Spotlight: Political solution critical to end Syrian crisis: UN official

The Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria Paulo Pinheiro warned on Monday that "Syria has fallen before our eyes", adding that "this disintegration, this rending of a nation, is the price of doing nothing made manifest."

His statement followed the Human Rights Council's (HRC) interactive dialogue with the Commission of Enquiry on Syria after the report had been presented by Pinheiro earlier in the day.

Though denied access to the Syrian Arab Republic (the report, the 10th of its kind, is mostly based on first-hand accounts), the Commission found that the conflict "has continued to intensify across an increasing number of complex and often unpredictable frontlines."

Civilians were identified as the main casualties of the conflict as warring factions have either little or no regard for the laws of war and especially the foundational principle of distinction.

According to the Commission, ground attacks resulting in civilian deaths were used in a series of occasions by government forces, anti-government armed groups, Jabhat Al-Nusra and ISIS, while aerial bombardments and shelling conducted by government, anti-government and International Coalition forces against civilian localities further raised concerns.

The Commission also found that warring factions have used siege warfare tactics to encircle densely populated areas.

This prevents civilians from leaving while blocking humanitarian access which leaves thousands of men, women and children having to survive in often shocking and inhuman conditions.

The report furthermore outlined the numerous targeted attacks being carried out against individuals based on their identity, gender, age, ethnicity, religion and profession, and concluded that "the violence is endemic, regrettably proliferating in its scope and extent."

The alleged use of chemical weapons, such as chlorine and phosgene gas, in Sermin, Saraqib, Qmenas and Binish, as well as other towns and villages in Idlib in March and April is also being investigated.

In light of these dire findings, Pinheiro reiterated the importance for states, especially those yielding regional influence, to bring warring factions to the negotiating table.

Explaining that the only viable solution to the conflict is a political one, Pinheiro furthermore highlighted the need "to give full and effective support to the De Mistura plan and to prepare the way for the necessary compromises that will need to be made to secure peace in Syria."

With the conflict, which started in March 2011, heading towards its fifth year, Pinheiro also stated that the repercussions had long transcended national borders and reached European soil.

"This refugee crisis -- having existed for years in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq -- is largely driven by the Syrian conflict," he said, concluding that "the international community cannot pretend to be blind to the cycle it has allowed to prevail."

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 4 million Syrian refugees have had to flee the war-torn country to date, most of them finding refuge in Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, Turkey and North Africa. Enditem