NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for a new security architecture in the Gulf, as he warned that escalating conflicts across the Middle East threaten to increase regional instability, jeopardize the fragile progress in Syria, and undermine efforts to secure lasting peace.
Speaking at a high-level UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, Guterres said that it was “time to explore a new security architecture for the Gulf” based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, noninterference in their internal affairs, and enhanced multilateral cooperation.
The Middle East is being plunged into a worsening crisis, the consequences of which extend far beyond, he added.
He told the meeting, chaired by the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, that recent developments had brought “wider attacks and further deterioration,” and expressed his deep concern about the possibility of “a full resumption of conflict” in the region.
“The Middle East is being pulled deeper into crisis, and the consequences reach far beyond the region,” Guterres said. He warned that the escalating tensions reverberate globally through political instability, the displacement of people, rising insecurity, disruptions to markets and trade routes, and increases in the prices of food and fuel.
“A brutal price is being paid by the region’s people,” he added, “and it is extending to the wider world.”
In the Gulf, he said, the existing ceasefire resembled “a lesser-fire” rather than a true cessation of hostilities. He highlighted attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in several countries, and said that threats to national sovereignty and territorial integrity violated international law.
He also warned that restrictions to navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz were resulting in global economic disruption, increased energy prices, interruptions to supply chains, rising fertilizer costs and worsening hunger, and were fueling inflation and adding to debt burdens.
In fragile states, he said, pressures such as these can increase the risk of renewed conflict.
“Even in the best-case scenario, these shocks will be felt for many months with developing countries bearing the heaviest impacts,” Guterres said.
He urged all parties to honor the ceasefire agreement and intensify their efforts to reach a durable resolution. He thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts, and welcomed contributions from Egypt, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
The UN chief called for a complete ceasefire, the restoration of all navigational rights and maritime freedoms in accordance with the provisions of international law and Security Council Resolution 2817, and for serious negotiations about Iran’s nuclear program to ensure it remains exclusively peaceful in nature.
Addressing recent developments in Lebanon, Guterres described a serious escalation in hostilities since March, as Israel intensifies its military operations in Lebanese territory and Hezbollah launches attacks deeper into Israeli territory.
He highlighted the resultant civilian deaths, uprooting of entire communities, extensive destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon, the forced displacement of more than a million civilians, and the deaths of seven UN peacekeepers, including one who was killed last week.
“Through it all, the risk and reality of more escalation,” he added.
Guterres called on all parties to pursue a diplomatic settlement that fully respects Lebanon’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence within its internationally recognized borders, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah and governs security arrangements along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
He reiterated his support for ongoing efforts to ensure the Lebanese government holds a national monopoly on possession of weapons, and said the path to peace in the country must begin with a comprehensive ceasefire agreement that is observed by all parties. Such a truce, he said, would alleviate the suffering of communities on both sides of the Blue Line that separates the countries.
Guterres also called for a UN uniformed peacekeeping presence in the country to continue after the UN Interim Force in Lebanon departs in December, when its mandate ends.
He praised the US for facilitating talks between Israeli and Lebanese authorities, and expressed hope that the negotiations would contribute to lasting peace and stability.
He also appealed for full implementation of existing ceasefire agreements: “No more attacks. No more excuses.”
Addressing what he described as the root cause of broader regional instability, Guterres lamented the fact that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has remained unresolved for decades, and called for a renewed commitment to the pursuit of a two-state solution.
He said “the only credible way forward” was a negotiated settlement to the conflict that envisions the independent, sovereign, democratic states of Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders based on pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem serving as the capital of both states, consistent with international law, UN resolutions and other relevant agreements.
“Delay and denial only perpetuate injustice, fueling extremism in the region and further afield," he warned.
Meanwhile, conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, were deteriorating rapidly, Guterres said.
Although a ceasefire agreement was announced eight months ago, Gaza continues to endure profound uncertainty and severe human suffering, he added; violence remains widespread, civilians are killed daily, humanitarian operations remain heavily constrained, and essential needs such as clean water, sanitation, food, shelter and healthcare continue to go unmet.
Guterres called for the full and immediate implementation of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, facilitated in September last year by the US, Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye and referenced by Security Council Resolution 2803. He stressed that all peace efforts must comply with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.
He also demanded the removal of all obstacles that he said were systematically undermining humanitarian operations in Gaza.
“The provision of humanitarian aid must never be used as a bargaining chip,” he added.
The ceasefire agreement must be consolidated, Guterres said, to allow recovery and reconstruction efforts to begin, and any lasting arrangements for Gaza must comply with international law and preserve the unity of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
“Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a Palestinian State,” he added.
He also sounded an alarm over developments in the occupied West Bank amid reports of settler violence averaging six attacks a day, along with demolitions of homes, the destruction of farms, land confiscations, the expansion of what he described as illegal Israeli settlements, and the displacement of Palestinians at levels not seen since 1967.
Guterres warned of the threat of attempted annexation by Israel and said any such action would, like the occupation itself, have no legal validity.
He also cautioned that recent developments risked rendering a two-state solution impossible, despite there being “no other viable option,” and added: “And throughout, the presumption of impunity. These injustices must stop.”
Guterres called on all UN member states to comply fully with their obligations under international law, with “no exceptions.”
He warned that the broader regional conflict could jeopardize fragile progress in Syria at a time when, after 13 years of violence, Syrians were “finally tasting peace.”
Referring to a Security Council visit to Damascus six months ago, he noted that members had seen firsthand the requirements for a successful transition, including inclusivity, the rule of law, transitional justice, intercommunal dialogue, and reconstruction. He called for continuing support for the UN’s role and expanded presence in Syria, which he said would enable the organization to pursue those objectives.
“Consolidating peace in Syria also requires respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added. “We cannot let progress be jeopardized by further use of force or wider regional instability.”
Guterres highlighted Yemen as a recent example of successful mediation efforts. Last month, he said, the UN helped broker an agreement between parties in the country for the release of 1,600 conflict-related detainees. The agreement formed part of the implementation of the 2018 Stockholm Agreement, and represented the largest detainee-release deal since the conflict began.
However, Guterres cautioned that tensions remain high in the country. He demanded that Houthi threats to restrict maritime navigation rights and freedoms in the Bab El-Mandeb Strait end now, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained UN personnel, as well as employees of nongovernmental organizations, representatives of civil society, and diplomatic staff.
“Our colleagues must be allowed to perform their functions independently and without hindrance,” he said,
He praised member states, regional organizations and other parties who are working to resolve conflicts, and once again urged the Security Council to provide its full support for efforts to resolve the conflict between Palestine and Israel.
“As for the Middle East, I urge this council to put its full weight behind the two-state solution, the key to a just and lasting peace in the region.
“There is no alternative and there is no time to waste.”
