A/HRC/23/58 II. Context A. 1. Political context Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syrian opposition 10. The Syrian Arab Republic remains engulfed in an escalating civil war. The Syrian National Dialogue Forum, launched on 24 March 2013 by the Government and the domestically-based opposition to promote national reconciliation, has not shifted the momentum towards a political solution. Similarly, Presidential Decree No. 23 of 16 April 2013, hailed as the most comprehensive amnesty to date, has fallen short of achieving the demobilization of the Government’s opponents. 11. The confirmation on 21 April 2013 of the resignation of the President of the Syrian National Coalition, Moaz al-Khatib, like the announcement on 13 May of the creation of a new opposition group, the Union of Syrian Democrats, demonstrated the deep divisions besetting the Syrian opposition abroad. Such divisions stem partly from the opposition’s reliance on patrons with often-conflicting agendas. 12. The erosion of political authority and the rule of law in the country continued apace. The Government has not fulfilled its governance duties, as it cannot ensure security for citizens in areas under its rule, and struggles to provide basic services. At the same time, a dangerous stage of fragmentation and disintegration of authority prevailed in areas under the control of anti-government armed groups, despite attempts to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of the State by the creation of local councils. 13. One exception was the north-east of the country, where Syrian Kurds have unified under the Kurdish Supreme Council. Syrian Kurds are increasingly running their own affairs, while avoiding, whenever possible, being dragged into the fray. 2. Regional dimension 14. Military encroachments on sovereignty have opened the possibility of violence consuming the region. The Secretary-General of Lebanese Hizbullah has publicly asserted his group’s intervention in the conflict on the side of the Government, while some Lebanese Sunni clerics have called for and recruited volunteers to fight in the Syrian Arab Republic. The proclamation by Jabhat Al-Nusra of its allegiance with Al-Qaida, and the group’s public admission of association with Al-Qaida in Iraq, raised concerns about the possibility of the country becoming embroiled in the global jihadist cause. The war in the Syrian Arab Republic affects the domestic political dynamic in neighbouring States and strains the relationship among their diverse communities, threatening their fragile internal stability. 15. The explosion of two car bombs in Reyhanli on 11 May 2013, in Hatay province in Turkey, near the Syrian border, provoked intense public debate concerning the policy of the Government of Turkey with regard to the Syrian Arab Republic. There are fears that violence will spread increasingly to one of the most culturally and religiously mixed areas in Turkey. At a meeting of the Security Council on 30 April, the Permanent Representative of Jordan stated that, at the current pace, the exodus of Syrian refugees could soon represent “a threat to our future stability”. Israel has increased its involvement in the Syrian crisis by targeting what it alleges are weapons shipments bound for Hizbullah and other sites inside the Syrian Arab Republic. Exchanges of fire were also reported in the Golan Heights. 3. International dimension 16. The current political impasse and military escalation are the by-product of the regional and international stand-off between the Government’s supporters and its 5