China renews its call for lifting the illegal western sanctions imposed on Syria

New York, (ST) – China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun has called on Western countries to immediately lift the illegal sanctions imposed unilaterally on Syria. He added that these sanctions are greatly impeding rescue and relief efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit the country on the sixth of this month.

In the aftermath of the strong earthquake that hit Syria, the unilateral illegal sanctions caused a sharp shortage in heavy equipment and search and rescue tools, which raised great concerns that many children are under rubble may have died, as a result of the absence of early rescue or because of insufficient rescue.

Zhang called on the relevant countries to immediately and unconditionally lift all their illegal unilateral sanctions, not to get involved in fueling the natural disaster, not to deprive Syrian children of their hope for survival, and to desist from hypocritical political stances.

Zhang stressed that children are the most vulnerable victims in armed conflicts, stressing the need to seek political solutions to conflicts, act in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter in good faith, support true pluralism and promote international dialogue and cooperation.

The Chinese delegate pointed out that in order to effectively prevent violations against children, the spirit of the rule of law must be strengthened, and the requirements of international law on the protection of children in armed conflicts must be applied.

Zhang urged the last country in the world not to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to act without delay so that this vital agreement can achieve universal coverage. He referred to the United States, which has so far refused to ratify the convention.

Raghda Sawas