Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
New York, SANA- Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Qusay al-Dahhak, said that the terrorist attack on northern Syria could not have been carried out without a green light and a joint Turkish-Israeli operations order, paved by repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian territory.
Ambassador al-Dahhak stressed that Syria, which has been able to confront terrorism in all its forms over the past years, is capable and determined to eradicate it.
Below is the full text of the statement delivered by Ambassador al-Dahhak Tuesday during the emergency session of the Security Council held at the request of Syria to discuss the terrorist attack on Aleppo and its surroundings:
We meet today after the organization of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham/Jabhat al-Nusra”, which is included on the Security Council’s list of terrorist organizations, along with other terrorist entities and groups associated with it, which encompass thousands of foreign terrorists, launched a large-scale attack, from multiple axes, on several areas in northern Syria, especially the provinces of Aleppo and Idleb, with the aim of controlling them and parts of the “M5” highway that connects northern Syria to its south.
This attack coincided with an flow of terrorists across the northern border, and the intensification of external support for them, including military equipment, heavy weapons, vehicles, large numbers of drones, and advanced telecommunication technologies, in addition to securing military and logistical supply lines, which enabled the terrorist organization of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the entities under its command to enter large parts of the city of Aleppo after attacking many villages and towns located on the road leading to it.
The scale and scope of the terrorist attack carried out by these organizations clearly demonstrates the support provided by regional and international parties that have found in terrorism a tool to implement their foreign policy, target the Syrian state, destabilize its security and stability, and cause suffering to its people.
Of course, this terrorist attack could not have been carried out without a green light and a joint Turkish-Israeli operational order, paved by repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian territory. Would you accept such a terrorist attack by an organization listed by the Security Council against any of your countries or any member state of the United Nations?
This terrorist attack terrified civilians, especially in the city of Aleppo, which has a population of about 2.5 million people, disrupted various aspects of life, and forced thousands of families to head towards areas controlled by the Syrian state, while those who remained trapped inside the city face difficult humanitarian conditions, attacks by terrorist organizations, and abuse of residents and law enforcement personnel.
The terrorist organizations’ attacks also targeted scientific competencies and the student housing affiliated with the University of Aleppo, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of students and the injury of others, and forced the rest to leave the city during the period of preparation for university exams. The diplomatic and consular headquarters in the city were not spared from the attacks of the terrorist groups.
The crimes of terrorist organizations were not limited to the above, but they imposed a curfew on the city’s residents, stormed prisons and allowed large numbers of prisoners convicted of criminal court rulings to escape and spread chaos and destabilize security and stability, amid great fears among civilians of a recurrence of the practices of terrorist organizations based on imposing their extremist exclusionary Takfiri ideology, committing acts of murder and torture, detention and enforced disappearance, recruiting children and persecuting women and girls, which are practices that the people of Idleb have repeatedly demonstrated against and demanded an end to, and which cannot be accepted to continue or be overlooked or to expose the people of other Syrian cities to them.
We have worked for many years in partnership with the member states of the United Nations to adopt instruments and resolutions aimed at addressing the threat posed by terrorism in all its forms and manifestations to international peace and security, drying up its sources of financing and arming, and confronting violent extremism leading to terrorism and incitement and hate speech. However, the preference of some countries to invest in terrorism has prevented the desired results from being achieved and has prolonged the scourge of terrorism.
The problem lies in the absence of political will on the part of these countries, whose hostile policies and practices directed against my country have enabled terrorism to establish a foothold in areas subject to the illegal foreign military presence on Syrian territory.
Today, the suffering of our people in Aleppo and other Syrian regions that have been invaded by terrorist organizations requires us once again to raise our voices to demand that the Security Council condemn the terrorist attack and compel the countries that operate terrorist organizations to change their policies and not allow the establishment of a terrorist reality or to keep civilians hostage to these organizations. This is the call of our people in Aleppo and northern Syria to you.
The terrorist attack on northern Syria constitutes a flagrant violation of the relevant UN and Security Council resolutions on combating terrorism, as well as the de-escalation agreements approved by the Astana track, which affirmed in its recent final statement the continued commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, and to continuing work to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. These are commitments that the Turkish guarantor has not fulfilled.
The Syrian Arab Republic calls on the Security Council to issue a clear and unequivocal condemnation of this terrorist attack committed by an organization included on the Council’s list of terrorist entities, and which includes in its ranks tens of thousands of foreign terrorists. My country rejects all attempts to whitewash these terrorist organizations by using other names that mislead world public opinion.
Syria holds the countries supporting the terrorist organization of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” and the entities associated with it fully responsible for this attack and its repercussions.
Syria calls on the United Nations to oblige these countries to comply with the requirements of the Security Council resolutions related to combating terrorism, most notably Resolution 2170 on combating the terrorist organizations of Daesh “ISIS” and Jabhat al-Nusra, Resolution 2178 on confronting the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, and the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
Syria also stresses the need to include the economic, financial, commercial and media entities and institutions that provide funding, supplies and communications services to the “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham/Jabhat al-Nusra” organization and the entities allied with it on the Security Council sanctions lists.
Syria, as a state, army and people, affirms that it will continue to carry out its sovereign right and constitutional and legal duty to fight terrorist organizations with all force and determination, and that it will take all necessary measures to defend its citizens, confront the threat posed by terrorism, liberate its lands from the terrorist presence, and restore the authority of the state and the rule of law over the entire national territory of the Syrian Arab Republic. This is a legitimate right for every state, and this does not only serve Syria, but also ensures the stability of the entire region and the security and safety of its countries and peoples.
Syria, which has been able to confront terrorism in all its forms over the past years, is capable and determined to eradicate it. It looks forward to the support of all member states that believe in international law and the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter for the efforts it is making to combat terrorism and defend its sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, and the security and stability of its people.
Regarding the allegations made by some delegations about Syria’s stance on the political process, we stress that Syria has dealt positively with all efforts aimed at the good of Syria and the interests of its people, and has engaged in serious and constructive cooperation with the United Nations and its representatives, adopted the approach of national reconciliations and local settlements, and taken a wide range of measures aimed at restoring security and stability, improving living conditions, providing basic services, and creating appropriate conditions for the return of refugees and displaced persons. However, Syria has repeatedly stressed over the past years that the terrorist organizations included on the Security Council’s list and the entities and groups associated with them that have chosen the approach of terrorism and whose hands are stained with the blood of Syrians are part of the problem and not part of the solution, and that any agreements to reduce escalation do not prevent or disrupt the efforts to combat terrorism guaranteed by international law, Security Council resolutions, and the Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic.
In response to the US presidency of the Security Council bringing in a representative of the terrorist organization “White Helmets” affiliated with the terrorist organization of “Jabhat al-Nusra” to speak before the Council, Ambassador al-Dahhak said: “The US presidency failed at the beginning of its presidency of the Council this month to respect the standards of the Council’s work and the controls for managing its work and sessions, and it exploited it to serve its agendas and attempts to harm a member state of the United Nations, for well-known goals that are evident in continuing US support and investment in the terrorism that Syria is facing, represented by the terrorist organizations of Daesh “ISIS” and “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham/Jabhat al-Nusra” and covering them up and persisting in its hostile approach against my country, as well as trying to divert attention from the unlimited US support in this Council and outside it for the Israeli occupation entity and its brutal crimes, a position that negates any credibility for the United States in speaking about human rights issues.
We reject the absence of the real representatives of Syrian civil society and Syrian civil associations. We have more than 1,400 licensed NGOs that you do not allow to attend this Council, despite the fact that they work diligently and effectively on the ground in partnership with the Syrian government, the United Nations and humanitarian partners to improve the humanitarian and living conditions of the Syrians.
They are the most capable of presenting to the Security Council the picture of the humanitarian work they are doing and the serious challenges they face in a professional, objective and honest manner, far from political agendas, deception and lies that we have heard repeatedly in this Council.
Heroes like the Syrian Civil Defense crews who are doing their utmost and risking their lives to protect the Syrians, and their heroism we have seen throughout the years of the terrorist war on Syria, after the earthquake, and in confronting forest fires, including the recent ones, are the true representatives of the Syrian Civil Defense and no one else.
The heroes of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent who lost 66 martyrs, the last of whom was martyred a few days ago when he was at a border crossing and was martyred in an Israeli bombardment while helping those arriving from the brotherly country of Lebanon, these are the representatives of civil society and the true heroes, as well as many of the Syrian people who volunteer for charitable and humanitarian work and who work under an unjust siege imposed by the US administration and unjust unilateral coercive measures.
Bringing an organization linked to the terrorist organization of “Jabhat al-Nusra” and operating under its umbrella into the Security Council chamber is an offense to the Council and to the member states, and it does not only offend my country, but it offends the US presidency of the Security Council. If you have any doubts about what I am saying, I refer you to the statement of the former official spokesman for the US State Department, Mark Toner, who answered journalists’ questions on April 27, 2016, that this group that you invited today is linked to extremist groups that pose a threat to the United States. This is the statement of your colleague, and it is available everywhere.
I also refer you to the letters that my country and the Russian Federation have sent to your Council over the years to describe the lies promoted by that organization and its sponsors, but it seems that the hostility of the US administration towards my country may push it to bring anyone to the chamber of this Council to serve its agendas.
The US administration that brings to the Council Chamber those who try to offend member states under the pretext of the right to expression and listening to civil society is the same administration that silenced US students and professors when they went out to demonstrate and demand the upholding of international law and the cessation of the Israeli genocide and crimes against the Palestinian people and the countries of the region. So what freedom of expression and what listening to voices are you talking about?
Manar Salameh/ Ruaa al-Jazaeri
