Washington Seeks Control over Iraqi-Syrian Borders

TEHRAN (defapress)- The US has deployed troops at the border between Iraq and Syria in a bid to cut off the link between the two Mideast nations, an Iraqi source said.

News ID: 68692

Date: 15 February 2018 - 20:26

The Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news channel quoted an informed Iraqi source as saying that the Americans want to remain in the Euphrates heights to establish a military link to the al-Tanf region.

He said the US has deployed at border with Syria and established the al-Tanf base in a move to earn control over the highly sensitive border, saying that military equipment have been deployed at al-Tanf to cut the land route between Damascus-Baghdad to Beirut.

In relevant remarks on Wednesday, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari voiced concern about the US military deployment in his country.

He stressed that the Syrian people are the only ones to determine the future of their country, reaffirming Syria’s commitment to the final statement of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi.

Al-Jaafari made his remarks during a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in Syria, pointing that the US presence in Syria violates the UNSC Resolution No. 2254 which provides for preserving Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, not to mention the 2nd article of the UN Charter which stipulates for respecting sovereign equality of all UN members, mutual non-use of military force, and non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs.

He regretted that the UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, in his briefing, has overlooked the presence of US and Turkish forces on the Syrian territory, noting that there is no provision in the UN Charter that justifies intervention in any state’s internal affairs.

Al-Jaafari said that 29 resolutions on Syria have been adopted by the UN Security Council and all of them stress all parties’ commitment to the Syrian State’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in accordance with the UN Charter and its principles, adding that “We have the right to question the actions taken by the UN Security Council to guarantee these objectives set by the founders in order to achieve peace, security and stability in the world.

He noted that Syria is not the first victim of some UNSC member states’ violation of the UN Charter and the international law, but the suffering of Syria came as a result of the deliberate blindness to previous violations committed over decades.

Al-Jaafari questioned the measures taken by the UN Security Council when some of the UN member states undermined its Charter and deprived the Palestinian people of their right in establishing a Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital, not to mention the invasion of Iraq, the destruction of Libya, the unlimited support to international terrorism and flagrant intervention in the internal affairs of other member states and the looting of national assets as is the case in several African states.

In addition to their violations of the UN Charter provisions to implement their agendas at the expense of the Syrian people and their future, the US, France and Britain have made every effort to undermine Syria and its people and exploit media to reach this end, distort the reality of what is happening and misleading the public opinion regarding the humanitarian suffering of civilians due to the practices of armed terrorist groups which used them as human shields and controlled schools and hospitals and turned them into military points, jails for abductees and bases for firing mortar shells on safe areas, noting that in the last 20 days Damascus has been targeted with 1000 shells, al-Jaafari stressed.