Syria calls for preparing a report on the consistency of the US and EU sanctions on Syria with UN Charter and international law

NEW YORK, (ST)- Syria has called on the United Nations to prepare a report on the extent of consistency of the laws and executive decisions, issued by the US administration and the European Union (EU) to impose an economic blockade on the Syrian people, with the provisions of the UN Charter, the international law and the international humanitarian law and with relevant Security Council resolutions.

 In a letter addressing the UN Chief and President of the Security Council, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Bashar Al-Jaafari said that the United States and the European Union have issued two executive decisions to renew and tighten the effects of the unilateral coercive economic measures imposed on the Syrian people. The U.S. also announced this month that it has put the so-called “Caesar Act”, which includes imposing new unilateral economic, financial and banking measures against Syria and against all parties that cooperate with it, into force.

  Al-Jaafari noted the need that the report should refer to the serious challenges that would result from applying the European and American unilateral coercive measures on the political process in Syria, that is supposed to be led by the Syrians themselves without external interference and to be facilitated by the United Nations through the UN Chief’s Special Envoy for Syria Gier Pederson who has recently admitted the negative repercussions of the unilateral coercive measures on the Syrian people.

Late last month, Syria filed an official complaint to the UN Chief and President of the Security Council asking the UN Secretary General to assign a special legal team at the UN General Secretariat to prepare an urgent report on the consistency of the US and the European laws that impose sanctions on the Syrian people, with the UN Charter and the relevant international resolutions.

Syria stressed in the complaint that the crimes and violations that have been committed by the governments of these countries in Syria amount to war crimes and are considered as a blatant violation of the principles of international laws and a direct aggression against Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.