Syria renews its call for ending the illegal presence of US forces on its territories

Damascus, (ST) – Syria has renewed its condemnation of the practices of the US occupation forces and the US-backed SDF militia towards the Syrians. It has also condemned the occupation’s systematic looting of the wealth of the Syrian people, calling on the United Nations to stop the violations of the United States and its allies of the international law and the provisions of the UN Charter, to put an end to the illegal presence of the US forces in Syria and to help return the occupied oil and gas fields to the Syrian state. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in two letters sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the Security Council that The United States continues its aggressive practices and gross violations of the principles of the international law and the provisions of the United Nations Charter, through the continued illegal presence of its forces in some parts of Syria, including in the northeast of the country and in Al-Tanf area.

The Ministry added that the American occupation forces and the US-backed militia continue their systematic looting of Syria’s oil, wheat and other basic national resources which belong to the Syrian people.

The Foreign Ministry stated that the value of direct losses from the attacks of the US occupation forces and its affiliated militias and terrorist entities amounted to 25.9 billion dollars; 19.8 billion because of oil, gas and mineral wealth theft, 3.2 billion as a result of vandalism and theft of facilities and 2.9 billion as a result of the bombing of oil and gas facilities by the “international coalition” warplanes.

The indirect losses, the ministry added, exceeded 86 billion dollars, which represents the value of lost production of crude oil, natural gas and domestic gas”.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that the silence of the Security Council and the UN General Secretariat over the practices of the American occupation forces and their plundering of Syrian oil and destruction of infrastructure is unacceptable.

The suffering of the Syrian people as a result of the blockade and coercive economic measures imposed by the United States and the European Union contradict some countries’ alledged humanitarian concerns and efforts to extend the effects of thw Security Council Resolution No. 2642, the ministry added.

It pointed out that these violations and illegal measures limit the effectiveness of any efforts by the goverment to improve the humanitarian situation and the living conditions in the country and leave catastrophic impacts on the daily life of the Syrian citizen.

The Foreign Ministry indicated that the United Nations Special rappouture on the effects of unilateral measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Elena Doohan confirmed at the end of her visit to Syria last month that the coercive measures imposed on Syria amount to war crimes.

The Foreign Ministry renewed Syria’s demand for the United Nations to act immediately as to stop the violations of the United States and its allies of the international law and the provisions of the UN  Charter, to end the illegal presence of American forces in Syria, to return the oil and gas fields occupied by those forces to the Syrian state and to immediately and unconditionally lift the illegal coercive measures, with the aim of improving the humanitarian situation and providing appropriate conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of the displaced and the refugees to their homeland.

Raghda Sawas