UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged on Monday the international community to accompany the transitions Egypt and Libya are going through with “meaningful contributions". During the Sorensen Distinguished Lecture on the United Nations at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Ban Ki-Moon demanded to resist the temptation to see the current troubles in Egypt or Libya as proof that the old order was a better one. He said the world can take some confidence from history that periods of post-revolutionary disorder are passing phenomena. “But close and patient engagement will be crucial. The international community has a duty to accompany these transitions with meaningful contributions." He added “Let us also draw a broader lesson: in the Arab world and elsewhere, people want real change, not grudging, cosmetic adjustments. “Let us remember that whether countries are emerging from conflict or authoritarian rule, transitions will not be linear marches toward Jeffersonian democracy or Swiss-style tranquility. The road will be rocky." On the Syrian crisis, the UN Secretary–General said the regime remains as repressive as ever and the situation cries out for action by the Security Council in particular. “As Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi has said, the Council cannot simply wait for divisions to evaporate." “That guarantees not only more violence but the very disintegration of a country and the possibility that Syria could become an arena for competing national and regional forces – Government and non-state actors alike." He further noted that the Security Council must no longer stand on the sidelines, dead-locked, silently witnessing the slaughter. It must be willing, at long last, to come together and establish the parameters for the democratic transition that could save Syria. The offer by National Coalition leader Moaz al-Khatib to open discussions with representatives of the Syrian government is an opportunity we should not miss -- a chance to switch from a devastating military logic to a promising political approach. “This was a courageous offer by Mr. al-Khatib. I urge both the Syrian government and the Security Council to respond positively." “We need to find a way towards negotiations between empowered Government and opposition delegations that can make key decisions about the country's future – on elections, on constitutional reform, on accountability for victims of international crimes, on other steps needed to meet the people's legitimate aspirations." “It is time for a clean break from Syria's past, and for a decisive turn toward a future where Syrians are able to express their political views freely, without fear of arbitrary arrest or killing -- a Syria where the human rights of all are protected."
