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Bashar Al-Jaafari: Spread of Extremism and Terrorism in Syria Supported by UN Member Countries

May 11, 2013 – NEW YORK – Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari said that the countries arming, funding, training, and harboring terrorists and facilitating their entry into Syria are partners in terrorism and complicit in taking Syrian lives, calling on the Security Council to hold these countries’ governments accountable if it’s actually serious about implementing its counter-terrorism resolutions.

During a Security Council session on Friday for discussing reports of subcommittees on counter-terrorism, al-Jaafari said that current events prove the veracity of Syria’s constant warnings about the presence of armed terrorist groups, some of them affiliated with Al Qaeda, and most of them consisting of international terrorists and foreign mercenaries who are waging proxy wars on Syria and target all the country’s components.

He asserted that these things are not in the interest of any Syrian who actually cares about the safety and stability of their country, whether they support the government or oppose it.

Al-Jaafari wondered how terrorism, vandalism, the targeting of hospitals, schools, universities, mosques, churches, civilians airplanes and diplomatic missions, the theft of factories, the assassination and abduction of religious figures, the robbery and vandalism of antiquities and museums, desecrating tombs and abducting UNDOF peacekeeping forces can be in the interest of Syria and Syrians.

He pointed out that two months ago, the Syrian government filed an official request for including Jabhet al-Nusra, which is responsible for hundreds of terrorist acts and suicide bombings in Syria, on the unified list of the committee for resolutions no. 1267 for 1999 and no. 1989 for 2011 which concern individuals and entities affiliated with Al Qaeda, noting that Syria is still awaiting this inclusions, particularly since some Security Council members acknowledged the terrorist nature of this organization, which confessed to being responsible for over 600 terrorist acts in Syria in a single year.

Al-Jaafari said that the increasing spread of extremism and terrorism in Syria is taking place with the blessing and support of a number of UN member countries, and that this is welcomed by Salafi, Wahabi, Takfiri and extremist circles in certain countries, some of which claim to be pioneers in combating terrorism and in donating to UN counter-terrorism funds and a UN counter-terrorism center.

He pointed out that some Security Council member countries hindered nine times the issuing of mere press statements that condemn terrorist bombings which claimed hundreds of innocent Syrian civilians’ lives, noting that the Australian representative who heads the committee for resolution no. 1267 neglected to mention any Al Qaeda activities in Syria despite them being common knowledge.

Al-Jafari said that Syria sent over 160 letters to the Security Council on the spread of terrorism, reporting barbaric terrorist acts and suicide bombings, and despite statements and reports issued by the UN, countries, research centers and  respectable media establishments which indicate to the growing terrorist activities in Syria and confirm that terrorists from around the world are traveling to it, there hasn’t been a single practical step from the committee for resolution no. 1373 to implement it in terms of combating terrorism, eliminating the funding of terrorists in Syria at the source, and holding the countries which publically support terrorists accountable.

“It seems that Syria is destined to currently take it upon itself to implement resolution no. 1373 and stand as the first line of defense against the threat of terrorism,” he said.

Al-Jaafari called upon the committee the aforementioned decision to take the following steps: first, stop the destructive media role played and sponsored by some countries with the purpose of instigating terrorism in Syria and incite extremism and sectarian strife. Second, combat the exploitation of the internet and social networking for inciting terrorism and misleading youths. Third, shut down the sources of terrorist funding.

Syria’s representative noted that Security Council committed itself to its members’ obligations to refrain from providing any explicit or implicit support to entities or individuals involved in terrorism or linked to terrorism, referring the Council to document S/99/2013, the report of the Security Council expert team formed in 2011, which details the involvement of Arab and regional countries in smuggling weapons and mercenaries from Libya to Syria, calling on the Council to take the necessary steps in this regard.

Al-Jaafari said that the countries arming, funding, training, and harboring terrorists and facilitating their entry into Syria are partners in terrorism and complicit in taking Syrian lives, and not only does this violate Security Council resolutions on counter-terrorism, but it also contradicts its resolutions no. 2042 and 2043 and the Geneva statement which stress the need for reaching a settlement for the crisis in Syria through a Syrian-led political process.

He noted that some Security Council members which always stress the need to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction are attempting to thwart the Syrian government’s request to the UN Secretary-General to send a neutral technical committee to investigate terrorist groups’ use of chemical materials against civilians and military personnel in Khan al-Asal in Aleppo, an incident confirmed by information recently issued by the UN and other sides.

Al-Jaafari reiterated Syria’s readiness to receive the technical committee to investigate the Khan al-Asal incident immediately as per the contents of the agreement referred to in the letter of the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs sent on 4/3/2013.

Syria’s representative affirmed that the Israeli aggression which targeted military and civilian sites in Damascus and its countryside on the morning of Sunday, May 5th, constitutes new evidence of the terrorist policies of Israel and the activities of the terrorist groups and the foreign mercenaries who targeted several military sites in conjunction with the Israeli aggression.

He pointed out that statements made by certain countries’ politicians encouraged Israel to commit its aggression and provided it with political cover, asserting that if the Security Council fails to uphold its responsibilities and condemn the Israeli aggression, then this will increase tension in the region which poses a threat of a war that would pose a risk to regional and international peace and security, which is why the Security Council must shoulder its responsibilities of condemning the countries supporting the terrorism in Syria, holding them responsible, and coercing them into ceasing their destructive practices and commit to their obligations as per international law and the UN charter.

H. Sabbagh – SANA

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SyrianFreePress.net & TG24Siria.com Patriotic Network

at https://syrianfreepress.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/17336/

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