Syria has not yet endorsed the Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It did however, participate in the negotiations towards a Political Declaration. In the early consultations it stated that the political declaration should: be in line with the UN Charter and should be preventative to avoid an increase in urban nature of warfare; include a clear call to implement UN resolutions on combating terrorism; respect the sovereignty of states, territorial integrity, and non-interference in internal affairs; include a call to end foreign occupation as main cause of suffering of civilians; and reflect the imposition of coercive measures on states and consequent inability to respond to needs of civilians.1
It also said the political declaration must include a clear article on the root causes of increasing use of urban warfare, foremost amongst which is support to armed terrorist groups that are able to occupy cities and towns using civilians as human shields.2 It said all data should be well documented and substantiated with evidence, and that when referencing commitment to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) it is necessary to mention “in all contexts”. Finally, Syria said the political declaration should not “welcome” the work of the UN Security Council but refer to the UN Charter and the UN Secretary-General’s statement on fighting terrorism.3