Syria has confronted terrorism in defense of international peace, principles of human civilization: Al-Jaafari

NEW YORK, (ST)- Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari has stressed that Syria has always been in the frontline against terrorism not only to defend itself, but also to defend regional and international peace as well as the values of human civilization and the principles of the international law. He has also affirmed that Syria is the victim of economic terrorism that violates the international law and the UN principles, aiming to force Syria to abandon its resistant stances against occupation and hegemony policies.

Al-Jaafari made the remarks an online Ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) titled“Bandung+65: More Relevant, United and Effective NAM against Emerging Global Challenges, including COVID-19” to mark the 65th anniversary of the adoption of NAM’s founding principles.

He said that since Bandung Conference “our countries have agreed to achieve a more secure world in which peace, justice, respect, equality solidarity and cooperation prevail, a world that is based on respecting countries’ sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and non interference in other countries’ internal affairs, a world where there is no aggression or threat of using force, a world in which conflicts are solved peacefully.”

 “Now, 65 years after its establishment, our movement as a whole and as separate countries, is facing dangerous challenges at the regional and international levels that necessitate reforming the work of the movement to help it restore its key role and effectiveness in the international arena in terms of international balance and international relations”. He called on NAM countries to stick to the 10 principles on the basis of which the movement was established.

He went on to say that NAM countries have suffered over long years from aggression,  occupation and interference aiming at undermining their security, stability, independency, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

During recent years, certain countries resorted to supporting terrorism and recruiting terrorists to achieve their political agendas at the expense of other countries, including Syria, al-Jafaari said.

“The Syrians have paid dearly with their souls and properties, to confront the crimes committed by Daesh and Jabhat al -Nusra terrorist organizations and other affiliated terror groups,” he clarified, regretting that some NAM states have adopted aggressive policies to serve some influential countries’ interests and agendas in the region.

Al-Jaafari asserted that the US administration and its allies have escalated their economic terrorism against Syria- most recently the so-called “Caesar Act”- in order to breakdown the Syrian state and force it to give up its national options and to achieve what they couldn’t achieve through terrorism and aggression.

He thanked all Syria’s friendly countries which rejected the US coercive measures and extended a helping hand to Syria, particularly under the additional challenges that resulted from the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

He affirmed that the COVID-19 disease is a global challenge, especially for NAM’s developing countries, that puts more pressure on these countries in the economic, health and education domains. He noted that this challenge necessitates adopting a collective approach by the movement to enhance cooperation as well as economic and trade exchange.

He pointed out that “the pandemic has been politicized and unfortunately used by some western states to target certain countries despite calls by the UN Chief and senior UN officials to stop the coercive measures so that our countries can respond properly to this pandemic and do their duty in protecting the health of their citizens”.

The senior Syrian diplomat said that Syria is looking forward to the support of NAM countries for the country’s call for halting the attacks being launched by the illegal US-led international coalition, Turkey and Israel against the Syrians, and for ending the illegal presence of foreign troops in the Syrian territories.

He expressed Syria’s appreciation for NAM’s firm supportive stance that calls for ending the Israeli occupation of Arab territories, including the occupied Syrian Golan, for the occupation’s withdrawal to the June 1967 line and for putting an end to the criminal acts committed by the Israeli occupation authorities against the people in the occupied Palestinian territories and the occupied Syrian Golan.

He also expressed Syria’s appreciation for the movement’s rejection of the US President’s declaration about recognizing the annexation of occupied al-Quds to Israel and recognizing the Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan.

  Al-Jaafari affirmed the Syrian government’s adheres to its firm and principled position in support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, to establish their independent state on their national territory with al-Quds as its capital and to return to their lands in accordance with Resolution No. 194 of 1948.

He reiterated that the occupied Syrian Golan is an integral part of the Syrian Arab Republic’s land and that its liberation from the Israeli occupation is an eternal right that is not subject to compromise. He also reiterated that Israel must withdraw from occupied Syrian Golan to the line of June 4, 1967, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly Resolutions 242, 338 and 497.

 Hamda Mustafa