Madame President,

1. Although the delegation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela joins the

consensus and does not block the Presidential statement, it does not endorse
paragraphs 8 and 10 of the said declaration on Syria, since it considers that such
paragraphs undermine the sovereignty and right to self-determination of the
Syrian people by promoting a political transition, including the establishment of a
transitional Government, without their consent and in contravention of the
Charter of the United Nations.
2. The legitimacy of a Government is set by its adherence to the Constitution and
the support of its people, reflected in the exertion of vote, in the framework of
sovereign determination of its political, economical and social system.
3. In this regard, Venezuela considers the creation of a transitional Government
with full executive powers in Syria undermines the principles of the Charter of the
United Nations in terms of equality of States and the respect to self-determination
of the peoples, which sets a very dangerous precedent for international peace
and security. This Council must be impartial and objective in treating the crisis in
Syria. Neglecting the legitimacy of the Government of President Bashar Al Assad
violates the sovereignty of the Syrian people, in contravention of the adopted
Presidential Statement.
4. This Council could make very serious mistakes, by handling this crisis based
on the national interests of some members, while ignoring the weight and
relevance of the Government of Syria in the solution of the conflict.
5. We are concerned about the fact that some members of this Council follow a
double standard when it comes to the legitimacy of a Government. It is
necessary then to ask about the legitimacy of other Government facing similar

situations to the one in Syria, but count with the support of these members of the
Security Council based on national interests.
6. We have expressed in several occasions that the peaceful solution to the
armed conflict affecting our brotherly country cannot be achieved without the
participation of the Syrian authorities on behalf of their people. The Government
of the country is fighting a relentless fight against terrorist acts carried out by
violent non-State actors, such as ISIS, the Al Nusrah Front and the Army of
Conquest (Jaish al-Fatah), among others. Fighting these terrorist organizations
demands the honest support of the international community to defeat extremism,
which feeds itself on chaos, hatred and intolerance.
7. It is in the front lines in Syria where a bloody and terrible battle against
terrorism is fought. If the Syrian Government of President Bashar Al Asad were to
be militarily defeated, then the black flag of ISIS would fly in Damascus, leading
to the greatest and most awful tragedy for the Syrian people, one far more
serious than the current situation, with devastating and destabilizing effects for
the neighboring countries, the Mediterranean and Europe. Today, we want to
responsibly warn you about this situation, before it is too late.
8.- Venezuela has insisted on the need to avoid repeating the grave political
errors of Iraq and Libya in which, through false evidence and the alleged
protection of civilians, a change of Government by means of military intervention
was promoted, triggering their institutional collapse, from which terrorist
organizations- with the support of foreign elements- took advantage and
unleashed their criminal agenda, in detriment of the peace, social justice, and
development aspirations of these peoples.
9.-We deem important to dwell on the fact that the institutional collapse of those
countries has worsened the violence in the Middle East and Africa, given the
presence and terrorist actions of Al Qaida and ISIS. The arms handed to non-

State actors to defeat Governments are the same ones that today, in the hands
of terrorist groups, shed the blood of those peoples. We therefore demand an
end to the financial and military assistance provided to these criminal groups, in
accordance with resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly.
10. There are evident reports about the use of chemical weapons by ISIS, which
constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity that we absolutely
condemn, thus the perpetrators must be brought to justice to answer for such
atrocious acts.
Madame President,
11. The procedure followed by some members of this Council to elaborate this
declaration lacked of the necessary inclusiveness to be considered in every
negotiating process. The elected members of this body were not invited, once
again, to take part in the drafting of said document. It was presented to us after
being agreed by the P-5 members, so to be adopted by the rest of the members
of the Council. This practice affects the transparency and working methods of the
Security Council, which acts on behalf of its member States, as it is established
in the Charter of the United Nations. The unity of the Council requires the full
participation of its members in decision-making processes on international peace
and security which concern all States that are part of the international community.
We reiterate an appeal to put an end to this antidemocratic practice, because it
erodes the credibility and legitimacy of this body.
12.- Venezuela, as an elected member, will always raise its voice and state their
reasons to the eyes of the international community and the General Assembly,
the body where the legitimacy of the United Nations lies in.
13.- Despite of not endorsing paragraphs 8 and 10 of the Presidential Statement
for the abovementioned reason, Venezuela ratifies its constructive spirit by not

impeding the adoption of this document; we believe it is necessary to give peace

a chance and to open the doors to the inclusive and political dialogue.
14. Finally, our country reaffirms its full support to the diplomatic efforts carried
out by the Secretary-General Special Envoy in Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, a
person we put our trust in, given its well-known diplomatic skills and human
qualities, to incorporate all parties to the negotiating process, including the Syrian
Government, in the promotion of a negotiated, political and peaceful solution to
the conflict. We reiterate our commitment in favor of sovereignty, territorial
integrity and political independence of the Syrian Arab Republic, in accordance
with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations.
Thank you.