Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA- Syria welcomes any initiative presented by countries and international organizations to help confront the catastrophic effects of the earthquake, provided that this is done without politicization, Special Adviser to the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban has affirmed.
Shaaban’s remarks came in an interview with British Sky News T.V Channel on Wednesday.
“Hours after the earthquake occurred, Syria appealed to the UN member states, the agencies of the international organization and its specialized funds, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian action partners from international governmental and non-governmental organizations to support its efforts in confronting the disaster in accordance with the standards of humanitarian action approved by the UN , and in coordination and cooperation with the Syrian government, and this confirms that we accept aid from all countries, provided that it is not politicized,” Shaaban said.
She added “We accept assistance from the West, and if the United States and the European Union offer to provide it, we accept it, but they did not offer any assistance despite the appeal of the President of the International Red Cross to all countries of the world to contribute to that.”
Shaaban noted that the West provides assistance to support terrorists in areas outside the control of the Syrian state, and is primarily concerned with protecting Daesh “ISIS”, “Jabhat al-Nusra” and the “White Helmets”, and does not care about the areas where most Syrians live.
She made it clear that a large number of friendly and brotherly countries sent aid to Syria to overcome the repercussions of the disaster, while Western countries claim that providing this aid violates Security Council resolutions, although these resolutions confirm that humanitarian aid is not subject to any sanctions and that its delivery to countries that are exposed to humanitarian disasters and terrorist attacks are allowed.
The Special Adviser stressed the need to lift the illegal Western economic measures imposed on Syria, which have caused the suffering of its people and prevented state institutions from performing their role optimally in facing the repercussions of the earthquake.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
