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S/PV.6710 6 12-21919 support. Only through this can we hope to do justice to the aspirations of the Syrian people, their aspirations for freedom and for the establishment of good governance. We call on the Council to adopt the draft resolution sponsored by the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco. Otherwise, we will be sending a wrong message to the Syrian regime, one that encourages it to continue oppressing its people. That might have serious consequences for peace, stability and security in Syria and the entire region. The President: I thank His Excellency Minister Al-Thani for his briefing. I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. Mr. Elaraby (spoke in Arabic): Allow me, Sir, to thank you and the members of the Security Council for your invitation to participate in this important meeting. The Security Council convenes today at a time when events in Syria are spiralling dangerously. This requires that international efforts be concerted with Arab efforts for a rapid, effective and decisive action, first to ensure immediate cessation of violence in order to protect the fraternal Syrian people, and secondly to begin, as soon as possible, the implementation of the road map for a peaceful political solution that rids Syria of its grinding crisis and achieves the aspirations of the Syrian people for change and reform — a move to a peaceful democratic life in which all segments of the Syrian people enjoy dignity and freedom, as called for by every Arab country. The security situation is increasingly grave and urgent in light of the escalation that Syria has witnessed in the past few days — the ongoing acts of violence, the shelling and firing and counter-shelling and counter-firing that have felled many innocent civilians in the Syrian Government’s clear resort to an escalation of the so-called security option, in complete contradiction of the commitments it took on in the Arab plan of action as well as in the protocol signed by the Syrian Arab Republic and the League of Arab States on 19 December 2011, on the mandate of the League’s observer mission in Syria. We therefore believe that the first priority now is for the Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding that all parties — I repeat, all parties — immediately cease firing, protect Syrians and support the Arab plan of action for a peaceful political settlement of the crisis. Today’s meeting has been convened in implementation of subparagraph 3 of Article 52 of the Charter of the United Nations: (spoke in English) “The Security Council shall encourage the development of pacific settlement of local disputes through such regional arrangements or by such regional agencies either on the initiative of the states concerned or by reference from the Security Council.” (spoke in Arabic) It is in that very context that the League of Arab States has come to the Security Council. I should like to thank the Council for having so quickly responded to the request from the League of Arab States to inform this Council on the outlines of the Arab démarche. The issue has been set out in detail by His Excellency the Prime Minister of Qatar. I shall repeat some points but will attempt to be brief. The latest decision by the League was on 22 January, on a road map for a peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis. Before taking up the details of our initiative, I should like to stress some of the fundamental principles of the Arab démarche. First, the fundamental objective of our initiative is an immediate cessation of all acts of violence against and killing of Syrian civilians, as well as the realization of the aspirations and demands of the Syrian people — demands for economic, social and political change, a move towards a correct political life in true democracy in which all fundamental rights and the rule of law are maintained, and a peaceful alternation of power. Secondly, Arab States aim at taking up the Syrian crisis in an Arab context. We are attempting to avoid any foreign intervention, particularly military intervention. Thirdly, the Arab endeavour proceeds from the need for a peaceful political settlement and, as I have stated, a rejection of any military or foreign intervention. Fourthly, all the resolutions of the League of Arab States — all the League’s resolutions — have always stressed full respect of the security, sovereignty, territorial integrity of Syria and unity of the Syrian people