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Over two dozen Arab parties demand swift removal of sanctions on Syria

Friday, 17 February 2023 6:39 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 17 February 2023 7:15 AM ]

Members of the Algerian rescue team and Syrian army soldiers search for survivors at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of the earthquake in Aleppo, Syria, on February 8, 2023. (File photo by Reuters)

More than two dozen Arab political parties have demanded the urgent removal of all sanctions imposed by the United States and its Western allies against Syria, amid a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Syria and neighboring Turkey last week.

The 26 factions, in a joint statement released on Thursday, called for the abolition of the unilateral coercive measures and expressed solidarity with the Syrian leadership and nation.

بيان الأحزاب العربية الـ26: ندين ونستنكر بشدّة كل الإجراءات التعسفية التي تقوم بها أميركا وحلفاؤها بحق الشعب العربي السوري
— الميادين عاجل (@AlMayadeenLive) February 16, 2023

They underscored their unwavering support for Syrians in the wake of the powerful quake and strongly condemned all arbitrary measures taken by the United States and its allies.

The parties also called on the United Nations and relevant international organizations to adopt swift and urgent measures aimed at the removal of sanctions and delivery of essential humanitarian aid to quake-affected regions in Syria.

Assad thanks ‘Arab brothers, friends’ for quake aid

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday thanked Arab countries and other friendly nations for their aid following the tragic incident.

“We cannot overlook expressing thanks to all the countries that stood by us since the first hours of the disaster from among our Arab brothers and our friends,” Assad said during a televised speech broadcast on Thursday evening.

Assad: Damascus determined to deliver aid to all quake-affected Syrians

President Assad says the Damascus government is determined to deliver humanitarian aid to all earthquake-devastated regions in the country.

“Their aid had a major impact on enhancing our ability to confront the difficult conditions at critical hours,” he continued.

“The size of the catastrophe and the tasks that fall upon us are much greater than the available capacities,” Assad said, adding that the country would have to face deep economic challenges for years to come.

Aid efforts to Syria have been led by Iran and the United Arab Emirates, with the latter at the forefront of moves to break Damascus’s isolation and bring it back into the Arab fold.

Some 120 planes laden with assistance have landed in the country’s airports. The disaster also saw Saudi Arabia sending two planes carrying aid to Syria on Tuesday. The move was the first of its kind in more than a decade since the foreign-sponsored militancy broke out in Syria in March 2011.

The quake has so far killed 5,800 in Syria, while 38,044 people have been reported dead as of Friday.

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