Unilateral, unlawful US sanctions worsening humanitarian crisis in Syria, UN envoy laments
Syria’s permanent representative to the UN has warned that the “illegitimate and inhumane” sanctions imposed by the United States and its Western allies are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in his country.
Bassam al-Sabbagh made the remarks during a UN Security Council session on “Purpose and Principles of the UN Charter in the Maintenance of International Peace and Security and effective pluralism through defending the principles of the United Nations Charter” in New York on Monday.
“Syria’s national wealth and resources are being plundered by foreign forces, who are illegitimately present on our soil,” Sabbagh said.
“The humanitarian crisis in Syria is aggravating as a result of unilateral, illegitimate, inhumane and immoral sanctions slapped on ordinary people,” he added.
The Syrian envoy warned that the bans continue to affect all aspects of ordinary people’s lives and have left a large number of people homeless and internally displaced in blatant violation of the principles and objectives of the UN Charter.
Syria has been targeted by US sanctions since 1979. Washington and its Western allies particularly tightened their economic sanctions and restrictions on Damascus after 2011, when the Arab country found itself in the grip of rampant foreign-backed militancy and terrorism.
The sanctions intensified even further with the passing of the Caesar Act in 2019, which targeted any individual and business that participated either directly or indirectly in Syria’s reconstruction efforts.
'Syria suffers from exploitation of UN system by western countries'
Sabbagh noted that Syria has been suffering for more than a decade from the exploitation of the UN and its institutions by certain Western countries, which pursue their hostile agendas and destructive policies against Damascus.
He underscored the need for the urgent revision of UN mechanisms, saying that Syria has fallen victim over the past decade to the loss of genuine pluralism.
The Syrian diplomat stated that the review of the UN working methods would ensure promotion of true pluralism on the basis of the world body’s Charter, enhance their efficiency and raise their credibility in international spheres.
Sabbagh also emphasized that preserving true pluralism requires restructuring current UN bodies, on top of which is the expansion of the Security Council to reflect the new realities concerning international relations, and reforming the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to serve the interests of developing countries.
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