Syria - Q&A - From the press briefing (30 October 2019)

Q: The Pentagon announced yesterday that the United States will keep control of the oil fields in northeastern Syria and will not even allow Syria to use them. It also pledged to use the money from the sale of oil to finance the Syrian Kurdish groups. Can you comment on this decision, particularly in terms of international law? Is the consent of the international community - for example the UN - needed for such a measure?

A: Nous poursuivons trois objectifs prioritaires dans la région, qui seront au cœur de nos messages et de nos efforts lors de la réunion de la coalition internationale contre Daech que nous avons proposée et qui se réunira le 14 novembre à Washington :

We have three priority objectives in the region, which will be at the heart of our messages and efforts at the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh which we proposed, and which is scheduled to take place on November 14 in Washington:

• first of all, the continued fight against Daesh terrorism and the preservation of the Global Coalition’s achievements. The risk of Daesh’s resurgence in northeastern Syria is real. This is why, as the minister stated, the fight against Daesh must be undertaken together, within the framework of the coalition, taking into account the latest regional developments.

• we must also work to protect the civilian populations and prevent a further humanitarian disaster.

• lastly, since the only way to resolve the Syrian conflict is through a political solution, we support the resumption of the process aimed at finding a comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis, under UN auspices.