China's UN envoy calls for Syrian-led political process

China's envoy to the United Nations on Wednesday called for a Syrian political process led and owned by the Syrian people as the war-torn country held its presidential election in the shadow of a civil war.

"China has noted the relevant activities related to the general elections in Syria and calls upon the international community to respect the sovereignty of Syria and the choice of its people," said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, during a videoconference on Syria.

The Security Council meeting took place as the presidential election kicked off in Syria on Wednesday.

Three candidates, including President Bashar al-Assad, former Deputy Cabinet Minister Abdallah Saloum Abdallah, and Mahmoud Ahmed Marei, head of a small Syrian opposition party, are running in the election.

Zhang, who chaired the conference as China holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for May, said the UN and the council in particular must step up efforts for an early end to the Syrian crisis.

"We must work tirelessly towards a political settlement to the question of Syria. China supports the work of special envoy Pedersen in promoting the implementation of council Resolution 2254. We call upon all parties in Syria to maintain communication with the special envoy and advance the work of the Constitutional Committee on the basis of the existing consensus," Zhang said.

Zhang said the committee must work independently, free of external interference, to ensure that the political process is in the best interest of Syrians.

The 150-member Syrian Constitutional Committee is a key part of the UN's effort for a "Syrian-owned and Syrian-led" peace process, UN officials said.

The creation of the committee could be traced back to Resolution 2254, which was unanimously adopted by the Security Council in 2015. The resolution provides a road map for peace process in Syria.

Syria has been caught in a devastating civil war since March 2011. The 10-year crisis has killed or wounded almost 12,000 children and left millions out of school, according to the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

The war has killed nearly half a million people, wounded more than a million and displaced half the country's population, including more than 5 million as refugees.

Further compounding the humanitarian crisis is an ongoing economic crisis, food insecurity, currency depreciation, fuel shortages and the COVID-19 outbreak. The water and sanitation services in Syria have also been severely disrupted by the conflict, UNICEF said.

The envoy noted that the security situation in the northern part of Syria has been turbulent recently, with frequent terrorist attacks, as well as clashes and confrontations among armed groups.

In addition, the operation of foreign troops and missile attacks against Syria have escalated tensions, Zhang said.

"China urges the parties concerned to respect in earnest Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and cease their illegal invasions, and occupation of, and attacks against Syria," the envoy said.

Zhang said the international community must work in synergy and jointly combat terrorism in Syria, in accordance with international laws and Security Council resolutions.

The country is already facing multiple challenges, Zhang pointed out. With the recent decreases in the water flow of the Euphrates River, the functioning of the Alouk water station has been affected, threatening water and electricity supply and agricultural irrigation in that area.

"China urges the UN to scale up its food, vaccine and medical assistance to Syria and calls on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and cease disruptive acts against civilians' infrastructures," he said.

With unilateral sanctions in place, assistance and funds cannot reach Syria, resulting in tremendous difficulties to the country in repairing and rebuilding its infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and power plants, the envoy said. Syrians can't purchase the most essential parts or equipment, he added.

"The so-called humanitarian exemptions are nothing but an empty shell. On the one hand, some people are calling for humanitarian assistance, and on the other hand, some people are using it as a political tool," he said.

Imposing unilateral sanctions is "a pure hypocrisy". It will not fundamentally alleviate the humanitarian situation in Syria, Zhang said.

"Unilateral sanctions can be described as a roadblock in Syria's reconstruction efforts, and therefore, they must be lifted immediately, so as to restore infrastructure and enable basic services for the Syrian people," the envoy said.