Supporting terrorists, main objective of US-led coalition: Syria

Rasa - Syria’s ambassador to the UN says the prime objective of the US-led military coalition, which is purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri group, is supporting terrorists operating in the Arab country.

News ID: 436437

Date: 16 February 2018 - 01:36

RNA - Bashar Ja’afari said in a statement to the UN Security Council on Thursday that the US presence in Syria violates the 15-member body's resolutions and the UN Charter.

He also accused the US, France and Britain of having "made every effort to undermine Syria and its people and exploit the media to reach this end, distort the reality of what is happening and mislead the public opinion regarding the humanitarian suffering of civilians due to the practices of armed terrorist groups."

He further stressed that "the main task of US-led coalition is supporting terrorists in Syria," citing the February 8 "illegitimate attack" on pro-government forces fighting Daesh in Syria's eastern Dayr al-Zawr Province as a proof.

"The US decision on military intervention in Syria was illegitimate and unilateral under the pretext of fighting the Daesh terrorist organization, then Washington declared that it wants to establish military bases to preserve the strategic security and the security of its allies and later on it made clear that they are in Syria to create armed militias which will control oil, gas and water resources and establish a mini-state," he said.

The US and its allies back militants fighting to topple the Syrian government. They have also been bombarding what they call Daesh positions inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.

The strikes, however, have on many occasions resulted in civilian casualties and failed to fulfill their declared aim of countering terrorism.

Elsewhere in his statement, the Syrian envoy criticized the Western countries for remaining silent on the repeated Israeli attacks on the Syrian territory, the most recent of which was the February 10 aggression.

Israeli warplanes attacked several targets inside Syria and in response the Syrian army shot down at least one intruding Israeli F-16 warplane.

According to Press TV, Ja'afari accused the US and its allies of blocking a Security Council resolution which condemned terrorist attacks on residential areas. He also accused them of supplying the terror outfits with toxic chemical materials to be used against innocent civilians.

The Syrian official also welcomed Russia’s efforts to hold the Syrian Congress of National Dialog in the resort city of Sochi on January 29-30.

The congress, he said, proved once again that the political process in Syria would not be possible unless it were led by the Syrians themselves without any foreign intervention.

The 12-point final Sochi statement forms a fundamental basis for the political track in Syria and a solid foundation for any upcoming talks, he added.

Ja'afari also reiterated Damascus' adherence to any political solution to the Syria crisis that guarantees people’s right to determine the future of their country.

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