FM Statement: “Islamic Front” Bombing of Archaeological Carlton Hotel in Aleppo, Supports Syria Request for its Inclusion on the Terrorist list

NEWYORK,(ST)_ In two identical letters to the UN Secretary General and President of the UNSC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates yesterday stressed that the terrorist group which calls itself the “Islamic Front” claiming responsibility of blowing of Aleppo archaeological Carlton Hotel is an additional evidence that supports Syria ‘s request to the UN Security Council for inclusion the so-called ” Islamic Front ” on the terrorism list, calling for immediate action against the state sponsoring these terrorist groups to stop providing them with financial and logistical support.

“Subsequent to our previous messages about the armed terrorist organized and deliberate crimes to destroy our heritage sites, religious, cultural and historical monuments and civilization in Syria in order to perpetuate the obscurantist ideology, the city of Aleppo on Thursday 08/05/2014 morning was exposed to a new terrorist act, when armed terrorist groups blew the Archaeological Carlton Hotel, resulted in fall of the number of victims and the devastation of the whole building, while several surrounding archaeological l buildings were severely damaged,” the statement read.

The statement continued that this crime is not the first which targets the cultural, and religious heritage of the city of Aleppo, adding that  Carlton Hotel  was exposed to two previous attempts to destroy it, but the Syrian army failed them, in addition to burning the city market, the oldest commercial market in the world, and targeting the great Umayyad Mosque t in the city.

The ministry added that the adoption of the terrorist group for this crime is a further evidence, supporting Syria’s request to the UNSC for the inclusion of the so-called “Islamic Front” on the terrorism list, as the methodology of this terrorist operation complies with terrorist tactics espoused by al-Qaeda terrorist organization.

The statement said that as Syria’s reiterates determination to fight terrorism and to pursue defending the Syrian people and their cultural and historical heritage, it calls on the UNSC and the UN Secretary -General to issue a clear and strong condemnation of these crimes and to move quickly towards the inclusion of the terrorist “Islamic front” to terrorism list and to take immediate action against states sponsoring these terrorist groups to stop providing them with financial and logistical support.

T. Fateh