Unilateral sanctions against Syria and illegal plundering of its resources must stop: China
China has reaffirmed the need to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, reiterating that the unlawful presence of foreign forces and unlawful military operations in Syria must end.
Xinhua News Agency quoted China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun as saying during a Security Council Session on Monday that “respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries is an important principle enshrined in the UN Charter and the cornerstone of international relations.”
He added that “the provisions of the UN Charter should not be mere quotes for lip service. They are not optional or subject to selective application, and they certainly do not lend themselves to misinterpretation or misapplication”.
Zhang clarified that there is no doubt that the U.S. military operations in eastern Syria constitute a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and have nothing to do with the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
He stressed that the only path to a political solution lies in letting the Syrian people decide the future of their country by themselves in the absence of any external interference.
On the humanitarian operations in Syria, the Chinese envoy reiterated that cross-border relief was a temporary arrangement, urging the transition of cross-border to cross-line operations inside the country to shift into a higher gear with a clear timetable in place for the eventual termination of cross-border relief.
The Chinese diplomat reiterated that for a long time, unilateral sanctions have disrupted the lifelines of Syria’s economic recovery and development, and illegal plundering has stolen away resources crucial to Syria’s economic recovery and development, causing incalculable damage to the Syrian people.
“The unilateral sanctions against Syria and illegal plundering of its resources must stop,” Zhang clarified.
Hamda Mustafa