YouSaid · the spoken record

Jaafari

lines on the record: 2,603
first: 2006-07-21
most recent: 2019-11-22
sittings or episodes: 185
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

“Unfortunately, the process has failed in Idlib for the same reason because the sponsors of the armed and terrorist groups failed to respect the decisions made in Vienna Conference in 2014 and the Astana 4 agreement. My British colleague said earlier that there are 50,000 terrorists in Idlib. Mr. De Mistura said that there are very few gunmen in Idlib, but I would say to my dear colleague the British Ambassador that we are talking about 50,000 terrorists. Could she imagine some day seeing 50,000 terrorists in Manchester, wreaking havoc, while we call them the moderate British armed opposition? Is it imaginable that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs would provide them with humanitarian aid so as to sustain them in Manchester? That would be absurd.”
2018-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8345 (2018) · source
“This is just an introduction for members of the Council to explain what we mean by the Astana process, its understanding and how we have reached the current situation in Idlib. Of course, the story dates back earlier. As the Council knows, it started at the Vienna conference in November 2015, in which Syria did not participate and to which it was not even invited. At that conference, it was decided that Jordan would prepare lists determining who is and is not a terrorist. Saudi Arabia was asked to decide who represented and did not represent the opposition. So far that has not happened, which explains the current situation. The countries sponsoring terrorism do not want to distinguish between terrorists and armed opposition. The Astana process tried to find a solution through the establishment of de-escalation zones.”
2018-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8345 (2018) · source
“Rather, to be precise, the armed groups did not refuse to dissociate themselves; it was the same sponsors of those armed groups and terrorist groups that refused to do so while the armed groups had agreed to the Astana 4 agreement. Thus, the disassociation did not happen in Idlib. In addition, the terrorists in Idlib launched 400 drones targeting the Russian Hmeimim base in Latakia. They have also bombarded Aleppo city almost daily for more than a year-and-a-half since we adopted the Astana 4 agreement. Therefore, whoever says that Idlib is a de-escalation zone is wrong, being unaware of the situation on the ground. There is no de-escalation zone in Idlib because armed groups have not respected the provisions of the Astana agreement.”
2018-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8345 (2018) · source
“Mr. Ja'afari (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): I would like to provide the Security Council with some information concerning the Astana process. The Astana process - during which, as Council members know, I participated in its deliberations leading to the Astana 4 agreement - is intended to reach an understanding aimed at establishing de-escalation zones within Syria. That understanding was temporary for six months, renewable in the event that the armed groups that participated in reaching the Astana 4 agreement respected the ceasefire and disassociated themselves from terrorist groups. That has not happened in Idlib. Those armed groups refused to dissociate themselves from terrorist groups.”
2018-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8345 (2018) · source
“The Government of my country confirms that two days ago it sent an official letter to the members of the Security Council containing precise and highly credible information about preparations under way by terrorist groups in Idlib and in the suburbs of Latakia and Aleppo in connection with toxic chemical substances to be widely used against civilians, with a view to hampering the military operation against terrorism in those areas. Lastly, it is all too clear and sad that certain permanent members of the Security Council, including the current presidency, have conflated the actual topic of today's meeting with that of tomorrow's meeting. The meeting rose at 4.45 pm.”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“They will try to prevent the eradication of terrorism in Idlib and other places, continue to impose a suffocating economic embargo on the Syrian people, block the funding of Syria's reconstruction and recovery, and prevent the repatriation of Syrian refugees and displaced persons so that they can live a dignified, safe and peaceful life. I would like to underscore the fact that, following the destruction of the two last facilities, to which Ms. Nakamitsu referred earlier, and the dispatch of the OPCW Fact-find Mission to verify their destruction and clear the debris from the two sites, the Syrian Arab Republic has fulfilled all its obligations by destroying all sites related to the production of chemical weapons.”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“Because some people are opposed to resolving the problem in Syria and want to invest in terrorism. We have many questions to ask, and the answers are already known. Those three Governments have failed over the past eight years to achieve their goal in Syria by supporting terrorism. That is why those three Governments are carrying out their actions today openly and flagrantly. They are conducting direct military aggression against Syria and illegally deploying military forces in parts of my country. Those Governments are hindering the political process in Geneva, Astana and Sochi.”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“Why are these Governments are in sync with the terrorists of the Al-Nusra Front and the White Helmets regarding the predictability of the time and place of an attack? Why are the Security Council and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weappons (OPCW) unable to deal with the information provided by Syria? In that regard, in recent years Syria has sent 156 official letters to the Security Council and the OPCW regarding the toxic chemical weapons that are possessed, stockpiled and prepared by terrorist armed groups in Syria to be used against civilians in order to accuse the Syrian army of using them. Nobody reads or wants to read those letters. Nobody wants to cooperate with the Syrian Government to combat terrorism and stop the terrorist groups from using chemical weapons. Why?”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“However, some members of the Council are rewarding us by supporting Al-Qaida against us, while we have been fighting Al-Qaida on their behalf and their peoples' behalf. Those in this Chamber who are supposed to uphold international law and the legitimacy of the Charter should ask themselves why Syria would use an internationally prohibited weapon that we do not possess it and that does not yield a real military benefit. Why would we do that? It is simply being used as a pretext for the three aggressors to wage one aggression after another against us. Why is it that the chemical weapon allegedly used only impacts women and children and not terrorists? How are the Governments of the three aggressors able to predict the place, date and kind of chemical weapon that is going to be used in Syria?”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“We will not yield to shameful political blackmail or to the threats of direct military aggression posed by the Governments of the United States, Britain and France. Those Governments have engaged in every kind of prohibited act in Syria, supported takfiri terrorism and given orders to the terrorist Al-Nusra Front and its affiliated groups and organizations, in particular the White Helmets, to use chemical weapons against civilians in Syria in order to accuse the Syrian Government and find a pretext to launch a further military aggression. We in Syria are fighting Al-Qaida on our territories, not in Washington, DC, New York, London or Paris. We are fighting Al-Qaida itself, which was responsible for the aggression of 11 September 2001 in New York City. We are fighting Al-Qaida, which has attacked Paris, London and many European capitals.”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“The reporter said that she smelled the strange and stinky odour of a chemical substance emanating from a school bag belonging to a child in Turkey to justify the military aggression against Syria. What a level of political and media decline! Council members are aware of the fact that Syria and its allies are engaged in a ferocious battle against terrorist organizations, such as Da'esh, Al-Qaida and the Al-Nusra Front, as well as affiliated terrorist organizations. Members are explicitly and implicitly convinced that we do not need to use internationally prohibited weapons to eliminate terrorism. Members know for sure that we have waged war against international terrorism on behalf of their peoples and Governments.”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“Speaking of lies and fabrications, I would like to share with the Council the details of a comic and shameful television report that was prepared by a CNN reporter called Arwa Damon, who, in Turkey, met the self-styled victims of the alleged chemical attack in Douma in April. That alleged attack was used as a pretext by the American, British and French Governments, as Council members recall, for their tripartite aggression against Syria on Saturday, 14 April. Immediately following that aggression, there was a meeting of the Security Council (see S/PV.8233). Going back to the television report in Turkey, hundreds of kilometres far from the site of the alleged incident that supposedly occurred in Douma, the CNN reporter met with the so-called victims just one week after the alleged attack.”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“To be Clearer, I would say that any party that protects and covers up the Israeli nuclear, biological and chemical arsenal; uses pretexts to maintain its own chemical arsenals; destroyed Iraq by hiding behind the weapons-of-mass-destruction lie; withdrew from the international agreement with Iran; stopped funding United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and withdrew from UNESCO; and continues to put pressure on United Nations funding while also threatening to withdraw from the World Trade Organization, has no right to launch forged and false accusations against my country, Syria, of using chemical weapons, especially if it has an historical record replete with established and non-fabricated facts about its own use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons against civilians in many parts of the world.”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“When my and other delegations first saw the programme of work for the month of September, we were convinced that certain permanent members did not want the Security Council to live up to its mandate of maintaining international peace and security; rather, those members are prepared to stop at nothing to exploit the Security Council and the working instruments of the United Nations to pursue their own political gains, to the detriment of maintaining international peace and security. There are Governments of permanent members of the Security Council that have abdicated their responsibilities and become parties that are politically, morally and legally unqualified to defend international peace and security.”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“It would seem that this information has fallen on the deaf ears of certain colleagues who still insist in this Chamber on waiting for the arrival of someone named Godot who never arrives for decades, like in the absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, Waitingfor Godot. The threatening language used in the Security Council will have no impact, especially if it is coming from the presidency. We are diplomats and our task is to prevent wars and threats while searching for diplomatic solutions to international crises. That is our understanding as diplomats and as ambassadors. The Security Council is not a battleground. The Council has made several mistakes in Iraq and Libya, and it is about time to learn from our mistakes.”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“Mr. Ja'afari (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): Some representatives have talked today about the existence of chemical weapons in Syria. Their talk is misleading and irresponsible because there are no longer any chemical weapons in Syria. There have been none since Ms. Sigrid Kaag announced before the Security Council in 2014 that there were no more chemical weapons in Syria In her briefing today, Ms. Nakamitsu welcomed the destruction of all the 27 chemical weapon facilities in Syria, as well as the signing of the Tripartite Agreement, which allows the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to continue its work in Syria.”
2018-09-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8344 (2018) · source
“I shall limit my statement to that, given your request, Madam President, although this is a very important meeting that concerns my country. Yet everyone else took the floor for quite a long time.”
2018-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8332 (2018) · source
“Terrorists related to the Islamic Party of Turkistan and the Al-Nusra Front, whom the drafters of the Secretariat's reports refer to as "non-State military opposition", are planning to use toxic chemical substances against Syrian civilians, including dozens of children who were kidnapped few days ago in Aleppo and Idlib countryside in order to then accuse the Syrian Government and justify an aggression against it. Any act of aggression against my country, if it happens, is an act of aggression against a founding Member of the United Nations, as well as aggression against international peace and security. It would constitute support for terrorism and target the efforts we have made with our allies to combat it. Of course, what goes around comes around.”
2018-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8332 (2018) · source
“I would like to make available to the Security Council documented information about preparations by terrorists from the Al-Nusra Front and affiliated groups to use chemical weapons against civilians in Idlib in order to then accuse Syrian forces and thereby justify military aggression by the Governments that support those terrorist groups - as was the case during the American aggression against Al-Shouayrat airport on 7 April 2017, and the tripartite American-British- French aggression on 14 April 2018. As to the preparations for committing this crime, we strongly call on those countries with influence over the terrorist groups to forbid them from committing it. I would recall that eight containers of chlorine were transferred to the village of Hallouz in Idlib as part of preparations for this new staged incident of chemical aggression.”
2018-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8332 (2018) · source
“Syria once again reiterates that it does not possess any chemical weapons, and has lived up to all its obligations with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which has informed international bodies and the Council that Syria has lived up to its obligations in that regard. It is futile to have to repeat at every meeting that the Syrian chemical stockpiles were destroyed on the United States vessel MV Cape Ray in the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, we await the approval of the Council for the destruction of Israeli stockpiles of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.”
2018-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8332 (2018) · source
“They are currently preparing another staged bloody chemical-weapons incident in the north-west of Syria. The goal is to hinder the current political process and justify aggression by Western countries in the Council against my country so as to occupy parts of our territory and strengthen the remnants of terrorist groups operating in certain areas. My Government condemns the statement made a few days ago by the United States, France and the United Kingdom. It rejects both the content and format of that statement. Syria has repeatedly underscored that it considers the use of chemical weapons as immoral, and condemns their use anywhere, under any circumstances and against whomsoever.”
2018-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8332 (2018) · source
“We have warned numerous times about the presence of a huge, unruly elephant in the Chamber that imperils our joint work and steps with its huge feet over many facts in order to cover the violations perpetrated against the Charter of the United Nations and international law by certain permanent members. Apparently, the policies and practices of Western Governments against my country still contiue. Instead of shouldering the political and legal responsibility for waging a terrorist war against Syria and its people, and instead of correcting the disastrous policies against our region in general, and against my country, Syria, in particular, those Governments are insisting on their policy of aggression while using their black banners, White Helmets and red lines.”
2018-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8332 (2018) · source
“Dozens of convoys have arrived in areas where the inhabitants are in need of such assistance. Our problem with OCHA is as follows. Mr. Ging said earlier that only four convoys had been given approval by the Government. That is not true. Our problem with OCHA is that it counts only its own convoys. For example, it does not count convoys from the World Food Programme or the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It does not count Red Cross convoys either. Therefore, thousands of convoys and tons of assistance are being delivered to areas where it is needed without being counted by OCHA. Again, according to OCHA only four convoys were given access this month. That is not true. This erroneous information misleads the members of the Security Council.”
2018-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8332 (2018) · source
“First, during the period in which the report of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was written, the Foreign Ministry approved 2,700 requests from the World Food Programme to provide assistance to liberated areas and others. The Foreign Ministry confirmed that it approved 2,700 requests. Secondly, this month we have provided a detailed explanation to the members of the Council and Member States about the meaning and purposes of Law Number 10, which clearly refutes all the prejudiced and fallacious claims and information made by some about that Law. Hence, this topic should be withdrawn from circulation. Thirdly, the Syrian Red Crescent continues to work, repeatedly and daily, with its local and international humanitarian partners to provide assistance.”
2018-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8332 (2018) · source
“Mr. Ja'afari (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): I would like to thank you, Madam President, for mentioning the two letters we sent to the President and members of the Security Council on the chemical issue and the very serious risk concerning the possible use of chemical weapons again in Idlib. You asked me some questions, Madam President, and I hope that the presidency will be patient enough and listen to my responses for several minutes, given that I have listened to all the members of the Council for over an hour and a half. There are several important points requiring explanation that I shall mention before reading out my statement.”
2018-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8332 (2018) · source
“The supporters and sponsors in the Council of the terrorist group Jabhat Al-Nusra have used today's meeting to spread unfounded and false accusations against the Government of my country every time the Syrian Arab Army makes progress against that terrorist organization in an attempt to boost the morale of the elements in that criminal organization. In conclusion, my Government reiterates that it will continue to be relentless in its fight against terrorism in the Syrian Arab Republic. We stress our principled position that the solution to the Syrian crisis is a political one, based on intra-Syrian dialogue led by the Syrians, without foreign interference or preconditions.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“They refuse to visit areas that have been liberated or those where reconciliation has occurred. They are extremely selective in conducting their work and providing assistance, which is supposed to be humanitarian and non-discriminatory. There is also the lack of funding, and some donors link their funds to political preconditions that run counter to the principles of humanitarian work. Thirdly, since they disregarded the fact that Turkish aggression on Afrin is the primary reason for the displacement and suffering of civilians, what is the objective of the authors of the report?”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“First, the authors of the report must be held accountable for their violations of the provisions of resolutions on combating terrorism. They referred to Jabhat Al-Nusra, Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham and other affiliated groups as armed opposition in Idlib. Such groups have been designated as terrorist entities on the Security Council's list of terrorist organizations. Secondly, the clear politicization by the authors of the report is no longer acceptable. They make the Syrian Government fully responsible for violations of humanitarian law. They turn a blind eye to the real hurdles to the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need, in particular the lax conduct of OCHA officials stationed in Damascus, who do not shoulder their responsibilities or carry out their duties.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“It is deplorable that the authors of the report turned a blind eye, for the fifty-second time, to the details ofthe crimes committed by Israel and its repeated aggression against the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, including its continued support to terrorist armed groups in the separation zone, first and foremost Da'esh and the Al-Nusra Front. We must condemn the entire situation because of its repercussions on the humanitarian situation in Syria. However, that did not attract the attention of the authors of the report, despite their professionalism in drafting 52 reports so far. My Government has submitted an official letter setting its response to the report under consideration. I would like to briefly highlight three points.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“We spent more than six months trying to reach an agreement with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to demine Raqqa. Six months have now passed. The operation was recently halted for two months because UNMAS management insisted on bringing in a French person who is located in Gaziantep. That is how the United Nations programme perceived the situation - without that French person we could not demine hundreds of thousands of mines in Raqqa. Six months have passed and neither the Mine Action Service nor the Secretariat has visited Raqqa to demine it.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“The lack of professionalism and credibility is truly deplorable. They have reached unacceptable levels. That was demonstrated by those who wrote the report, who have doubted the findings of the United Nations assessment mission in Raqqa. They made only selective and general references to the report of that mission. They presented it in a distorted way, ignoring the tragic situation in Raqqa and the suffering of its people due to the grave crimes committed by the international coalition and its affiliated militias. There are hundreds of thousands of mines in Raqqa. Every month between 50 and 70 returnees die as a result of mine explosions, an issue that some representatives here at this international Organization have refused to address until now.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“Most of the laboratories that were dismantled in Syria were in fact used to manufacture medicines. In addition, there are the sanctions, which exacerbate the situation. However, that is not recognized by the Secretary-General or by OCHA or anybody else. It is truly deplorable that the drafters of the report have ignoredthe war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the United States of America and its allies in Raqqa. That was mentioned by the President of the Security Council. Those crimes happened in other Syrian cities under the pretext of combating terrorism, ignoring the role of the Governments that sponsor and finance terrorism, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, which strive to incite Violence and terrorism and spread radical ideologies and hatred while supporting distorted religious ideas.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“What is deplorable is the fact that the drafters of all 52 reports have turned a blind eye to the details of the crimes of occupation, aggression and invasion against Syria and its people - crimes represented by support for terrorism and the imposition of unilateral and coercive economic measures against the people of Syria, which the United Nations time and again annually stresses that they are unlawful and violate international law, the Charter of the United Nations and human rights principles. However, we heard biased testimony about medicines in Syria, as if those who spoke did not know that the Turks have in fact dismantled more than 1,441 facilities and factories in Aleppo. They have moved their components to Turkey and sold them as scrap metal.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“Apart from the propaganda that some strive to promote, claiming that the Syrian Government is hindering access to humanitarian assistance, the facts show once again that my Government cooperates with the United Nations and other international organizations in Syria to deliver humanitarian assistance to those who need it. That was demonstrated by paragraph 25 of the report under consideration. That paragraph states that last May the Government of Syria approved all requests submitted by the World Food Programme - and I repeat all requests, that is, 2,180 such requests. The Government has also approved all requests submitted by the Office ofthe United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). I do not know why the World Food Programme and UNHCR are content to cooperate with the Government of Syria, while OCHA is not. That is strange.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“The United States of America, the United Kingdom and France, as well as some influential parties in the Secretariat, have worked hard to promote the resolution since the issuance of the first report on its implementation, in order to harness it to become a political tool and bring pressure to bear on the Government of Syria to implement the agendas of those States. Those agendas consist ofinterfering in the internal affairs of Syria and destabilizing its security and stability. Instead, the objective of the resolution should have been to assist Syrians to overcome their suffering due to the unprecedented terrorist war imposed upon them.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“Ging praised the role of Turkey for its support and provision of humanitarian assistance to those two cities. Is not that shameful? Instead of accusing the Turkish side of invading part of Syrian territory, leading to the humanitarian tragedy in the north, we hear the representative of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs praising the Turks for having delivered humanitarian assistance to the part of Syria that was invaded by them. Today we are considering the fifty-second report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 2139 (2014).”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“Less than 25 years since the Dayton Agreement on implementing the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was signed, in 1995, the Security Council is still looking into minute details of importance related to the consequences of a Dayton Agreement. Does the Ambassador of France mean that the internationalization of the situation in Syria by some must come about, just like the Dayton Agreement? Of course, my Government fully rejects that statement. Mr. Ging talked in detail about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Tell Rifaat and Afrin area. He is right. However, he did not mention the reason behind the deterioration of the humanitarian situation there, as if the Turkish monster did not exist and he had never come across the Turkish occupation and Turkey's military invasion to Afrin and Tell Rifaat. Worse than that, Mr.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“As the members of the Council know, some elements from the Fiji and Philippines units were abducted by the White Helmets and the Al-Nusra Front few years ago, as a result of which many UNDOF posts were abandoned three years ago. The Permanent Representative of France also briefly made a comment - but I think that it caught the Council's attention - calling for a Syrian Dayton Agreement. I hope that I was mistaken when I heard that. He said that we could perhaps reach a Syrian Dayton. Fortunately, we started today's meetings by talking about Serbia (see S/PV.8295) and the situation of Mr. Mladie and others at the International Criminal Court.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“It is strange to hear such as statement from a Permanent Representative in the Security Council. The White Helmets are a terrorist group affiliated with the Al-Qaida and the Al-Nusra Front. It is spread over the Golan and other parts and is supported by Israel. It is part of the problem that we always talk about. The Permanent Representative of France says that we must protect the White Helmets in the Golan. Does the mandate of the Security Council provide for the protection of the White Helmets or of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which is under the Security Council, located along the separation line in the Golan? What is the priority of the Council, to provide protection for the White Helmets or the UNDOF force?”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“This is not about combating terrorism on the territories of the United States, France, Britain, Sweden, Poland or Holland. We are talking only about combating terrorism on our territory. That is part of our sovereignty, which the Security Council has underscored in more than 27 resolutions adopted by it. All those resolutions start with the words: the Council reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. If the Council reaffirms our sovereignty, how can it consider, as was mentioned by one colleague, the Ambassador of Sweden, that what is happening in southern Syria is military aggression? When the Syrian army itself combats terrorism in the south of the country, can we call that an aggression? My colleague the Permanent Representative of France said that we must protect the White Helmets in the Golan.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“I raise this question since it relates to the priority of combating terrorism, which the Special Envoy failed to include. I bring it up because we have agreed that the Geneva agenda has four defined baskets, one of which is combating terrorism. We should remind ourselves that the priority of combating terrorism is on the agenda in Geneva. Secondly, the Special Envoy made one statement this morning that is dangerous and extremely worrying both for us and some others. He said, "I want to believe that the Security Council will not allow this [situation in the south-west of Syria] to become another eastern Ghouta or Aleppo". Does that fall within the mandate of the Special Envoy? Is he mandated to tell the Syrian Government and military how to combat terrorism on the Syrian territories?”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“This is not just about Da'esh and the Al-Nusra Front, but about any group that refuses to join the agreement. Over the past seven years, we have moved from fighting terrorist proxies to directly combating the original terrorists themselves. The terrorism situation is clear now. Two days ago, armed terrorist groups out of Al-Tanf and the Rukban camp attacked the cities of Suwayda and Dar'a, as well as other areas where the Syrian army is stationed. This has been referred to as southern Syria. Terrorists came from Al-Tanf and the Rukban camp, which are areas under the control of United States forces, as we all know. Is it not the Syrian army's duty to respond to an attack by terrorists on two southern towns in order to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians?”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“After seven years ofa terrible terrorist war imposed on my country, and four years of cooperation with the Special Envoy, he has failed to include combating terrorism in his list of priorities, despite the fact that we are all aware that Da'esh is still present in Syria under American protection, as is the Al-Nusra Front, under the protection of the Americans, the Israelis and others. There are also many terrorist armed factions that have refused to accede to Astana 4, a meeting that was attended by the Special Envoy, who was there in Astana, and which created the concept of de-escalation zones. The reason I bring this up is because one of the provisions of the Astana 4 agreement includes an exception for armed groups that refuse to accede to the agreement.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“I will not go into detail by responding to all the points that have been made, but I will touch on some of the most important things I have heard. First, at the beginning of Special Envoy de Mistura's briefing, he described three priorities - de-escalation, reviving the political process and bridging the gaps between the various stakeholders through high-level diplomacy. Of course we have no objection to this. However, we do have some pertinent comments that the Special Envoy and the Council should hear.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“Mr. Ja'afari (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): I have listened to many opinions and political and humanitarian assessments today in the Council's review of the situation in my country, Syria, on the issuance of the fifty-second report of the Secretary- General (S/2018/619). I have also heard two briefings, from the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria and the Director of the Coordination and Response Division of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). I noticed a political maturity and sense of responsibility and objectivity in some delegations' statements, while others have presented a false View by reading the situation in Syria in a mistaken and distorted way.”
2018-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8296 (2018) · source
“Thirdly, the Government of Turkey is the main source of the terrorism that spread to many parts of my country, particularly northern Syria, because it facilitated the training and financing of terrorists and extremists and allowed them to enter Syria from all over the world, something that Turkey's Government and intelligence services knew about. Fourthly, Turkey is part of the crisis that represents a threat to regional peace and security due to its policies, much like those of Israel. Fifthly, Syria has a right to liberate the entirety of its occupied territories, whether they are occupied by Israel or Turkey. We have the right to fight terrorism and those who support it on any part of our land.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“First, if his Government had good intentions, it should have first cooperated with the Syrian Government to fight terrorism. Under international law, a State is prohibited from any incursion into the territory of another State, especially a neighbour with which it has historical ties. It is prohibited from any incursion into the territory of another State without that State's request, and that request was never made. Secondly, Turkey's military forces entered our territory without a request or authorization from the Syrian Government.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“They are attempting to overthrow certain Governments in the region with the fallacious arguments that we have heard in their political statements. The Syrians who believe in their country and their independence have fought terrorism and defeated it in large areas ofthe country. They will continue their efforts to achieve that goal in order to put an end to terrorism and liberate the whole of Syria from occupation. Finally, I would like to address my colleague the representative of Turkey's reference to his country fighting terrorism in northern Syria and liberating 4,000 square kilometres. I want to remind him that the basic principles of international law oblige his Government to coordinate and cooperate with Syria.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“We have heard the statements from Britain, France and the United States, repeating the inappropriate political language that we have been hearing for decades in the halls of this Organization and whose purpose is to try to blind people to their aggressive policies, which have destroyed dozens of Member States and resulted in the looting of their riches. Needless to say, those same States are the main cause of the problems in the region thanks to their old colonialist policies and their support for the extremist, aggressive policies of Israel. They interfere in the internal affairs of countries in the region and give direct or indirect support to foreign terrorist groups, which they refuse to put on the Security Council sanctions list.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“I also want to stress that it was armed terrorist groups that used those chemical weapons, producing them with cutting-edge technology provided by some western States, and we will provide the United Nations specialized agencies with proof of that in the near future, evidence that we will present in addition to the 147 letters that we have submitted to the members of the United Nations on the use of chemical weapons by terrorist groups in Syria. Unfortunately, the opportunity that the Russian Federation has provided in holding today's meeting to address these crises conscientiously and hear new ideas aimed at helping the peoples concerned deal with their problems has not been seized by certain States that have failed to uphold their ethical and political principles.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source