YouSaid · the spoken record

Bassam Sabbagh

lines on the record: 156
first: 2021-02-25
most recent: 2021-10-19
sittings or episodes: 13
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Thirdly, the Syrian Arab Republic demands that due attention be given to the information it provides to the United Nations, the relevant Security Council committees and the OPCW about the ongoing attempts by terrorist organizations and their arm, the White Helmets group, in cooperation and coordination with intelligence services of well-known countries, to stage incidents of chemical-weapons use to accuse the Syrian Arab Army and its allies. I refer here to the statement of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation on 8 March 2021 regarding the preparation and fabrication of terrorists of the Al-Nusra Front, in cooperation with the White Helmets, of incidents of using chemical weapons in the countryside of Idlib and Latakia provinces.”
2021-04-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/337 (2021) · source
“In this regard, Syria renews its serious concerns about the modus operandi of the mission, over which many countries have also expressed concerns. Syria expresses its regret that the OPCW ignored the statement of the Courage Foundation issued on 8 February and signed by a large group of experts and prominent scientific figures, led by Mr. José Bustani, the organization’s first Director-General, regarding the investigation into the alleged Douma incident, especially for neglecting the fundamental and serious concerns about the manner in which the investigation was conducted and the occurrence of serious “procedural irregularities and scientific flaws”.”
2021-04-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/337 (2021) · source
“In this regard, Syria categorically rejects the persistence of some countries in casting doubt on its initial declaration and affirms its determination to continue to cooperate with the Technical Secretariat of the organization within the framework of organized dialogue. Syria’s monthly report No. 88, covering the period from 16 February to 15 March, included confirmation of the Syrian Government’s readiness to continue consultations and work with the Technical Secretariat. Secondly, the Syrian Arab Republic has continued to cooperate with the Fact- Finding Mission, welcomed the visit of its teams during the month of March — in addition to its upcoming planned visits — and affirms that it will provide all facilitation for the success of its tasks.”
2021-04-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/337 (2021) · source
“Nakamitsu’s briefing, and I met her a few days ago and conveyed to her our concerns about not including in her briefings the information and updates that we provide her. Today we also heard some repeated statements from Western countries, led by the United States, which were dominated by politicization and unfounded accusations. Therefore, I would like to confirm and clarify some points as follows. First, the Syrian Arab Republic has committed itself to cooperate with the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to settle the remaining outstanding issues in its initial declaration and to close this matter permanently and as soon as possible.”
2021-04-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/337 (2021) · source
“At the outset, I congratulate you, Sir, and your friendly country, Viet Nam, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. We have full confidence in your successful stewardship of the work of the Council. The Syrian Arab Republic condemns the use of chemical weapons by anyone, at any time and place and under any circumstances, and reiterates that it did not use chemical weapons and that it voluntarily joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 and worked with the organization in a diligent, credible and transparent manner to implement its accession obligations, which resulted in the destruction of its chemical weapon stockpiles and production facilities. We listened to Mrs.”
2021-04-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/337 (2021) · source
“Progress is possible only through open and constructive dialogue based on the mutual respect among Member States, taking into account the views of the countries concerned with the discussion.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“They want us to believe that imposing conditionality on reconstruction does not impede the provision of an environment conducive to the voluntary and dignified return of refugees and displaced persons to their areas, or that it may cause a new refugee crisis. They want us to believe that the Brussels conference held today is a forum for assisting Syrians, while it is just a useless parade due to the exclusion of the Syrian Government and a platform to target the Syrian Government and tarnish its image. In conclusion, I stress that the discussions of the Security Council cannot achieve progress through provocative statements and the use of inappropriate and sometimes rude terms.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“However, despite the extent of the disinformation contained in these statements, they cannot convince anyone that these countries are not responsible for bringing thousands of foreign terrorists to Syria. What is worse is that these Governments now refuse to repatriate terrorists to their countries of origin in order to be prosecuted for their crimes and to rehabilitate and reintegrate their women and children. They want those who listen to their statements to believe that the illegitimate unilateral coercive measures imposed by these Governments against the Syrian people, the most recent of which is the so-called “Caesar Act”, do not represent economic terrorism and collective punishment and have nothing to do with the economic crisis that the Syrian people are experiencing.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“The Syrian Government considers some countries’ intentional disregard of these practices, which represent a violation of international humanitarian law, as an act of support for terrorist organizations controlling Idlib. It is reprehensible to hear the statements of some countries blaming the Syrian Government for everything related to the human tragedy that its people are undergoing. Today the world has come to realize that these statements are only part of the campaign to mislead public opinion and draw its sympathy in order to convince it that these countries have nothing to do with what befell Syria after 10 years of terrorist war against it.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“In addition to the above, this mechanism allowed the Turkish regime to freely sponsor terrorist organizations and to move forward with its policies aimed at changing the demographic character and imposing “Turkification” measures on various aspects of life in that region, including the imposition of Turkish curricula and the circulation of the Turkish currency. Committed to delivering humanitarian aid to all Syrian regions, including cross-line, the Syrian Government stresses the importance of the humanitarian crossings that are opened in cooperation with Russian friends, including the one it recently opened in Saraqib. However, the Syrian Government condemns the terrorist groups preventing our people in Idlib from existing through these humanitarian crossings and holding them as hostages and human shields.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“Unfortunately, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) office in the Turkish city of Gaziantep does not adhere to the work controls as mandated in the Charter of the United Nations, which leads to its exploitation as a tool to serve the agendas of some countries. The distribution mechanism represents the most dangerous aspect of this process due to the lack of transparency and identification of the third parties or partners that OCHA refers to in its reports. Add to that the experience of past years, which has shown the terrorist organizations monopolizing the largest amount of humanitarian aid that the United Nations drops at the borders, and using it to finance their terrorist activities, gain loyalties and recruit new terrorists.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“The Syrian Government — and based on its concern for the needs of the Syrians on all its territories and the provision of aid to them — took the initiative of strengthening the cross-line assistance mechanism to improve the humanitarian situation, bearing in mind that the conditions that prevailed at the time of the adoption of resolution 2165 (2014), on 14 July 2014, no longer exist. In this regard, I would like to briefly point out a number of grave flaws that accompanied the implementation of the cross-border assistance mechanism. The so-called monitoring mechanism has shown over the past years the inability of those in charge of it to guarantee verification and accuracy standards that ensure due credibility and professionalism.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“This also means there is a need to engage in constructive cooperation and effective coordination with the Syrian Government to enhance humanitarian work and support the joint efforts of the Syrian Government and its partners in providing humanitarian aid and delivering it to those who deserve it, in order to achieve tangible qualitative improvement. As for the cross-border assistance mechanism, the Syrian Government has repeatedly expressed its serious concerns over it, especially with regard to its violation of the principle of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and the parameters for humanitarian work established by General Assembly resolution 46/182.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“We were waiting for it to refer to the disastrous effects of the unlawful coercive measures on the Syrian people, and also to the targeting by terrorist organizations, supported by the Turkish occupation, of two neighbourhoods in the city of Aleppo with rocket-propelled grenades, which caused the death of two civilians and the wounding of several others, including children. The Syrian Government reaffirms that the centre of humanitarian work in Syria is Damascus, the capital, and not any other city in neighbouring countries or beyond. This is the simplest embodiment of the principle of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, which is affirmed by all relevant United Nations resolutions.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“The positions of some countries, the United States being in the forefront, to which we listened today do not in any way help to improve the humanitarian situation in my country, Syria. Enshrining dictations by these countries, imposing conditionality on reconstruction, ignoring all calls for the lifting of unilateral coercive measures and obstructing the return of the displaced are all factors that do not contribute to establishing an environment conducive to a political solution and restoring security and stability to Syria. We were looking for Mr. Lowcock's briefing today to be more balanced and to indicate the significant efforts made by the Syrian Government to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“It would have been more useful for the delegations of those countries to seize this high-level meeting to denounce their failed policies over the past 10 years and to prioritize humanitarian considerations over their narrow interests. Would it not have been more productive for the United States to announce the termination of its occupation of Syrian territories, put an end to its support for separatist militias and stop the plunder of Syrian wealth? Would it not have been more productive to demand the Turkish regime to withdraw its military forces from Syrian territory and stop its support for terrorist organizations? Would it not have been more productive to speak with one voice against all those who deny Syrians access to their utmost needed economic resources?”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“Once again, some Member States are continuing to use the platform of the Security Council to politicize humanitarian work in the Syrian Arab Republic and relevant discussions and to promote a selective perspective of the humanitarian situation there. These countries’ statements focused on what would serve their goals, including their feverish efforts to extend and strengthen the cross-border assistance mechanism. At the same time, they deliberately ignore the disastrous effects of the unilateral coercive measures imposed by them on the Syrian people. This makes clear that these countries do not aspire to genuine humanitarian work, but rather to achieving political goals through the misuse and exploitation of the humanitarian situation.”
2021-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/315 (2021) · source
“Geir Pedersen on 22 February, during which he held constructive talks with the Foreign Minister, who reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to a Syrian-owned, Syrian-led political process, facilitated by the United Nations in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, which all affirm at their outset the strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic. In this regard, my delegation stresses that the success of the work of the Constitutional Committee requires respecting the rules of its procedures that have been agreed upon, rejecting any external interference in its work or any attempts to dictate the conclusions of its work or impose artificial timetables to accomplish its mission.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“Finally, the statement expressed support to the political Syrian-owned, Syrian-led process, including the Constitutional Committee. In this context, my delegation would like to thank the delegations of the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran for their contribution to the success of the work of this round. And we call on the Turkish regime to fulfil its obligations under the Astana agreements and the Sochi understandings and to stop its practices that do not contribute to providing an environment conducive to a political solution. Damascus welcomed the visit of Special Envoy Mr.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“In mid-February, the fifteenth round of Astana meetings was held in the Russian city of Sochi and issued a significant statement that reaffirmed the strong commitment to the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and to the continuation of cooperation until the terrorist organizations in Syria were completely eliminated. The statement also rejected the separatist agendas that aim to undermine the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the attempts to create de facto entities under the pretext of combating terrorism. The Astana statement also rejected the plundering of Syrian oil that is the exclusive property of the Syrian State and the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria. It condemned the continued Israeli attacks on Syria and demanded an end to such aggressions.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“We listened attentively to the briefing of the Special Envoy, Mr. Geir Pederson, in which we had hoped that the various aspects that I referred to above, which represent the real and biggest obstacle to achieving a political solution, would be addressed adequately and in a crystal-clear manner. We call on the United Nations and its Special Envoy to take a clear position on these challenges and to exercise their role in implementing and protecting the purposes and principles of its Charter, which Syria, among other countries, participated in drafting.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“The resilience of the Syrian people and their uniting behind their leadership led to the failure of the destructive policies that were implemented during the past 10 years. Should not these Governments review their policies after this failure, or do they want another 10 years of more failed policies and more destruction of Syria? Those Governments should look realistically at the current situation to see what their hostile policies have led to with regard to Syria in particular and in the region in general. Then they should take measures to correct those wrong policies and adopt new constructive approaches based on respect for the principles of international law and adopt diplomacy and objective dialogue, in order to allow the restoration of peace and stability in Syria and the region.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“They have also maintained that the solution is political, not military, while carrying out the most heinous violations of the sovereignty and independence of Syria through the presence of American military forces in the north-east and south-east of Syria, and the Turkish forces in northern and north-western Syria, not to mention the continued Israeli occupation of the Syrian Arab Golan and the systematic acts of aggression that it commits every day. After all this, is it possible for us to believe the alleged support of these countries for a political solution? How can we believe their adherence to resolution 2254 (2015) when they deliberately and systematically violate its first provision, namely, respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic?”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“It has been 10 years during which delegations of those countries repeated their political hypocrisy by expressing their grave concern over the humanitarian situation in Syria. Simultaneously, these countries impose unilateral coercive measures, tighten a suffocating siege on the Syrian people and adopt legislation to prohibit reconstruction. All of that resulted in catastrophic consequences that targeted the livelihood of every Syrian citizen, especially women and children. The true label of these measures has become economic terrorism. It has been 10 years during which the Governments of these countries expressed their eagerness to respect the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“This illegal coalition is aimed at weakening the capabilities of the Syrian Government by destroying civilian facilities, such as schools and hospitals, and infrastructure, such as power stations, bridges and dams, which has resulted in enormous human suffering. The so-called international coalition is in fact an American coalition that American Administrations have used to launch their attacks against the peoples of the region. It has been 10 years during which we witnessed those countries not only allowing terrorist organizations to commit murder, instigate displacement and demographic change, recruit children, plunder oil and cultural property, burn agricultural crops and deprive the population of drinking water, but also allowing the “Turkification” practices imposed by the Turkish regime on the areas it occupies.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“They recruited terrorists from all over the world and transferred them to Syria through Turkey, facilitated by the Turkish regime, to wreak death and havoc in my country, Syria. The great irony is that these Governments used those terrorists as an excuse to form an illegal international coalition to combat terrorism based on a distorted interpretation of Article 51 of the Charter. This illegal coalition killed thousands of innocent civilians. This illegal coalition is unable to combat terrorist organizations of its own making. The truth is that this illegal coalition was aimed at weakening the capabilities of the Syrian Arab Army, which is fighting against terrorist elements of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and other terrorist organizations.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“It has been 10 years during which the Governments of these countries have made every effort to pit Syrians against each other and incite them to spread chaos, which they considered productive, and spent huge sums of money to inflame and prolong the tragic crisis in a way that served the goals of those Governments and to destabilize security and stability in Syria, destroy its achievements in terms of civilization and development and break up its territorial integrity. The past 10 years proved that the Governments of these countries do not learn from their previous experiences. They have reopened their old guidebooks and once again followed their outdated recipes in using extremist terrorist groups as a tool to serve their aggressive agendas.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“On this day 10 years ago, the Governments of some countries, mainly the United States, the United Kingdom and France, launched an unprecedented, multifaceted, aggressive war against Syria to undermine its national choices, target its legitimate Government and distort the image of its leadership through terrorist tools, in grave violation of the principles of international law and the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. This clearly revealed that those countries give precedence to the law of force over the force of law.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“It is clear to those following this meeting today that there is another attempt by some countries to seize the 10-year anniversary of the outbreak of the crisis in Syria as an opportunity to continue incitement against the Syrian State, levelling various accusations against it and promoting the failed policies of those countries. Since those countries wanted to conduct an inventory of what has happened in Syria during the past 10 years, I would of course also like to present the correct Syrian reading of what has happened so that public opinion is informed of the real facts.”
2021-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/265 (2021) · source
“In conclusion, the Syrian Arab Republic, at a time when it vehemently rejects this hostile and politicized approach against it and demands an end to it, calls on Member States to replace it with an objective approach and hold constructive discussions that allow the OPCW to work according to the technical character on which it was established and to enable it to restore its reputation, the professionalism of its inspectors and the impartiality and credibility of its reports.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“Yet these conclusions laid a basis for the United States and France to promote a draft decision submitted to the OPCW Conference of the States Parties, which aims at creating new pretexts for committing more acts of aggression against Syria and to encourage terrorist organizations to carry out more staged chemical incidents to serve the hostile American-Western policies. The Syrian Arab Republic renews its call to all Member States not to be drawn into this endeavour and to confront it in order to spare the OPCW serious repercussions on the future of its work and its cooperation with the States parties.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“Consequently, some Western Governments have turned to the OPCW, manipulated the Convention’s provisions and pressured and blackmailed States parties to adopt an illegitimate decision on establishing a mechanism of the so- called “Investigation and Identification Team” (IIT). This set a dangerous precedent of mandating a technical organization with the powers to conduct criminal and legal investigations to identify those responsible for the use of chemical weapons, clearly overriding the Security Council’s mandate. The practices of the IIT were not that different from those of the Fact-Finding Mission, as it concluded an unprofessional report based on the principle of a balance of probabilities, which make these conclusions contested and untrustworthy.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“I would like to point out that the Syrian National Authority, despite its reservations on the methods of work of the Fact-Finding Mission and based on serious and real concerns related to the implementation of its mandate, confirmed its continued cooperation with the FFM and welcomed the visit of its team to complete its investigations into the alleged incident in Kafr Zita. The team is expected to arrive on 22 March, and the National Authority will provide it with the available information and witnesses to enable it to complete its investigations. Fifthly, the failure of the Joint Investigative Mechanism to fulfil its mandate and the lack of professionalism and credibility in its reports led to the termination of its mandate.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“The statement indicated that there were some fundamental and serious concerns about the manner in which this investigation was conducted and the occurrence of grave procedural and scientific violations, as well as the organization’s failure to address the investigators’ concerns, and its punishment of them for undermining the organization’s credibility and attempt to impugn them. The statement also warned that the issue could damage the reputation and credibility of the OPCW, stressing that the report of the alleged Douma incident raises suspicions and inspires a lack of confidence in all similar OPCW reports, including the report of the alleged Khan Shaykhun incident in 2017.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“What was revealed by one of the experts who participated in those investigations is clear and strong evidence of the extent of the distortion, the great lack of professionalism and objectivity, and complete bias of the OPCW towards theoretical assumptions that are not based on any scientific or concrete evidence. In this context, I would like to draw your attention to the statement issued by the Courage Foundation on 8 February, signed by a large group of experts and prominent scientific figures, at the forefront of which is Mr. José Bustani, the first Director-General of the OPCW.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“This paradox manifests itself in the Mission’s completion of its investigations of alleged incidents which are fabricated and published in open source and reported by suspicious parties, in record time — that is, only a few months — while it takes more than three years to investigate incidents reported by the Syrian Government. By the way, to this day there have been five incidents reported by the Syrian Government since the year 2017. The reports of the Mission have not yet been completed, which indicates an inconsistency in the methodology of FFM’s work and its use of different and selective working methods. As for the resounding scandal of the OPCW’s professionalism was the Team’s investigations into the alleged incident in Douma in 2018.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“Hence, the Team deviated from the professionalism and impartiality that some members of the Security Council are praising today, specifically in terms of not visiting the actual sites where alleged cases of use took place, not collecting samples and preserving the chain of custody, relying on information coming from open sources and so on. The Team proceeded to conduct its investigations remotely, received samples whose source and collector were not known, and interviewed anonymous witnesses who were either unidentified or brought from an environment of terrorist groups and their arm, the White Helmets. In that regard, I would ask Ms. Nakamitsu and the colleagues who praise the OPCW’s professionalism for their explanation of a strange paradox in the work of the Fact-Finding Mission in Syria (FFM).”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“Fourthly, since the commencement of the accusations and allegations of cases of use of chemical weapons — the countries behind their fabrication and release have become well known — Syria took the initiative to request the Director-General of the OPCW to send a team from the Technical Secretariat to investigate the facts and to refute these allegations. Unfortunately, this team did not implement the terms of reference document agreed upon and the rules stipulated in the verification annex to the Convention during its work.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“Of course, I can respond to what some have raised, but I only remind them that the production facility they focused on is indicated in the report of the Director- General of the OPCW to be declared by the Syrian Arab Republic; meaning that this facility is included in the initial Syrian declaration. As for the discussion of the samples analysis result, this is a scientific and technical issue that requires a deep discussion between the experts of the OPCW and those of the Syrian National Authority. I will not go into further detail on this point, given the confidentiality of the topics of the initial declaration on the one hand, and so as not to turn this session into a technical discussion, whose natural place is The Hague.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“I would like to point out that some of the technical issues that are being discussed have variant scientific explanations; therefore, it is a process that cannot be resolved selectively or hastily. However, what is truly regrettable is that some countries’ dealings with the subject of the initial Syrian declaration arise from two issues. The first is bad faith and ongoing scepticism and the second is a glass-half- empty perspective — that is, that they criticize instead of expressing appreciation for what has been achieved so far and encouraging its continuation.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“Incidentally, the United States of America is still to this day, more than two decades after joining the OPCW, submitting supplementary declarations to its initial one. Syria has committed to an organized dialogue with the Declaration Assessment Team in order to address the remaining outstanding technical issues, which actually led to the achievement of tangible progress and closed a number of issues. In this regard, I would like to inform the members of the Council that the Declaration Assessment Team conducted the twenty-fourth round of consultations with the Syrian National Authority during the second half of last February and obtained full support for the success of its mission.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“Syria has also been keen to fulfil all its obligations under the Convention and has persevered in continuing consultations with the Technical Secretariat on various issues. The monthly reports submitted to the Security Council — the latest of which is the eighty-ninth report (S/2021/200, annex) — refer to all ongoing cooperation activities between Syria and the OPCW. Thirdly, with regard to questions raised about the initial Syrian declaration, I would like to point out that this declaration was submitted within a short time and under exceptional and pressing circumstances. That is why Syria responded in 2014 by working with the Technical Secretariat to provide some supplementary clarifications to it. This is a right guaranteed by the Convention and a common practice with the OPCW.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“I hope that fellow Council members will indulge me and allow me ample time to make my comments: First, the Syrian Arab Republic has repeatedly condemned the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances, and has repeatedly emphasized that it did not use chemical weapons at all. Secondly, the Syrian Arab Republic voluntarily acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013. It has concluded the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpiles and production facilities in full cooperation with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and its Technical Secretariat in an unprecedented exemplary achievement, within a record time and under difficult and complex circumstances.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“I listened attentively to the briefing of Mrs. Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and to the interventions of fellow members of the Council. Given that I have been the Permanent Representative of my country to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) since its accession in 2013 to the Chemical Weapons Convention, and given my involvement over the past seven years in working with its Director-General and the various Technical Secretariat teams, I would like to clarify some important related aspects.”
2021-03-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/226 (2021) · source
“Events that might be held here or there, including the so-called Brussels Donors Conference, are ineffective spectacles put on merely for show.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“Such a commitment includes refraining from illegally dispatching delegations across the border to hold meetings with terrorist organizations and separatist militias and illegal entities. The Syrian Arab Republic once again stresses that the politicization of humanitarian work must be brought to an end, as must any attempt to impose dictates and blanket rejections intended to prevent the humanitarian and development efforts of Syrian State institutions from receiving support. Such action would allow for the voluntary return of internally and externally displaced persons. In conclusion, my delegation reiterates that the centre of humanitarian action in Syria is the Syrian capital, Damascus, and not any other capital or city.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“In addition, the occupying American forces in the Tanf area of south-east Syria, where the Rukban camp is located, have obstructed humanitarian access to the camp and prevented its residents from returning home and ending their suffering. Fifthly, because of the delay in addressing detainee conditions in the Al-Hol camp, pressure must be brought to bear on the Governments of certain Western States that refuse to repatriate their foreign terrorist nationals and their families. Those Governments’ attempts to evade their legal responsibilities and obligations must be stopped. In order to improve the humanitarian situation in my country, a firm commitment must be made to respect the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, principles underscored by all the relevant Council resolutions.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“Those grave violations should be met with condemnation, not praise. Fourthly, American forces have occupied parts of north-east Syria. Along with their separatist militia proxies, the occupying forces have systematically plundered cultural property and oil and agricultural crops and smuggled them abroad through illegal crossings that are under their control, in addition to the recent imposition by those separatist militias of a siege strangling the city of Hasakah, resulting in a severe food and fuel shortages. The militias have even shot at civilians who were protesting against the siege and demanding the full return of State institutions to north-east Syria.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“Thirdly, the Turkish military is occupying vast areas of Syrian territory in the north and north-west of the country and implementing a policy of Turkification by changing the names of towns and villages, altering educational curricula, mandating the use of Turkish lira in commercial transactions and confiscating the land of Syrian farmers to build the so-called separation wall. That is in addition to providing cover for terrorist organizations, including those on the Security Council’s lists of terrorist organizations, to expropriate public and private property, plunder oil fields, cultural property and crops and use access to drinking water as a weapon against civilians by cutting off the supply of water 18 times from the Allouk station and depriving our people in and around Hasakah.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“Secondly, the disastrous effects of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Syrian people — measures that constitute a gross violation of international law and an act of collective punishment, as recognized by the United Nations itself — prevent Syrians from meeting their basic needs, including for food, medicine, medical supplies, electricity and fuel, limit the capacity of Syrian State institutions to respond to the additional challenges created by the coronavirus disease pandemic and impede the efforts of international organizations operating in Syria.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source