Sabbagh: Some countries adopt double standards in dealing with global terrorist threats to serve their interests

New York – SANA- Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna Bassam al-Sabbagh, reiterated that some countries adopt double standards and policies of selectivity in dealing with global terrorist threats and exploiting them in serving their own interests , noting that the attempts of certain countries to reproduce terrorist organizations and improve their image will not cover the terrorist aspect of these organizations and the responsibility of these countries regarding their existence and support.

In a statement submitted to the UN General Assembly under the Item 123 entitled “the 7^th periodical review of UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,” Sabbagh called for adopting serious and firm measures to ensure the prevention of influx of foreign terrorists, to hold the states that employ them accountable and to stop employment of terrorism as a tool in serving the foreign policies of some member states and to target certain countries.

He expressed regret towards the attempts of some countries, during the current review of this strategy on the fight against terrorism, to take precedence of their own interests over the others and caring about the security and stability of their countries and societies while ignoring the security and stability of other countries which suffer from terrorism and takfiri extremist ideologies .

Sabbagh reiterated the priority that efforts in the fight against terrorism be under national leadership and in cooperation with the UN, in a way that ensures respecting the states’ sovereignty and independence, and not to use, the fight against terrorism, as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of countries, attacking them and occupying parts of their territories based on a distorted interpretation of the UN charter and the provisions of the international law and the international humanitarian law and the International legitimacy resolutions related to combating terrorism.

He underlined that Syria had called for taking practical measures to face this global threat, to dry up terrorist financing resources, to avoid the influx of funds to terrorist organizations, mainly Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organizations and other affiliated terrorist groups, and to hold the States who use them as a tool accountable, prevent exploiting terrorism as a tool to serve the foreign policies of some member states and to target certain countries.

He said that some countries are shying away from their legal commitments on this subject instead of supporting the efforts of Syria and other countries to deal with this problem by extraditing terrorists to their countries of origin and bringing them back. calling for accounts.

Sabbagh indicated that attempts of some countries which have sponsored terrorism in Syria to play a leading role in the strategy review process in favor of demanding to return those terrorists and their families back to their homelands will not enable them to disavow their responsibilities for the terrorist crimes committed against the Syrian people.

Sabbagh concluded by affirming Syrian government’s right to continue practicing its sovereign and national duty to eradicate terrorism in all its forms and drain its resources and ensure security and prosperity of the Syrian people.

Hala Zain