Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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New York, SANA – Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari, stressed Syria’s determination to continue its war against terrorism, adding that it will not stop under the influence of any political blackmail or media extortion.
Al-Jaafari made his remarks on Monday during a UN Security Council’s session on the situation in the Middle East.
He noted that Syria has fulfilled its obligations under the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and in accordance with the UNSC Resolution No. 2118 (2013), renewing its keenness on providing required cooperation and dealing in a positive, transparent and flexible manner in order to carry out its obligations amid enormous challenges and complicated difficult security situation due to hostile behavior by some regional and international sides.
The Syrian diplomat added that Syria had made an unprecedented achievement by eliminating all its chemical weapons in a record time and an irrevocable manner.
He pointed out that the statements made by some senior state officials and other speeches delivered today demonstrate that the use of chemical weapons is the only way to save terrorist groups, adding that these statements amounted to direct provocation for terrorists to use toxic chemical against civilians in Idleb, fabricate evidence, bring unreliable eyewitnesses and manipulate crime scene in order to accuse the Syrian government and interfere to secure terrorist groups just like what happened in Khan Shaykhoun incident as well as other fake chemical attacks staged by the so-called White Helmets organization in several Syrian areas.
Al-Jaafari said that the OPCW fact-finding mission in Syria has consistently violated the terms of reference for its work and adopted an unprofessional and selective approach that is totally far from transparency.
He wondered how did some states turn a blind eye to more than 160 letters sent by the Syrian government to the UN Secretary General, the UN Security Council and the UNSC Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 as well as other committees on counterterrorism containing information about the terrorist groups’ possession and use of toxic chemicals, asking why no action was taken by the UN Security Council against states which sponsor, support and fund those terrorists.
“On October 18th , Syria informed the UN Security Council about a massive explosion within a terrorist-held factory containing huge amounts of fertilizers, explosives and liquid chlorine barrels in Termaneen town in the countryside of Idleb, 15 km from the Turkish borders and it is operated under the supervision of foreign experts including Turkish, British and Chechen ones,” said al-Jaafari, adding that the 9 experts and 2 members from the so-called “White Helmets” organization were killed at the blast.
“At the end of 2003, Syria, through its membership of the Security Council, proposed an initiative to make the Middle East an area free from all Weapons of Mass Destruction,” said al-Jaafari, adding “At that time the US delegation threatened to use the veto if we submitted the proposal to the UNSC,” al-Jaafari said.
He renewed Syria’s call upon the UNSC member states to free the Middle East from nuclear weapons and all WMDs, and exert pressure on the Israeli entity to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and to put all of its facilities and nuclear activities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“Syria has repeatedly condemned any use of chemical weapons or any other kind of weapons of mass destruction as a crime against humanity and an unacceptable, immoral act that cannot be justified under any condition, affirming that the Syrian army has never used any chemical weapon and it doesn’t possess it,” said al-Jaafari.
He stressed that the discovery of more mass graves in Raqqa city as a result of the Int’l Coalition’s airstrikes revealed its brutality and barbaric crimes committed against the Syrian people, adding that the number of the dead bodies discovered has increased to 4000, most of whom are women, children and elderly men.
Al-Jaafari reiterated Syria’s call on the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security and to act immediately to halt the int’l coalition’s crimes against the Syrian people, in addition to conducting an international investigation into these crimes and mass graves discovered in Raqqa city.
He also called for ending the illegal presence of the US troops and other foreign forces on the Syrian territory.
R.Raslan/Mazen
