I would like to thank Special Envoy Geir Pedersen and Assistant Secretary-General Joyce Msuya for their briefings. 

The Syrian people, who have long been mired in sufferings and hardships caused by war and chaos, are longing for a return of peace and stability in their country, so that they can start a life of tranquility and dignity as soon as possible. At this critical juncture, it is important for the international community to provide constructive assistance to Syria. 

China supports the promotion of a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, and the achievement of a solution that meets the aspirations of all Syrian people through inclusive dialogue and consultations. Resolution 2254 of the Security Council represents the basic consensus within the international community, and provides important guidance for addressing the Syrian issue. It remains valid in terms of the current situation. The holding of a national dialogue is a key step in the political transition, for which a clear timetable should be set as soon as possible and implemented steadily. China supports the United Nations and the Special Envoy to play an active role in this process, as well as the efforts of the Arab League to help Syria in its political transition and reconstruction. 

Syria must not become a safe haven for terrorists. This is a bottom line that must be adhered to. The latest report of the Secretary-General points out that Syria serves as a center for terrorist activities planning and that by exploiting the recent sudden change of the situation in Syria, terrorist organizations may seek to strengthen their position. The international community should therefore remain highly vigilant in this regard. The protracted presence of large numbers of foreign terrorist fighters in Syria has created a potential security risk. China supports an accelerated process of repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters and calls on the countries concerned to take them back. At the same time, China urges the Syrian authority to fulfill their counter-terrorism obligations and to combat all terrorist organizations listed by the Security Council, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party, in order to prevent them from threatening the security of other countries. 

As we just heard from the briefings, the current humanitarian situation in Syria is extremely dire. It is worrying to see that the survival and development of tens of millions of people are at stake. China appreciates the efforts of UN agencies to scale up humanitarian assistance to Syria under very difficult conditions. The illegal unilateral sanctions on Syria imposed by the relevant country have caused great harm to the Syrian people. China’s position on this has been consistent. Such measures should not have existed in the first place. In order to meet the needs of humanitarian assistance and development of Syria, it is necessary to take actions to eliminate the negative impact of these measures. 

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria should be respected under all circumstances. The resolution of the Security Council on the Golan must be implemented. So is the 1974 disengagement of forces agreement. China urges Israel to withdraw from Syrian territory without delay.