Syria Reclaims its Voice: UN Session Marks Turning Point in Global Support

New York-SANA

Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Al-Olabi, said on Wednesday that Syria is present and active — it listens, engages in dialogue, and makes decisions, for the first time in decades, there is an opportunity for political participation through the recent elections.

“Syria continues its international and regional cooperation in combating drugs, terrorism which reflects its commitment not to be a source of threat to any country in the world,” Al-Olabi added in a speech at the United Nations Security Council session on the situation in Syria.

Al-Olabi stressed that more than one million refugees have returned to Syria — this is a message of confidence in the government’s policies, achievements and efforts. It is a message we are proud of and will not relinquish.

“For the return of Syrian refugees to be permanent, the international community must support Syria and its people through genuine partnership and put an end to Israeli attacks,” Al-Olabi added.

“We are working to heal the wounds of Sweida and have reaffirmed our commitment to accountability. We granted the international investigation committee unrestricted access, in addition to restoring villages and compensating damages,” Al-Olabi said.

He added that Syrians have raised over 14 million dollars in a popular campaign called ‘Sweida Is Part of Us.’ Today, we place our trust in our people in Sweida not to be drawn into reckless ventures with no clear horizon.

Deputy Special Envoy of the United Nations for Syria, Najat Rochdi said that the People’s Assembly elections in Syria were conducted in a right and organized environment, sanctions must be lifted more broadly and swiftly to give the transitional phase a real chance to succeed.

Meanwhile, U.S. representative Mike Waltz said “We call on Security Council to support efforts to ease sanctions on Syria to ensure the well-being of the Syrian people and give Syria a chance to achieve its aspired-for development,”

He added “We appreciate the Syrian government for its cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and we welcome the efforts of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and Turkey to support the political process in Syria.”

French Representative to Security Council, Jérôme Bonnafont, for his part, said the diversity of the Syrian people is Syria’s greatest asset, and the transitional process in Syria offers hope. The United Nations must support this process.

He added the Syrian government seeks to build a reconciled state, and we bear the responsibility to help make that a success, to fulfill our commitment and to confront the challenges

In a similar context, the British representative said that the United Kingdom supports the Syrian government during the transitional phase, and we must collectively consider additional steps the international community should take to support Syria toward a more stable and peaceful future.

As for the Chinese representative, he affirmed that restoring calm and peace in Syria must be a goal for the international community, and we hope to accelerate humanitarian aid for all Syrians to support the economic recovery process.

Russian Representative Vasily Nebenzya added “We call on Israel to cease its attacks on Syrian territory, and we affirm that Syria’s internal affairs must be resolved by the Syrians themselves without external interference.”

He said “We stress the need to lift sanctions on Syria, as they hinder the reconstruction process and efforts toward recovery and sustainable development.”

The Turkish representative said “we have to support efforts aimed at preserving the unity and territorial integrity of Syria, and we call for Israel’s withdrawal from Syrian territory.”

Mazen Eyon