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

“Success also calls for international commitment and genuine political will to fully eliminate the remaining terrorist organizations and the removal of the illegitimate foreign forces present on Syrian territory. Success requires that the sincere efforts of the Syrian Government and its allies to reach the political solution to which we all aspire no longer be hindered. Almost eight years after this dirty and unprecedented war was imposed on my country, it is important to note a strange paradox among certain States. That paradox is the clear contradiction between their deeds and their words, which reminds us of this Italian proverb: "There is a sea between saying and doing".”
2018-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8434 (2018) · source
“Today I reiterate the willingness of the Syrian Government to participate effectively in any serious efforts aimed at reaching a political solution, one in which Syrians exclusively decide on their future through inter-Syrian dialogue and under Syrian leadership. That solution should be based on the fact that the people of Syria are the sole and exclusive holders of the right to determine the future of their country without external interference, while guaranteeing the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria. Those are matters that have all been confirmed by international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the 30 Council resolutions concerning Syria. The success of any political solution in Syria depends upon close cooperation and coordination with the Syrian Government on various relevant issues.”
2018-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8434 (2018) · source
“They must give up the last of their illusions and realize that they will not be able to get through politics that they were unable to get through terrorism and sponsoring terrorism. The Government of Syria has demonstrated its openness to all initiatives and sincere efforts aimed at bringing us out of the current crisis. That is why - and the Council is aware of this - based on our sense of national responsibility and what is in the interests of our people, we have demonstrated our commitment to, and cooperation with, United Nations efforts, whether during the mission of Mr. Kofi Annan, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi or Mr. Staffan de Mistura. In that regard, we welcome the appointment of Mr. Geir Pedersen as the new Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, and we are prepared to work in close cooperation with him.”
2018-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8434 (2018) · source
“More than ever, it is high time to objectively and correctly read the situation in Syria in order to help the Syrian Government rid itself of the waning terrorist war with the help of our allies. Such a reading is also necessary to eliminate the remnants of Da'esh, the Al-Nusra Front and their affiliated misled and thuggish groups. That is what should have been done instead of adopting radical positions to blackmail the Government and the people of Syria, prolong the terrorist war and extend its destructive effects on Syria, the region and the world. That should have been done instead of repeating failed recipes that have resulted in the destruction of more than one country. It is high time for some to stop disassociating themselves from reality.”
2018-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8434 (2018) · source
“Everyone will recall that he came to the Security Council in 2011 to pit Council members against the Syrian State. That man acknowledged on Qatari television that Qatar and Saudi Arabia spent $137 billion to destroy Syria. I am speaking only about Qatar and Saudi Arabia having spent $137 billion. Would it then not seem legitimate to make the link between the statement of that Qatari official and the emergence of Da'esh, the Al-Nusra Front and other takfiri terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria? Is that not a legitimate question? Would any reasonable, intelligent person believe that those terrorist organizations fell on Syria and Iraq like meteorites from outer space? That is the question that I am asking the members of the Council. I said this before and I will say it again in this Chamber.”
2018-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8434 (2018) · source
“Council members who have a long memory should not forget the circumstances surrounding the beginning of the crisis and the hidden roles played by certain Governments, some of whom are members of the Council, to make up the crisis and create the conditions necessary for it to worsen for the sake of their agendas of internal interference in order to change the geopolitical landscape in our region. I would remind Council members of the following minor, but important, detail. During an appearance by the former Prime Minister of Qatar on national television, he admitted that Qatar and Saudi Arabia had spent $137 billion to destroy Syria by orders of their American masters. That statement was made by the former Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Al Thani.”
2018-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8434 (2018) · source
“Mr. Ja'afari (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): The Special Envoy began his briefing today by pointing out that the Syrian people have suffered for a period longer than the duration of the Second World War. What he said is correct. As members of the Security Council know, however, every story has a beginning and an end. That is why it is impossible to summarize what the Council has termed "the Syrian crisis" and reduce it to a few formal remarks, even if they seem important.”
2018-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8434 (2018) · source
“My colleague the representative of the United States of America brazenly stated today that his country has spent $8 billion towards financing terrorism in Syria, which he labelled as humanitarian assistance. Those $8 billion were in fact for financing terrorism. We will continue to reconstruct the areas destroyed by terrorists in order to restore normality to everyday life and allow our people to enjoy the lives that they had built before the war was imposed on them by the terrorists. That will enable Syrian citizens to return to their homeland after they left it because of terrorism and the unilateral coercive economic measures that targeted their livelihoods. The success of the sponsors of terrorism, destruction and the assassins of international law in certain places does not in any way mean that their plan will succeed in our country.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“We know very well that our fight against terrorism is a war imposed on us by the sponsors of terrorism to drain our energies in order to advance their unjust plans in the region, foremost among which is eliminating the Palestinian question and drowning the people of the region in bloody obscurantism, fuelled by extremist Wahhabi ideology, ignorance and agendas of destruction. My Government is more determined today than ever to fight the remaining armed terrorist groups in Idlib and elsewhere. We are firm in exercising our legal right for self-defence and expelling all foreign occupying forces that have entered our territories illegally.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“That is considered to be direct financing of terrorism, in violation ofthe relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolutions 2178 (2014), 2253 (2015) and 2396 (2017). That is exactly what Qatar did when it disbursed millions of dollars to Da'esh and the Al-Nusra Front in the occupied Golan Heights under the pretext of paying ransom to free the hostages taken by those terrorist groups, which is once again a clear violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, especially resolution 2368 (2017). In conclusion, the Government, the people and the army of my country know very well who is our enemy and who is our friend.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“Fifthly, senior OCHA staff members have not upheld the principles of transparency or provided the necessary guarantees to convince the international community that the cross-border assistance would reach those for whom it is intended and not the armed groups. To this very day, those senior OCHA staff members have not been able to provide an adequate explanation regarding the so-called partners or independent companies - third parties - that were contracted to verify the delivery of assistance to warehouses and beneficiaries despite our repeated requests. Sixthly, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, which has been listed as a terrorist group by the Security Council, levies taxes on assistance delivered from across the borders, especially the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing between Turkey and Syria.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“The majority of those operations take place across the Turkish-Syrian border and are directed towards areas under the control of the armed terrorist groups that confiscate such aid and distribute it to their own members and families, as happened in Al-Tanf. The mechanism has stood idly by over the past four years rather than prevent the misuse of those borders by neighbouring countries that have taken advantage of the situation, provided support to armed terrorist groups and smuggled whatever those groups looted from factories, as well as antiquities and petroleum products, back into their own territories. Fourthly, the effectiveness of cross-border assistance was and remains limited when compared to the assistance distributed from within the Syrian Arab Republic, as I previously mentioned.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“Secondly, receiving the consent of the Government of Syria before humanitarian assistance crosses its country's borders is a guiding principle in accordance with General Assembly resolution 46/182. We should not simply be informed, as stated in the Security Council resolution, because such a move is similar to the consultation process conducted by the co-sponsors of resolution 2449 (2018), adopted today. They said that they had consulted us, which is correct. They did not, however, consider any of our observations. Is that what consultations mean? Thirdly, the United Nations monitoring mechanism remains incapable to this very day of verifying the delivery of cross-border assistance and whether it reaches those for whom it is intended.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“However, when certain representatives refer in their statements to a "regime" or use other, similar terms indiscriminately, such speech is not fitting of the Council or those addressing it. Some Council members insist on extending the provisions of resolution 2165 (2014), while deliberately turning a blind eye to my country's objective criticism of the resolution and its extension. That in no way negates its defects or implementation since the very first day of its adoption. I would like to briefly cite those defects in the hope that they will not be committed later. First, the hub for humanitarian assistance for the Syrian crisis is in Damascus - the capital of Syria - and not, as the resolution attempts to convey, the Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaziantep, Turkey, or any other place.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“The Government of Syria will remain committed to fulfilling that obligation. I also emphasize that my country stands ready to cooperate and coordinate with the United Nations and its humanitarian partners under the guidelines governing the coordination and enhancement of humanitarian work, which stress the need to respect the sovereignty and independence of host countries and the role of the countries concerned in overseeing the distribution of humanitarian assistance within their territories, as well as respect for the principles of impartiality, integrity and non-politicization. There is a State in Syria. It is a State that deserves the respect of all and the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and the provisions of the Charter and international law. That is the main issue.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“It is not delivered to the 50,000 civilians who are in dire need of assistance. For Mr. Lowcock's information, the convoy that went to Al-Tanf ended up in the hands of the terrorists, as he is well aware. Extending the provisions of resolution 2165 (2014) does not correspond to the recent developments on the ground since its adoption on 14 July 2014. There is no longer any need for cross-border humanitarian assistance as we have regained control of all areas that were categorized as besieged or hard-to-reach. In that regard, I would like to stress once again that the Government of Syria is the most eager of all to provide every form of humanitarian assistance to its people wherever they are throughout Syria. That is our duty and we are duly discharging it in cooperation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“Of course, when we discuss that issue, we have facts, statistics and evidence at our disposal to substantiate what we say. Others make false statements by saying that only four or five humanitarian convoys have reached their destination during a particular month. That is untrue. I was in Damascus a few days ago, and I visited the President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. I asked him how many convoys had been sent since the beginning of this year to date. I point this out for Mr. Lowcock's benefit. He provided me with the table I have before me, showing a total of 182 convoys, all solely carried out exclusively by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Some brief the Council with falsified information to say that only four or 12 convoys were sent. When they send a convoy to Rukban or Al-Tanf with our consent, they deliver it to the terrorists.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“They have refused to support the reconstruction of Syrian facilities that provide basic services in order to strengthen the steadfastness of the Syrians and the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes in dignity and safety. We listened today to our colleagues' statements on behalf of the United States, Britain and France in which they clearly spoke about their political preconditions for reconstruction, the return of refugees and ending their support for terrorism. Fifthly, the politicization of the humanitarian aspect in Syria must be brought to an end, including by stopping the spread offalsified information and statistics and ceasing to ignore facts, changes and developments on the ground.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“The continuation of those measures is the main obstacle to ensuring a response to the basic needs of Syrians, supporting their livelihood and providing the basic requirements for the return of displaced Syrians and refugees to their homes and normal lives. Fourthly, international humanitarian assistance must be stepped up to respond to the needs of the Syrians, especially given the current status of financing humanitarian assistance, which has yet to meet expectations, as Mr. Lowcock stated earlier. Donors continue to hold their theatrical conferences and link their financing to political conditions that run counter to the principles of humanitarian work.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“Thirdly, there must be an immediate lifting of the unilateral coercive measures imposed against the Syrian people by certain States, some of which are members of the Council and present in the Chamber. Those measures have greatly harmed the livelihood of Syrians. My colleagues the Ambassador of the Russian Federation and the Ambassador of Bolivia have thankfully mentioned that. Those ongoing measures, which are described by some as sanctions, are not sanctions because they were not imposed by the Security Council. They are unilateral coercive measures that are condemned by the so-called international community. We have adopted many resolutions in the General Assembly in that regard.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“Secondly, the Security Council must shoulder its responsibility by taking serious and immediate steps to stop the aggression, massacres and systematic destruction of infrastructure in Syria carried out by the illegal coalition led by the United States of America. The Council must compel the countries of that illegal coalition to abide by the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Council resolutions, which all underline the condemnation of such crimes of aggression and interference in the internal affairs of States, while undermining the territorial integrity of Member States. It is as if all that was not set out in the Council's resolutions but was written by Shakespeare 400 years ago.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“Anyone following the crisis and truly wanting the well-being of Syrians would see that the humanitarian crisis is only in areas infiltrated by those armed terrorist groups, which harbour illegal foreign troops. Damascus has 8 million inhabitants. We do not face any humanitarian problems there. There is no humanitarian crisis in Damascus, Aleppo, Horns or Hamah. They are all under the control of the State. The humanitarian crisis is prevalent only in areas under the control of armed terrorist groups and foreign occupation. Members have talked about Al-Tanf and Rukban. Who protects the terrorists from Da'esh in those areas? Is it not the United States forces?”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“I believe that, after all those resolutions and meetings, it is high time for the Council to ask the following question: is the purpose of those reports, meetings and resolutions really to improve the humanitarian situation in Syria or for some to put political pressure on the Syrian Government and to use the suffering and pain of Syrians for cheap political purposes? I would say that if the objective, as some allege, is to improve the humanitarian situation in Syria, what we need today is not to adopt new resolutions or to hold spectacular meetings, but to do the following. First, it is necessary to help the Syrian Government to combat the remnants of the armed terrorist groups, which were the main cause of the humanitarian crisis and its escalation, including the displaced persons and refugee crises.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“Despite that fact, some are still doubtful after eight years of the terrorist war being waged against my country by a devilish global coalition, some members of which are present in the Council's Chamber. Today, we are considering the fifty-eighth report of the Secretary-General on the humanitarian situation in my country, Syria (S/2018/1104). As representatives know, the Security Council has adopted many resolutions and held hundreds of formal and informal meetings in that regard.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“They disregarded the fact that such operations 7 the so-called cross-border humanitarian aid 7 covers only 5 per cent of the assistance delivered to Syrians. Ninety-five per cent of humanitarian assistance is therefore delivered within the Syrian territory, not across the borders. That is of course apart from the fact that the border crossings with Turkey are used to smuggle weapons and terrorists, not to provide humanitarian aid. It is a long story that we have repeatedly mentioned. There are dozens of Turkish officers andjudges in Turkish prisons because they revealed that the cross-border convoys were delivering weapons, not humanitarian assistance.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“Mr. Ja'afari (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): The paradox that attracted my attention during this meeting on the humanitarian situation in my country, Syria - throughout Syria, not only in part of it - is that some colleagues who spoke, in particular the Permanent Representatives of Sweden, Kuwait, the United States of America, Britain and France, had an extraordinarily narrow-minded view of resolution 2449 (2018) on renewing the so-called mechanism for the delivery of cross-border aid. It was repeated at the beginning of all their statements. They wanted the extension of the mechanism only to transcend Syrian sovereignty by continuing the cross-border aid. That is the crux of the issue.”
2018-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8423 (2018) · source
“In conclusion, my country, Syria, has always been serious in its efforts to achieve a political solution through intra-Syrian dialogue without foreign interference. However, the fight against terrorism is a priority issue at all stages of the political process, as are the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes; the launch of the reconstruction and recovery process; and the liberation of the Syrian territories that remain in the hands of terrorists and all occupying and illegal foreign forces. The meeting rose at 4.40 pm.”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“The constitutional committee is sovereign and takes its own decisions, which are not subject to any other State or party, such as the so-called small group on Syria, which decided a priori on the outcome of the constitutional committee with the aim of sabotaging any progress made on the political process so that the outcome would be in line with the interests of the members of that group. Fourthly, it is unacceptable to impose any kind of arbitrary duration or timetable concerning the committee, because that would be counterproductive. Our steps must be thoroughly considered and discussed, since the constitution will define the fate of Syria and future generations. No pertinent issue in that regard should be addressed in haste. We wish to see progress achieved, but the foundations must be solid.”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“Any constitutional process must not undermine that commitment pursuant to the Charter of the United Nations, international law, and Security Council resolutions relevant to Syria. Secondly, the political process must be Syrian- owned and Syrian-led because the Syrian people have the exclusive right to decide the future of their country without external interference, given that the constitution and all related matters are an issue of sovereignty that must be decided by the Syrians themselves. Any concept that represents interference in Syria's domestic affairs is unacceptable. Thirdly, no prior conditions or conclusions with regard to the work of the committee and its recommendations are acceptable.”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“However, he cannot impose himself as a third party, in line with the mandate entrusted to him and with the Charter and principles of the United Nations in terms of impartiality, honesty and non-interference in domestic affairs, which are an integral part of the sovereignty of any State. The issue of forming the constitutional committee is based on certain key general principles that we believe to be indispensable to the establishment and functioning of the committee. In brief, those principles are as follows. First, there must be a true commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and of its people. There is no place for terrorism or support for terrorism in Syria.”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“We note in particular that the idea of establishing a committee to discuss the current constitution was the result of an agreement by the Syrians who participated in the Sochi Congress, as affirmed by the Russian Deputy Permanent Representative, Mr. Vladimir Safronkov, and supported by the two guarantor States of the Astana process. We have always been part of the process, so no one can ignore our role or their role therein. Concerning the role of the United Nations and the mandate of the Special Envoy, especially with regard to the third list, I would like to make our position quite clear. We wish the Special Envoy every success and we welcome his role as a facilitator of the committee's work.”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“The Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue held in Sochi represented an opportunity for the Syrian people to engage in dialogue without foreign interference. All sectors of Syrian society participated in the Congress. We therefore hold a positive view of its outcome, including the establishment of a committee to discuss the current constitution. We are eager to see the formation of such a committee as soon as possible. We were the first to present our list of the members supported by the Syrian State. No one, therefore, can question our support for that process or our commitment to the outcome of the Sochi Congress. In that regard, my country reiterates the important role played by the Russian Federation and Iran as guarantors of the Astana process.”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“Such practices by those States against our region and other regions of the world show that they do not respect the aspirations of the founding fathers or the principles of international law. For them, it is as if such principles were nothing but a kind of sorcery. As one of the founding fathers of the United Nations, my country continues to believe in the role of the Organization - a role that respects the principles of the Charter and the provisions of international law; a role that respects the sovereignty of States and rejects blackmailing policies imposed by certain influential States; a role that is based on impartiality, honesty and non-interference in the domestic affairs of any Member State; a role of good offices and not one that seeks to dictate conditions, ultimatums, threats and guardianship.”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“Are the hopes of the founding fathers to pool our strength to maintain international peace and security consistent with the launching of aggression after aggression against my country, Syria, by the United States, Britain and France under flimsy pretexts? Are those hopes consistent with the establishment of an illegal United States coalition as a means to carry out the most heinous crimes against Syrian civilians, the most recent ofwhich were the air strikes on the villages of Al-Boubadran and Al-Sousa on 15 October, killing 23 martyrs, most of whom were women and children; and the latest attack on Baka'an and Al-Sha'afa villages in the rural area of Deir ez-Zor two days ago, leading to the deaths of40 civilian martyrs? In only one week, 100 civilians have been killed by the United States coalition forces in the rural area of Deir ez-Zor.”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“That has happened in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen and many other countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Furthermore, those States have tried to invest in terrorism in Syria, as we are witnessing today in my country. Are the hopes of the founding fathers to live together in peace with one another consistent with the conduct of certain States, including some permanent members of the Security Council that support armed terrorist groups in my country, Syria? Are the hopes of the founding fathers to live as good neighbours consistent with actions of certain States in the region that have issued takfiri fatwas to the terrorist groups and provided them with funds, weapons and training camps?”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“The founding fathers of our Organization carefully drafted the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations because it represents the foundation of the provisions of the Charter itself. They began the Preamble with those words, "We the people of the United Nations determined to live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security". Unfortunately, those noble principles have been flouted over the past seven decades, given the practices of some States that have tried to impose their hegemony on our Organization and turn it into an instrument to achieve their political objectives by manipulating those principles in order to justify their military aggression and deprive peoples of their rights.”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“Mr. Ja'afari (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): I would like to thank the presidency and the delegation of the Russian Federation, as well as all the delegations that used the official name of my country in their statements. Roughly one month ago, the Chair of the General Assembly Third Committee asked all delegations to use the official names of countries when they make statements. Some tried to make an exception, but the Chair of the Third Committee interrupted them and compelled everyone to respect the official country names, in line with the rules and regulations and for maintaining the political discourse. That Committee Chair therefore succeeded in upholding respect for the way of addressing each other. I humbly ask the Security Council to follow the example of the Chair of the Third Committee.”
2018-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8406 (2018) · source
“This case, therefore, was closed four years ago, but there are some who do not want it closed. They want to continue to defame the Syrian Government every month during these theatrical meetings; indeed, these meetings are purely theatrical. A lot of effort and money here and at The Hague are spent while this file is essentially empty. The Syrian Government confirms that it will continue to uphold all the commitments it undertook upon acceding to the Chemical Weapons Convention, as well as its commitment to fight terrorism, which will not be stopped by any form of political or media blackmailing, or even by the despicable exploitation of the blood of our innocent people in Syria. The meeting rose at 12.05 pm.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“In conclusion, my country's Government has underscored time and time again before the Council and the OCPW Executive Council that it condemns any use of any type of chemical weapon or other weapon of mass destruction, as that constitutes a crime against humanity and a wrongful, immoral and unjustifiable act, no matter the circumstances, whereabouts or cause. From this Chamber, we reaffirm that the Syrian army has never used any chemical weapons. We no longer possess those weapons, as Ms. Sigrid Kaag reported few years ago. We remind the Council that the Syrian chemical-weapon arsenal was completely destroyed in the Mediterranean aboard the American vessel MV Cape Ray. That was attested to by Ms. Kaag as well in her report submitted to the Council in June 2014.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“It is important to let go of one-sided interpretations and to stop turning a blind eye to the interpretations of Syrian experts. My Government calls the Council's attention to the fact that the nature of the work of the Declaration Assessment Team has changed. It was an assistance team and it has become an investigation team. That runs counter to the provisions of the agreement. Therefore, all the issues that were discussed remain unjustifiably pending, even though Syria has collaborated with the Declaration Assessment Team in general and has provided the it with all the information at its disposal. Syria has also responded effectively and without delay to the questions and inquiries submitted to it.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“We remind the Council that some Al-Nusra Front agents have previously transferred cargo from that factory to an unknown destination, in conjunction with the terrorist White Helmets. With regard to the settlement of the so-called unresolved issues that have to do with Syria's first declaration, my country is of the view that a great deal of effort and time was spent on certain aspects of the declaration, which continues to be described as unresolved issues and yet they were widely considered and studied. My country believes that it is important to reconsider the composition of the current Declaration Assessment Team. It is important to introduce changes to the Team and incorporate scientific and technical expertise, rather than intelligence elements.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“The elephant is that the Security Council has not taken any measure to address those States that sponsor and finance the armed terrorist groups, those States that have facilitated the possession of toxic and chemical weapons for those groups. In our most recent letter, we informed the Security Council about a tremendous explosion on Thursday, 18 October, in a part of a factory with a large amount of fertilizer, explosive material and barrels of liquid chlorine, a factory that belongs to an armed terrorist group in Idlib, specifically in the city of Termanin, which is 15 kilometres from the Turkish border. That factory is supervised by foreign Turks, British and Chechen experts. The explosion took the lives of nine of the so-called experts and two of the so-called White Helmets.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“It has not been transparent or maintained the chain of custody of its samples. It did not comply with the fair geographical composition of its teams. That, I would say to Ms. Nakamitsu, is the truth. The elephant is the use by the global coalition of white phosphorus, an internationally banned chemical agent that has bee unsed repeatedly against Syrian civilians. The elephant is that these States are turning a blind eye to more than 160 letters that my Government addressed to the Secretary-General, the Security Council and the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), as well as the Counter-Terrorism Committee, concerning the possession and use by armed terrorist groups of chemical and toxic materials.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“The elephant is that those statements are direct incitement for armed terrorist groups to use toxic chemical weapons against civilians in Idlib and for them to fabricate evidence and seek false witnesses to manipulate the crime scene. These States, with their media and political influence, stand ready to accuse the Syrian Government and intervene to save terrorist groups, and that is exactly what happened in Khan Al-Assal and Khan Shaykhoun. The elephant is the scenes orchestrated by the White Helmets, which are the deceptive British branch of the Al-Nusra Front, about the alleged use of toxic chemical weapons in a number of Syrian areas. The elephant is that the fact-finding mission has continuously violated its mandate and failed to uphold professional standards. It has adopted a selective approach in its investigations.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“American weapons in Viet Nam and European weapons in the hands of France and Germany, as was mentioned by my colleague the representative of France, who mentioned that at the beginning of his statement this morning. Therefore, the use of chemical weapons is indeed a Western use. One day I visited Hanoi on a Vietnamese aircraft. I travelled from Saigon to Hanoi. From the window of my aeroplane I saw thousands of giant craters in the ground between Saigon and Hanoi. When I asked, "What are those craters there?" I was told that they were craters left by the dropping of American chemical bombs, which incinerated all signs of life over a 1,000 kilometres between Saigon and Hanoi. I repeat, thousands of craters.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“The elephant is that those armed terrorist groups used that material against Syria. The elephant is the statements of senior officials of those States, accompanied by the statements we have all heard today, that the only way to save the armed terrorist groups is through the use of chemical weapons. Hence there are States in this Chamber that want to see chemical weapons used, and States that are prompting terrorist groups to use those weapons to once again hold such theatrical meetings and make unfounded accusations against the Syrian Government and say that the Syrian Government used those heinous weapons. I now take this opportunity to note that these heinous weapons are European and American weapons.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“The Syrian Government made an unprecedented achievement in the Organization's history by irreversibly eliminating its chemical-weapons programme in record time and on United States vessels. Yet instead of commending what the Syrian Government has done, we observe that those States that are manipulating international law, those that are masters of the art of deception, are calling on the Security Council to hold theatrical meetings on an almost daily basis, with the sole aim of advancing provocative and unfounded allegations against the Syrian Government. I would underscore for those States once again that there is a huge, rampaging elephant in the Chamber. The elephant is the States that called for today's meeting are the same States that facilitated terrorist groups' acquisition of toxic chemical materials.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“We also calls upon the Council to urge Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear- weapon State and to submit all of its nuclear activities and facilities to the monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency. My country has honoured its commitments pursuant to the Chemical Weapons Convention and resolution 2118 (2013). Syria has always endeavoured to cooperate in a positive, transparent and flexible way to uphold its commitments, even as we face tremendous challenges and difficult, complicated and provocative security conditions resulting from the hostile actions of some regional and international stakeholders.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“I would like to remind all present in the Council that my country presented, on 27 December 2003 to be exact, when we were a member of the Security Council, an initiative to make the Middle East a zone free of all kinds of weapons of mass destruction. Nonetheless, at that time the United States delegation threatened to veto it if we put that proposal to the vote in Security Council. Therefore, our commitment is long-standing and dates back to 2003. In that regard, my country reiterates the call for Member States to make the Middle East a zone free of nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source
“My country calls upon the Security Council to conduct an international investigation into the crimes and mass killings that were uncovered in the city of Raqqa. We call upon the Council once again to put an end to the aggressive and illegal presence of American forces and other foreign forces on Syrian soil. I would like to tell those who have a short memory that Syria's commitment to eradicating weapons of mass destruction does not date back to 2013 alone, rather 2013 was the year we joined the Chemical Weapons Convention. On the contrary, our commitment to eradicating weapons of mass destruction is a long- standing one.”
2018-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8390 (2018) · source