Syria stresses the need for preventing different kinds of weapons from reaching terrorist organizations

New York, (ST) – Syria has stressed the need for the international community to prevent different kinds of weapons, including small and light weapons, from reaching terrorist organizations 

Syria’s permanent representative to the UN, Bassam Sabbagh pointed out that, well-known countries have, over the past ten years, supplied these organizations, particularly ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusra, with various types of weapons, and this aggressive approach had serious effects in prolonging the crisis and claiming the lives of thousands of Syrians.

 Sabbagh made it clear during an open session in the Security Council on “the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons” that Syria stresses the importance of combating the illicit trade in these weapons.  He added that, Syria believes in a pivotal role for the United Nations system in the areas of disarmament as an essential factor to achieve the goals of the UN Charter, foremost of which is to spare future generations from the scourge of war.

Sabbagh went on to say that, it is a  fact that some well-known countries finance the purchase of these weapons and facilitate their smuggling to other countries to destabilize their security and stability of other countries. “These acts violate UN Security council resolutions relevant to counter-terrorism”, he added.

He stressed that facilitating terrorist organizations ‘possession of small arms and light weapons and other types of weapons constitutes a threat to the security and stability of states. “This matter exposes civilians, including women and children, to great dangers, and this requires that member states, within the framework of the First Committee of the General Assembly, make joint efforts to to prevent the illicit transfer or trafficking of such weapons, and the need to strengthen national efforts and intensify bilateral and multilateral cooperation to address this phenomenon” Sabbagh added.

Raghda Sawas