GENEVA, March 18: Kuwait expressed Friday grave concern about the fate of all those missing as a result of the conflict in Syria. This was in a speech delivered by Kuwait's Permanent Representative to the UN and Other International Organizations in Geneva Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghunaim, before the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which runs from last February 28 to April one. Under international law and in line with UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2474, parties to armed conflict bear the primary responsibility to take all possible measures to determine the fate of people reported missing as a result of hostilities, to communicate with families during the search process, Al-Ghunaim added.

Kuwait urges the UN Secretary General to put an end to the practice of arbitrary detention as well as enforced disappearance of tens of thousands of people, to respond to the urgent calls of families across Syria who seek to reveal the fate and whereabouts of the missing, he confirmed. Kuwait urges all parties of the conflict to take all appropriate measures to pay utmost attention to the cases of children reported missing as a result of the armed conflict in Syria and to take appropriate measures to search for these children as well as determine their identities. He said that Kuwait is still fully convinced that there can be no military solution to the Syrian crisis and that the only possible solution is a political one that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people, according to the Geneva Communique of 2012 and the UNSC Resolution 2254. Kuwait also urged UNHRC to act to stop further humanitarian negative repercussions, expressing its aspiration for everyone's cooperation with the efforts of the UN Secretary General's Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen, aimed at achieving peace in this country.

All human rights violations suffered by the Syrian people were strongly condemned by Kuwait, calling for an end to this conflict, along with finding a just and comprehensive solution that meets the aspirations of all Syrian people. He underscored that Kuwait is deeply concerned that the parties to the conflict in Syria continue to commit explicit violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The brutal conflict caused the Syrian people to suffer several human deaths and a large number of human rights violations, in addition to widespread destruction that affected cities, villages and farmland, he explained, adding that there is no longer a safe haven for civilians, which caused displacement, he explained.

They are deeply concerned about the suffering of millions of Syrians from the consequences of displacement and seeking asylum towards other countries, as the Syrian conflict continued for the 11th year, he said. Al-Ghunaim explained that Kuwait assumed its humanitarian responsibility towards Syria since the outbreak of the conflict, as it took the initiative to host the first donor conference and participated in several subsequent conferences, during which it made pledges totaling USD 1.7 billion. He confirmed Kuwait's support for the call of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to ensure that the greatest amount of humanitarian aid reaches the needs of civilians throughout Syria.

Kuwait hopes that the UNSC will reach a consensus regarding the renewal of Resolution 2585 next July related to the entry of humanitarian aid into Syria. In the same context, Kuwait expressed concern over the repercussions of the collapse of the health care system in Syria and the decline in the number of hospitals along with health centers as a result of armed attacks on them, at a time when a large proportion of the health workforce is migrating abroad in search of a safe haven. The destruction of basic infrastructure in Syria has deepened the economic crisis and pushed humanitarian needs to their highest levels since the conflict began, he pointed out. (KUNA)