The Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Vienna, Ambassador Hassan Khaddour, stressed that Israel’s aggressive behavior in the region and its nuclear capabilities outside the framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons posed a serious threat to the non-proliferation regime and to the stability of the region as a whole.
During the current month’s session of the IAEA Board of Governors, Ambassador Khaddour said: “Syria was and will remain committed to cooperating fully and constructively with the Agency in accordance with its obligations under the NPT and the comprehensive safeguards agreement signed with the Agency”, stressing that the international community should not condone Israel’s dangerous practices and aggressive behavior .They should take a sound decision and serious practical steps to compel it to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear state, and subject all its facilities to IAEA inspection without any condition or restriction.
Ambassador Khaddour thanked IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi for his condolences to the victims of the devastating earthquake and to all states that had supported the Syrian Government’s efforts to lift rubble, rescue the wounded and aid those affected and provide the necessary humanitarian assistance.
In response to the condolences in the statement made by the representative of Israel, Ambassador Khaddour stressed that the Israeli entity is deceiving the world by showing humanity and said that “instead of offering condolences to the victims of the earthquake, this entity should respect the sovereignty of states and abide by international law and international humanitarian law”.
Ambassador Khaddour reminded members of the governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency of Israel’s air aggression against a neighborhood in Damascus on February 9 and the bombing of Aleppo airport on March 7, calling for the elimination of the item on the implementation of the guarantees’ agreement on Syria from the Council’s agenda.
Ambassador Khaddour stressed that Israel’s aggression in September 2007 against an area in Deir Ez-zor governorate had been used as a platform to attack Syria with the aim of distorting its image and exerting political pressure on it and besieging it instead of being strongly condemned as a flagrant violation of international law.
Amal Farhat