Saudi-proposed anti–Syria resolution rewarding terror sponsors: Iran

Rasa - Iran’s deputy representative to the United Nations has slammed a Saudi-proposed UN resolution against the Syrian government, stressing that it rewards those countries backing terrorism and extremism in the country.

News ID: 425109

Date: 17 November 2016 - 04:54

RNA - Gholam-Hossein Dehqani made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing the Third Committee of the 71st session of the General Assembly.

He stressed that the draft resolution is without a doubt against the basic principles of international law and a "disservice" to the UN.

“It does nothing but rewarding violent extremism and terrorism and those who have helped them develop extreme ideologies and corresponding financial and logistical resources in the past many years,” he added.

He noted that the structural weakness of the UN human rights mechanisms gives the countries that are actually exporting “violent extremism and terrorism” the opportunity to abuse the system and pass such resolutions.

“Let me, however, assure those who initiated this resolution and those who abetted them to push it through this committee, that this and similar acts won’t dissuade us from our fight against violent extremism, as we are determined to clean our environment from extremists who try to sow terror in our neighborhood and export it to the entire world,” he added.

Syria's Ambassador Bashar al-Ja'afari also condemned the resolution, noting that the "Saudi regime should be the last to talk about human rights."

The West and its regional allies, particularly Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are widely reported to be supporting the militants fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since March 2011.

In September, media reports quoted unnamed US officials as saying that large numbers of man-portable missile systems, or MANPADS, could be delivered to militants in Syria through Washington’s Western and regional allies, particularly Persian Gulf Arab states and Turkey.

"The Saudis have always thought that the way to get the Russians to back off is what worked in Afghanistan 30 years ago – negating their air power (in Syria) by giving MANPADS to" the Takfiri militants, Reuters quoted one of the US officials as saying.

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