SYRIA’S Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Mua’llim on Monday delivered a speech before the United Nations General Assembly.
He warned: ‘Instead of seeking to contribute to the settlement of regional and international disputes by peaceful means, some well-known countries continue to pursue new colonial policies based on political hypocrisy in dealing with those (political and financial) crises.
‘Under the pretext of humanitarian intervention these countries interfere in domestic affairs of states, and impose unilateral economic sanctions that lack moral and legal basis, and under the pretext of concepts such as “Responsibility to Protect”, drums of war are beaten, and sedition and unrest are spreading and damaging the structure of national societies.
‘Perhaps, worst of all, is to see permanent members of the Security Council, who launched wars under the pretext of combating terrorism, now support terrorism in my country without any regard to the United Nations resolutions that established the regulations and mechanisms for concerted international efforts to fight this scourge away from political polarisation and double standards.
‘Mr. President, for more than one year now, my country has been facing organized terrorism, that affected our citizens, our human and scientific resources, national establishments, and also much of Syria’s historic and archeological landmarks through terrorist bombings, assassinations and massacres, looting and sabotage activities that horrified citizens in many parts of Syria. . .
‘This terrorism which is externally supported is accompanied by unprecedented media provocation based on igniting religious extremism sponsored by well-known states in the region to facilitate the flow of arms, money and fighters through the borders of some neighbouring countries.
‘Those states either turn a blind eye to the activities of terrorist groups crossing their borders, or provide active material and logistical support from their territory for armed terrorist groups. . .
‘In what context can we classify the explicit request of the United States from the armed terrorist groups not to surrender their arms as a response to amnesty decrees and decisions issued by the Syrian leadership?
‘We also wonder to what extent the statements of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United States, and France that clearly induce and support terrorism in Syria with money, weapons and foreign fighters, are in line with the international responsibilities of these countries in combating terrorism.
‘One of the ironies that we face is represented by encouraging the extremists in countries within and outside our region to go to the borders of Syria, and enter the country, to carry out terrorist acts under the name of “jihad” in collaboration with terrorists from the inside, and this is a fact confirmed by reports of both international and Arab observers. Until today, and as a result of this terrorism, Syria has lost thousands of martyrs from the military and civilians as a price of its quest to defend the integrity of the Syrian state and its citizens in the face of this global terrorist campaign.
‘Mr. President, the Syrian government has the initiative to call for dialogue at the beginning of the events that took place, without that call finding any positive response from most opposition parties. Also, my government responded positively throughout the crisis for each sincere initiative that aims to help finding a peaceful solution based on national dialogue among Syrians, and rejects external manipulation, and emphasises preserving the blood of the Syrians and the unity of Syria and its future. . .
‘I would like to tell you that the success of any international effort requires, in addition to the commitment of the Syrian government, committing these states supporting armed groups in my country, particularly Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya and others, to stop arming, funding, training and harbouring armed terrorist groups, and instead to encourage dialogue and renounce violence.
‘Mr. President, for more than one year now, Syria has been saying that what my country is witnessing is a two-sided problem: the first side is linked to the need for political, economic and social reforms demanded by the public; the second is the exploitation of those needs and demands for objectives that are completely different from the demands of the Syrian people and their interests, and make these peaceful demands as a ladder for armed groups working to sow sedition and undermine security in my country.
‘I referred to this in my speech from this podium last year. I come back today to tell you that the state in Syria made serious and important reform steps that culminated in a new constitution that embraces political pluralism, and was adopted by referendum; consequently parliamentary elections, which were open to multiple political parties, took place.
‘And, now I tell you that Syria is continuing to work with the patriotic components in the opposition to build a new and pluralistic Syria that responds to the aspirations of its people, and is determined at the same time to carry her duties in protecting her people from jihadist and takfiri terrorism, through which armed terrorist groups are working to spread chaos and create sedition among Syrians and threaten their peaceful coexistence.
‘Mr. President, we heard calls from this podium, and on other platforms, some calls from those who are ignorant of the facts or maybe ignoring them, or also from those who are shareholders in exacerbating them, that invites the President of the Syrian Arab Republic to step down. This is a blatant interference in the domestic affairs of Syria, and the unity of its people and its sovereignty.
‘The Syrian people is the only party authorised to choose its own future and the shape of its own state that accommodates all groups and spectrum of the Syrian people, including those who were deceived and chose the wrong way.
‘The Syrian people is the one to choose its leadership through the ballot box which represents the most important way of democracy and expression.
‘If some countries that interfere in the internal affairs of Syria are proud of their democracy and freedom of decision of their people, then it is better for those people to choose its leadership through elections whose form is defined by the new constitution and relevant laws, and then the ballot box will have the final say.
‘I say to those countries: enough illusions, and I invite the national opposition to work together to stop the shedding of Syrian blood, and to sit at the dialogue table and participate in the making of the present and the future of Syria.
‘We don’t bet on any party or factor apart from the Syrian people which is determined, in all its components, to reject all forms of foreign interference in its domestic affairs, and to defeat the advocates of the project of sectarianism, extremism and terrorism, because the bond is very strong in my country between state policies and the aspirations of the people.
‘Mr. President, despite all that I said about what my country is experiencing, we still believe in political solution as an essential way to exit out of the crisis, and I call from this platform for:
‘First: all parties and political groups, inside and outside Syria, to a constructive dialogue under the umbrella of the homeland, and the doors of Syria, as is her heart, are open to anyone who wants construction and dialogue.
‘To achieve this, I call all countries represented in the General Assembly to exert pressure to end violence in my country through ending of arming, financing, harbouring and training of terrorist groups.
‘Second: the results of this national dialogue, after agreement by all parties, will be the map and the future way of the country in establishing a more pluralistic and democratic Syria. . .
‘While my government is working hard to meet the basic needs of citizens who have been forced by the violence of the armed groups to flee their homes, some have sought to fabricate a refugee crisis through inciting armed groups to intimidate Syrian civilians in border areas and forcing them to flee to neighbouring countries.
‘There, they are either accommodated in military training camps, or in what resembles places of detention, amid arid or rugged regions, and exploited their plight to get aid spent mostly on goals that have no relevance to humanitarian objectives.
‘I appeal from this podium to those Syrian citizens to return to their towns and villages where the state will guarantee their safe return and their precious lives away from inhuman conditions they suffer in these camps.
At this point let me ask a legitimate question about the credibility of those who claim to care for providing humanitarian assistance as a response to the needs of the Syrians, and the consistency of those claims with the policy of tightening economic sanctions that badly affect the living conditions of the Syrian citizens.
‘How can imposing sanctions on the banking, health and transport sectors be consistent with caring for the best interest of the Syrians?
‘I also wonder if the legitimate public demands of our citizens, to which the Syrian leadership responded transparently and sincerely, can justify their use as an excuse to continue providing all forms of military, financial and media support to those killing innocent people in Syria, including journalists, doctors, university professors and even religious dignitaries?
‘Or is this the practical interpretation of the concept of “creative chaos” which only serves the expansionist interests of Israel?
‘Mr. President, what is happening in my country must not make us lose our basic compass which is Palestine and the Golan Heights, therefore the Syrian Arab Republic confirms its adherence to her natural right to restore the full occupied Syrian Golan up to the line of June 6th, 1967, and its refusal of all the measures taken by Israel, the occupying power, to change the natural, geographical and demographic aspects in clear violation of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, particularly its resolution No 497 of 1981.
‘Syria renews its support for the legitimacy of recognition by the international community of a free and independent Palestinian State on the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967. . .
‘Mr. President, my country renews the call for the international community to work to free the Middle East of all weapons of mass destruction, and we remind in this context of the initiative presented by Syria during its membership of the Security Council by the end of 2003, and the call upon the Council to adopt it.
‘Syria stresses that evacuating the region of all weapons of mass destruction is unachievable without forcing Israel, the only nuclear power in the region, to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and to put its nuclear facilities under the inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). At the same time we emphasise on what is stipulated in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of the right of all States to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.’
