Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
New York, SANA- Syria has reiterated its call on all countries to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the earthquake and avoid politicization.
That came during a special meeting of the Security Council on the impact of the earthquake on the situation in Syria held Monday.
During the meeting, Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh, said that there was an international delay in extending a helping hand as a result of the Western imposed illegal coercive economic measures whose effects of are equivalent to those of the devastating earthquake.
“Syria alone did not have the capacity to face this unprecedented catastrophe due to the repercussions of the terrorist war waged against it for 12 years and the suffocating blockade imposed on its people as a result of Western unilateral coercive economic measures,” said Sabbagh.
He indicated that the health sector in Syria is weakened and depleted as a result of these measures, and needs a comprehensive restoration due to the great shortage of its medical equipment and medicines, which is why it was unable to meet the needs of emergencies and relief cases such as earthquakes or pandemics.
“More than 50,000 vehicles were destroyed or seized by terrorists during the war years, as very cold weather exacerbated human suffering and negatively affected ongoing relief operations,” Sabbagh said.
The Syrian diplomat noted that Syria has repeatedly expressed its commitment to deliver humanitarian aid to its citizens wherever they are on its territory.
“The Syrian northwest is part of the national territory and the population there is part of the Syrian people and we will not accept that this territory be divided on the basis of lines drawn by the terrorist groups,” he said.
“The aftermath of the earthquake should touch the hearts and minds of all those who still cling to their political greed and selfish interests, and not allow those who survived to die of cold, hunger, lack of treatment, medicine or safe shelter.”, he concluded.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
