Al-Jaafari: Coercive economic measures prevent the provision of basic needs and hinder the confrontation of the Corona epidemic

Syria’s Permanent Representative  to the United Nations, Dr. Bashar Al-Jaafari, affirmed that the American administration is no longer satisfied with supporting terrorist groups in Syria and other countries, but rather has adopted economic, health and political terrorism to achieve its own selfish interests, stressing that the  unilateral coercive economic measures hamper the ability to provide even basic needs to confront Corona epidemic “Covid 19”.

During a video conference held on Saturday by the “Sanctions Kill” symposium to discuss the unilateral coercive economic measures and their impact on countries and peoples in the face of the Covid 19 pandemic,  Al-Jaafari said that countries that are subject to these measures face additional pressures and challenges in confronting this epidemic along with the continuous negative effects of these illegal measures on the welfare of citizens, their daily lives, and their ability to enjoy basic health and education services.

Al-Jaafari indicated that the concept and practice of terrorism have been expanded by the American administration, which no longer suffices to support terrorist and separatist groups in Syria or other countries that resist US interventionist and aggressive policies, but rather has adopted economic, health and political terrorism to achieve their selfish interests.

Al-Jaafari confirmed that the current crisis associated with the spread of this dangerous virus posed new and unprecedented challenges to Syria, foremost of which is providing basic infrastructure and components for the health sector to ensure prevention, testing, treatment, and the basic medical, food and service materials, along with the endeavor to enable the Syrian economy and the public and private sectors to be able to support and finance the necessary plans and procedures to contain the spread of this virus, especially in the fields of sterilization, isolation, and the closure of public and private facilities.

Al-Jaafari pointed out that unilateral coercive measures continue to weaken the ability of the public and private medical sector in Syria to import medicines and medical materials as these strict measures target the Syrian banking sector too.

Al-Jaafari refuted the recent American allegations regarding the exemptions and exceptions by the American government that allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and commercial transactions with Syria to provide medical and food items, adding that “the so-called American exemptions have political considerations that lead to the delivery of this aid to areas controlled by armed terrorist groups, which in turn seize and prevent it from reaching the real beneficiaries with the aim of supporting these terrorist groups and prolonging the war.

The Central Bank of Syria had been unable for years to take advantage of the Syrian funds frozen abroad with the aim of financing the import of materials related to securing the basic needs of the Syrian people as international and foreign banks did not respond to payment orders issued by the Central Bank, al-Jaafari stressed, adding that the Syrian government did not receive any response to contacts with these banks, whether through the system of banking correspondence or through diplomatic channels.

Al-Jaafari reiterated that Syria has mobilized all its human, medical and food available resources to serve all Syrians in the face of corona pandemic, but these capabilities will remain negatively affected by unilateral coercive measures, expressing Syria’s appreciation of the position of the UN Secretary-General which called for the end of unilateral coercive measures imposed on many people of the world, including the Syrian people.

Al-Jaafari confirmed that any collective and global effort to combat and contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus cannot achieve the desired goals in light of the continuing policy of imposing an economic siege by some governments, particularly the American government, on more than two billion people.

Al-Jaafari pointed out that those who impose unilateral measures on the Syrian people have relinquished humanitarian considerations and have become politically obsessed by punishing those who are not in line with their policies, noting that the European Union refused Syria’s request to send aircrafts to return Syrian expatriates in some European Union countries who want to return to Syria in light of this global epidemic, due to the unilateral measures imposed on the Syrian air transport sector.

Al-Jaafari called on those involved in the humanitarian campaigns aiming to put an end to the economic siege to attach importance to the difficult conditions experienced by Palestinians under the Israeli occupation and the Syrian citizens in the occupied Syrian Golan who are deprived of their right to obtain adequate medical and health care, especially in light of the current global health pandemic.

At the conclusion of the symposium, the coalition announced the release of a document entitled “A pledge to resist sanctions and the American war” which will be open for the signature of the Americans. The document included a reference to the use of the administration of President Donald Trump of Covid 19 pandemic to intensify efforts to change the political regimes in the targeted countries through military intervention and the application of illegal sanctions.  The document also included a pledge to oppose military action and mercenary armies as well as the US ongoing economic sanctions on 39 countries and to strive for collective action to combat these threats.

The coalition announced that it would prepare a message about opposing economic sanctions to be directed to US President Donald Trump.

It is noteworthy that the “Sanctions Kill” coalition includes a wide range of American civil and humanitarian organizations interested in global affairs and in opposing American foreign policies based on interference in state affairs through military aggression and unilateral sanctions.

Inas Abdulkareem