Illegal foreign presence in Syria creates ideal grounds for terror: Iran envoy

Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) calls for an end to the illegal presence of foreign forces in Syria, saying the occupation continues to violate the UN Charter and international law while creating fertile grounds for terrorism to flourish.

Amir Saeid Iravani made the remarks in a statement before the United Nations Security Council on “the situation in the Middle East: Syria” in New York on Wednesday.

"Terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to Syria and the region; however, the presence of foreign forces in the north of Syria under the pretext of combating terrorism should not be used to violate and undermine Syria's national sovereignty, and territorial integrity," he said.

He urged "all uninvited foreign forces" in Syria to leave the country with no precondition or delay in a bid to create conducive grounds for ending the crisis there.

Pointing to Israel's continuous acts of aggression against Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, he emphasized that the Security Council must compel the regime to immediately end its "wrongful acts," which are happening despite Damascus’ repeated requests from the world body to explicitly condemn such crimes.

"We strongly condemn the Israeli regime's recent terrorist attacks on Damascus International Airport on 2 January, which constituted a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and endangering regional and international peace and security," the Iranian diplomat said.

In letters addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the Security Council on January 2, Syria condemned in the strongest terms the latest missile attack by the Israeli regime against the Arab country's civilian infrastructure, which temporarily put the Damascus International Airport out of service.

• Damascus: Israel's terrorist aggression against civilian infrastructure violates international law

The letters came on the same day that Israel launched the missile strike against the Damascus airport.

Iravani once again reiterated Iran's steadfast position that the ongoing crisis in Syrian must be resolved in accordance with principles of international law, saying, "A political solution based on a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process facilitated by the UN is the only way to end the crisis."

He added that the settlement of the Syrian crisis through a political process must fully respect the national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the country.

He once again threw Iran's weight behind the Constitutional Committee's work, "which must continue in accordance with its procedures and without foreign interference or artificially imposed timelines."

Iran supports the constructive engagement of all negotiating parties for Astana peace talks and the UN special envoy "in order to effectively resolve differences over the Constitutional Committee meeting" Iravani said, adding, "We also support the Special Envoy's interaction with Syrian authorities, which is required for the political process."

Since January 2017, Russia, Iran and Turkey have been mediating peace negotiations between representatives of the Syrian government and opposition groups in a series of talks held in the Kazakh city of Astana and other places, including Sochi. The talks are collectively referred to as the Astana peace process.

Referring to the increasingly dire humanitarian situation in Syria, the Iranian diplomat said his country "welcomes the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2672, which extends the cross-border mechanism for an additional six months, and regards this action as an important step toward addressing Syria's pressing needs, particularly in light of the harsh winter conditions" while emphasizing that such a mechanism is "only temporary in nature."

"Political conditions should not prevent humanitarian aid from reaching those in need, and all parties must strictly adhere to the basic principles governing humanitarian assistance while maintaining neutrality and transparency," Iravani pointed out.

He stressed the importance of the lifting of unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria, particularly those targeting ordinary people and patients, warning that such illegal actions hinder the implementation of the resolution, "making humanitarian aid more difficult to deliver, and even delaying the return of refugees and internally displaced people."

He further urged the international community to increase funding for the humanitarian effort in Syria, particularly considering the harsh winter conditions.

Iran supports Syria's regional standing and improved diplomatic relations, the envoy said, adding that Tehran believes that a "safe, secure, and prosperous Syria benefits the Syrian people, the region, and the global community."

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