most effective driving forces against the government forces in Syria. The fighters in the group are veterans who have previously fought in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq which makes differentiates it from all the other groups in the region. The honesty and discipline within the group has helped it to control and run several facilities and plants in the North Eastern region. Basic facilities like food, water, electricity, healthcare and even justice under the Sharia law is provided to the citizens of Shadadi.
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Note: Please remember that these are just a few sites that might be helpful. Do not depend on them. You are required to explore other sources for information.
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REFERENCES
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http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-a-historical-perspective-on-the-current-crisis/24568 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703995 http://carnegie-mec.org/publications/?fa=48516 http://sites.mgkworld.net/thessis08/files/communique_writing.pdf http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703856 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/world/middleeast/un-reports-increased-number-ofdisplacedpeople.html?_r=0 http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/emergencies/un-relief-supplies-depart-dubai-for-syria1.1220716 https://www.facebook.com/syriaohr http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/ca9cbebc-0420-11e3-8aab00144feab7de,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2 F0%2Fca9cbebc-0420-11e3-8aab-00144feab7de.html&_i_referer=#axzz2cQohLQWE http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e486a76.html http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/index.php/crises/crisis-in-syria http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=146&Body=Syria&Body1= http://ww3.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21578443-russia-and-america-try-bitjaw-jaw-how-about-diplomacy http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/13/Syria-opposition-to-consultallies-over-U-S-Russia-peace-initiative-.html http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-01-05/syria-politicalprisoners/52387422/1 http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iOopJQLs2bnTmk3TRzytK_NIKcXg?doc Id=CNG.0fe739f1f49df34b937ed993417cb269.721 http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/arab-league-observer-assad-committing-genocidein-syria-1.403756 http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/22/189842.html http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/26/190767.html
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