Ambassador Ala: Cooperation with United Nations human rights mechanisms should be based on neutrality and non-politicization

Geneva, (ST) – Syria’s representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Hussam Al-Din Ala, affirmed that cooperation with United Nations human rights mechanisms must be based on the principle of neutrality and non-politicization.

Ala said in a statement before the Human Rights Council yesterday that Syria was one of the active countries in establishing the Human Rights Council in order to stop the politicization of issues of protection and boosting human rights and double standards policies.

 He added that the practice of some other countries  bring us back to the atmosphere of polarization and confrontation that characterized the work environment of the Human Rights Committee. For example, the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was established and is being extended without consultation with the concerned country and based on politicized non-consensual decisions passed by the Council.

Ambassador Ala said that “International Commission of Inquiry on Syria”, over a period of more than 10 years has proven the correctness of Syria’s position on this committee and its counterparts in terms of committing serious professional errors and failing to meet the minimum standards of objectivity in their work.

He added that, “Syria has affirmed its commitment to cooperation and partnership with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights according to his capacity specified in decision 48/41, particularly regarding providing fair and objective information about the social, economic and political situations, among them, Syria,”

Ala stressed that the establishment of the so-called “Syria office” that operates outside the country and without the approval of the Syrian government and implements programs and projects based on the wishes of countries that provide funding for the implementation of their political goals through the use of the Office of the High Commissioner and its mechanism does not serve to enhance trust and cooperation between the two sides.

Ambassador Ala stressed that Syria has reaffirmed that cooperation with UN Human Rights mechanisms should be based on the principle of neutrality and non-politicization and the rules of decision 2/5/ in addition to considering the national priorities.

 He said that our national priorities are governed by the special and emergency circumstances and conditions that my country has been going through for a decade, which is well known to no one. “Theses priorities, I mean how to confront crude and dangerous agendas to interfere in the sovereign affairs of my country, such as imposing unilateral coercive measures in an unprecedented way in the history of international relations, using terrorism as a means of political pressure, destroying infrastructure, and violating international provisions regarding the sharing of international waters with the use of water as a political weapon pressing on the livelihood of the Syrian citizen” Ala added.

Ambassador Ala continued by saying, add to all these things, the theft of oil, gas and national crops by the American and Turkish occupations of dear parts of our national soil.

Raghda Sawas