DAMASCUS: A United Nations Security Council delegation made its first-ever visit to Syria on Thursday, pledging the international community’s support for the country days before the anniversary of Bashar Assad’s ousting.
“We reiterated our clear support for sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria,” Slovenian UN ambassador Samuel Zbogar told a press conference in Damascus.
“Our united message was simple and clear: We recognize your country’s aspirations and challenges, and the path to a better future of new Syria will be Syria-led and Syria owned,” said the diplomat, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the UN body.
“The international community stands ready to support you whatever you believe that we can be helpful,” he said, adding: “We want to help build a bridge to this better future for all Syrians.”
The delegation met with Syria’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, a presidency statement said, publishing images of the meeting.
While the UN works to reestablish itself in Syria, the Security Council recently lifted sanctions on Sharaa, whose forces led the offensive that ousted Assad on December 8 last year.
The UN has urged an inclusive transition in the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country after nearly 14 years of civil war.
“Historic moment”
The day’s discussions included issues from justice and reconciliation to political inclusivity, reconstruction, economic development and counterterrorism, “as well as the need for Syria not to be the source of threat to the security of other countries,” Zbogar said.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani said the visit represented “a historic moment for rebuilding trust, with the support of the international community for the Syrian people.”
State news agency SANA said the delegation also visited Damascus’s historic Old City and the heavily damaged suburb of Jobar.
The diplomats are to visit neighboring Lebanon on Friday and Saturday.
Zbogar had said Monday that “the visit to Syria and Lebanon is the first official visit of the Security Council to the Middle East in six years, the first visit to Syria ever.”
The trip comes “at a crucial time for the region” and for both countries, Zbogar had said, noting the new authorities’ efforts toward Syria’s transition as well as a year-old ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and militant group Hezbollah “which we see daily that is being challenged.”
He noted that “there’s still a bit of lack of trust in the UN-Syria relationship, which we try to breach with this visit.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday that “we very much hope that the visit will increase the dialogue between the United Nations and Syria.”
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UN Security Council says ready to support Syria on first-ever visit
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UN Security Council says ready to support Syria on first-ever visit
- “The international community stands ready to support you whatever you believe that we can be helpful,” Zbogar said
Paraguay lawmakers approve defense agreement allowing an increased US military presence
ASUNCIÓN: Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday approved a defense agreement allowing the temporary presence of US military and civilian personnel inside its borders, widely seen as a victory for the Trump administration, which has sought to strengthen its presence in Latin America.
The Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, was approved by a large majority of lawmakers and now awaits the signature of President Santiago Peña to take effect. Peña, one of Trump’s closest allies in the region, is expected to sign the deal in the coming days.
The agreement passed with 53 votes in favor and eight against, and four abstentions out of a total 80 lawmakers. Fifteen were not present for the vote.
Signed by both countries in Washington in December, the agreement establishes a legal framework for the presence of US security forces in Paraguay for training, joint exercises, and humanitarian assistance. It also authorizes the United States to have criminal jurisdiction over its personnel while in the country.
The treaty, praised as “historic” by both the US State Department and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, was approved by the Paraguayan Senate last week, where debate was more polarized due to concerns over potential violations of sovereignty.
Some legislators argued against the agreement, citing a controversial provision to grant foreign troops immunity from prosecution, equivalent to that handed to diplomatic personnel.
“We believe in international cooperation, but we also believe in strong states, respected institutions and real democratic sovereignty,” said independent congressman Raúl Benítez.
Despite criticisms, Paraguay’s foreign minister backed the agreement, arguing in December that its main purpose is to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Paraguay in fighting transnational organized crime and “terrorism.” He also clarified that “there is no possibility of the installation of US military bases” in Paraguay.
Washington has also praised SOFA, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it a “historic agreement” that would help facilitate bilateral and multinational training, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and other shared security interests.
The approval of SOFA comes as Washington seeks to expand its influence in Latin America under the Trump administration’s national security strategy and as a sector of civil society in Paraguay continues to raise its voice against it.
“The security of a country is not built by importing troops or shielding foreign agents with diplomatic immunities,” said Peace and Justice Service, a civil organization which has a presence across Latin America, in a statement released days before the final vote. The treaty, it added, “does not represent progress in security, but rather the formalization of a geopolitics of impunity that undermines the pillars of our national dignity.”
The Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, was approved by a large majority of lawmakers and now awaits the signature of President Santiago Peña to take effect. Peña, one of Trump’s closest allies in the region, is expected to sign the deal in the coming days.
The agreement passed with 53 votes in favor and eight against, and four abstentions out of a total 80 lawmakers. Fifteen were not present for the vote.
Signed by both countries in Washington in December, the agreement establishes a legal framework for the presence of US security forces in Paraguay for training, joint exercises, and humanitarian assistance. It also authorizes the United States to have criminal jurisdiction over its personnel while in the country.
The treaty, praised as “historic” by both the US State Department and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, was approved by the Paraguayan Senate last week, where debate was more polarized due to concerns over potential violations of sovereignty.
Some legislators argued against the agreement, citing a controversial provision to grant foreign troops immunity from prosecution, equivalent to that handed to diplomatic personnel.
“We believe in international cooperation, but we also believe in strong states, respected institutions and real democratic sovereignty,” said independent congressman Raúl Benítez.
Despite criticisms, Paraguay’s foreign minister backed the agreement, arguing in December that its main purpose is to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Paraguay in fighting transnational organized crime and “terrorism.” He also clarified that “there is no possibility of the installation of US military bases” in Paraguay.
Washington has also praised SOFA, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it a “historic agreement” that would help facilitate bilateral and multinational training, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and other shared security interests.
The approval of SOFA comes as Washington seeks to expand its influence in Latin America under the Trump administration’s national security strategy and as a sector of civil society in Paraguay continues to raise its voice against it.
“The security of a country is not built by importing troops or shielding foreign agents with diplomatic immunities,” said Peace and Justice Service, a civil organization which has a presence across Latin America, in a statement released days before the final vote. The treaty, it added, “does not represent progress in security, but rather the formalization of a geopolitics of impunity that undermines the pillars of our national dignity.”
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