Beirut, SANA- Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari said some countries began to change their stances and seek reopening communication channels and security cooperation with Damascus as the number of borders-crossing terrorists and the threat they pose on all countries increased, including the countries which terrorists come from, cross through, and end up in.
In an interview with al-Binaa Newspaper on Wednesday, al-Jaafari said that some countries are trying to use the terms “foreign fighters”, “insurgents”, “rebels” or “jihadists” to avoid admitting the true nature of those terrorists, adding that Syria’s geopolitical location has always set it in the face of grave challenges, and that what Syria is facing now has a very minor internal aspect compared to its regional and international dimensions.
Al-Jaafari said that certain countries are still obstinate in their aggressive approach towards Syria which serves their schemes and Israel’s interests in the region.
He said the UN Secretariat and its Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, have overlooked facts, and that in his reports, Ban has repeatedly considered terrorist groups linked to Al Qaeda and listed as terrorist organizations like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Jabhet al-Nusra as armed Syrian opposition, citing Ban as saying in his report on the implementation of resolution No 2139 that “The UN is unable to provide concrete data on the presence of non-Syrian terrorists on Syrian soil.”
He expressed disappointment that the UN overlooked facts conveyed to it by more than 500 official messages from Syria to the UN Secretary-General and several heads of the UN Security Council, adding that the UN has overlooked many reports made by foreign and interior ministries in Europe, Australia, the US, Canada, Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey, and Gulf states on the phenomenon of the “foreign terrorist fighters”, adding that those terrorists have come to Syria after being trained and funded by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Israel and under direct western sponsorship.
Al-Jaafari stressed that the reason for the Russian-Chinese vetoes is their adherence to international law and the UN Charter, adding that Moscow and Beijing know that Syria’s defeat at the hands of terrorism would mean that the entire world will lose the battle against terrorism.
On the role of the UN regarding pan-Arab issues, al-Jaafari said the crisis in Syria has revealed the frailty of the UN and the strong influence of a few countries over it, adding that the UN should preserve the interests of all its 193 member states, not just a handful of countries.
In a related context, al-Jaafari said the presidential elections in Syria are a purly national issue in the framework of the Syrian sovereignty, adding that no side, country, or regional or international body can interfere in it.
He concluded by saying “we are still convinced that the comprehensive national dialogue is the sole way to put an end to the crisis and build a new future for the country.”
M. Nassr/ H. Sabbagh