Human Rights Council’s Session on Ghouta Aims at Covering up Terrorists’ Crimes: Ambassador Ala

GENEVA–Syria’s Permanent Representative at the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Hussam Eddin Ala, affirmed that the real purpose of holding the session of the Human Rights Council about Ghouta on Friday is to protect the terrorist organizations and cover up their crimes.

In his speech during a discussion session of the Human Rights Council on the situation in Ghouta on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the Council, Ambassador Ala said, according to SANA, that On February 26, several members of the Council organized a seminar inside a UN palace with the participation of terrorists from the so-called “White Helmets” which is affiliated with Jabhat al-Nusra terror organization to encourage them to continue staging scenarios using poisonous chemicals in several areas and then accuse the government of using chemical weapons.

 He said that today, Britain, the US, and France are paving the way for the terrorists to repeat the same scenario in Ghouta in order to accuse the Syrian army.

Ala stressed that the behavior of the countries that stirred up the adoption of the UNSC resolution no.2401 and the statements that followed it confirmed that the goal of such resolution is not to reach a real truce, not to protect civilians and meet their needs, but to use the UN again to block the progress of the Syrian army and its allies in confronting terrorist groups.

He affirmed that the aim of the statements of these countries’ officials is to encourage the terrorists to continue attacking the positions of the Syrian Arab Army and targeting civilians in Damascus with rocket shells, as well as encouraging the prevention of civilians from leaving Ghouta and using them as human shields.

He also denounced the latest statement of the spokeswoman for the US State Department, who described the humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians from areas of military operations as a joke, saying that this disregard for the lives of civilians is not surprising from the US, which did not care about the establishment of humanitarian corridors in the framework of its alleged military operations against Daesh as it preferred to demolish the city of Raqqa over the heads of its inhabitants and kill thousands of them, without caring about meeting the humanitarian needs of the displaced in the areas of its illegal presence on the Syrian territory.

Ambassador Ala said that the main reason for the escalation of the situation in Ghouta is due to the terrorist groups positioned in it, as they launched attacks on the residential neighborhoods of Damascus city and fired more than 2250 shells on civilian targets since the beginning of 2018, which resulted in the martyring and injuring of hundreds of civilians, in addition to their repeated attacks on the Syrian military sites.

He pointed out that this situation led the Syrian Arab Army to respond to the terrorist organizations in Ghouta to protect Syrian citizens from terrorism and indiscriminate killing, adding that the armed forces conducting military operations to eliminate terrorists have taken all necessary measures to protect civilians.

Ala affirmed that no one is more concerned about the Syrians than the Syrian state, where the Syrian Arab Army, backed by Russia, has already eliminated terrorism in Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and other areas, with giving priority to protecting civilians, adding that the Syrian state’s efforts allowed the return of hundreds of thousands of Syrians to their homes after eliminating the terrorists that caused their displacement.

The Syrian authorities facilitated on Thursday the arrival of a humanitarian aid convoy to the city of Afrin, he said, noting that the UK has ignored the effects of the Turkish aggression on this city.

Ala stressed that the Syrian government gave its consent to send a humanitarian aid convoy to Ghouta before Britain asked to hold this debate, and preparations are underway to mobilize this convoy at any moment.

Ambassador Ala: UK and its allies support terrorists, provide political cover for their crimes

Earlier, Ala, affirmed that the Human Rights Council session on Syria, scheduled to be held on Friday at the request of the UK, will not provide accurate information about what is happening in Syria, rather it will encourage terrorists who target Damascus with shells on a daily basis to continue their crimes and provide them with the needed political cover to go ahead with their criminal acts.

Ambassador Ala’s remarks came during the Human Rights Council’s session to vote on holding an emergency meeting on Ghouta.

Ala said that this session will encourage terrorists to continue to prevent civilians from leaving Ghouta through the safe corridor set up by the Syrian government for this purpose, adding that “we therefore lodge our objection to holding this debate and urge the Council member to reject the British request.”

Britain has called on the Human Rights Council in Geneva to hold an emergency session on the situation in Ghouta.

On a relevant context, Ambassador Ala told al-Mayadeen TV Channel that the most dangerous message that will be convoyed by the British-drafted resolution to the terrorists is that they can use chemical weapons, meanwhile Britain and its allies will provide the needed political cover and ignite the situation, thus to accuse the Syrian government.”