Al-Moallem: Syrian Sovereignty Is Sacred, Priority Is Eliminating Terrorism

DAMASCUS– Deputy Premier, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Walid al-Moallem said that it is early to talk about full victory over terrorism in Syria, because there are still remaining terrorists who have become more barbaric in the areas where they have positions and international conspiracies continue to be hatched against Syria in different forms even though the number of the countries participating in such conspiracies has decreased.

In a briefing on the latest developments in the Arab and international arenas at a People’s Assembly (PA) session on Tuesday chaired by PA Speaker Hammoudeh Sabbagh, al-Moallem said that the US is continuing its support for terrorists in Syria in order to prolong the crisis, which is what the Israeli occupation wants, but this US support cannot undermine the victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army against Daesh.

 SANA reported that regarding de-escalation zones, al-Moallem said that the duration for these zones is six months that can be extended, but terrorists continue to breach the agreement from time to time, adding that it’s unacceptable to keep the situation as it is in these areas as the goal is to clear the entire Syrian territory from terrorists.

The Minister said that there are some groups north of Syria that constitute a Trojan horse for US aggression, stressing that the US and Turkish forces should leave Syria.

Regarding Geneva 8, al-Moallem said that the conference was preceded by the “Riyadh 2” statement that was meant to be an obstacle for the conference and caused it to fail in producing any progress, adding that the Syrian Arab Republic delegation will head to Astana to participate in the coming Astana meeting on Syria and that work is ongoing to prepare for the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi.

Responding to queries by the People’s Assembly members, al-Moallem said that Syria’s sovereignty is sacred and cannot be relinquished under any circumstances, and the same goes for Syria’s territorial integrity and the unity of the Syrian people.

He also praised the role of Syria’s friends and allies, mainly Russia, Iran, and the resistance.

Al-Moallem reiterated that the priority in Syria is eliminating terrorism and preserving the unity of Syria, adding that Palestine is still the focus of the Syrian foreign policy and that the US decision on Al-Quds (Jerusalem) violates Security Council resolutions and international legitimacy.

He stressed that the US-led war on Syria isn’t over and Turkey is carrying out a serious aggression against Syria as it wants to seize parts of the Syrian territory. Also, Europe continues to impose unjustified sanctions on Syria while shedding crocodile tears for the Syrian children, he said.