Syria calls for exerting pressure on terrorist supporters

Foreign and Expatriates Ministry on Tuesday addressed a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations and Head of the UN Security Council in which it expressed satisfaction regarding the resolution and its provisions.

“Within the framework of the Syrian government’s commitment to the UN’s Charter and the international humanitarian law and its readiness to cooperate with positive international initiatives which serve the interests of the Syrian people, especially those which contribute to stopping the shedding of Syrian blood, Syria expresses its satisfaction over the provisions of UNSC resolution no. 2401 (2018) and the positive data-x-items included in it.

“Syria has positively welcomed this resolution as it stresses firm commitment to the Syrian state’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in accordance with the provisions of the UN’s Charter and calls for implementing a humanitarian truce across Syria to ensure a safe, sustainable and unhindered access of humanitarian aid,” the Ministry said.

Moreover, Syria gives positive consideration to the resolution which clearly states that the cessation of combat activities does not apply to the military operations against ISIL, Jabhat al-Nusra and all those affiliated to al-Qaeda or any terror group included in the UNSC list of terrorist organizations, added the Ministry.

It reaffirmed that the military operations carried out by the Syrian army and armed forces to eliminate terrorists in the Eastern Ghouta area are lawful in terms of the Syrian State’s right to self-defense and fighting terrorism and in accordance with the international humanitarian law.

Moreover, Syria has taken all measures required to protect civilians a few hours after the adoption of the UNSC resolution no. 2401 which stipulates for a daily five-hour humanitarian truce and a safe corridor to ensure a safe evacuation of civilians willing to leave and flee from the terrorist-held areas, in addition to providing temporary housing shelters and necessary healthcare.

On March 1st, 2018, the Syrian government has facilitated the delivery of humanitarian aid convoy to Afrin area which the western states continue to overlook the barbaric Turkish aggression on its villages which claimed the lives of hundreds including women and children, caused material damage to properties, displaced families and resulted in sharp shortage in food, medicines and other humanitarian needs, said the Ministry.

It noted that a 46-truck humanitarian aid convoy entered the Eastern Ghouta area on March 5th, 2018 and preparations are underway to send another aid convoy to the area, adding that the shelling which targeted the convoy on its way back to Damascus reveals the criminal nature of terrorists and gunmen positioned there.

On the other hand, the Syrian Arab Army helicopters throw leaflets over the villages and towns of Ghouta to inform civilians willing to leave the area about the safe corridor designated for evacuating civilians through al-Wafideen Camp, meantime, the armed terrorist groups, for the eighth day in a row, continued to target with shells the humanitarian corridor set up by the Syrian State and prevent civilians from reaching it.

The Ministry noted that this criminal behavior is met by silence and encouraged by states which support terrorist groups there.

Such disregard for the lives of civilians and the rules of the international humanitarian law by the terrorist groups and their operators in Washington, London and Riyadh is not surprising, said the Ministry, adding that the reprehensible act is that no condemnation has been made by the US, Britain and France which called for adopting the resolution no. 2401 and no statement condemning the terrorists’ violations and shelling of Damascus city and its surrounding which caused the martyrdom and the injury of hundreds of innocent civilians before the adoption of this resolution has been issued, instead of that the same countries launched a misleading media campaign and circulated false news on an alleged use of chemical weapons.

The Ministry concluded that the misleading campaign and policies of double standards have failed to divert the peoples’ attention away from their essential issues, adding that states which operate and support terrorist groups should stop doing so in order to stop the deterioration in the region and the world.