Turkish aggression, US troops deployment violate UNSC resolutions: Syrian official

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad has strongly condemned Turkish military operations against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, saying the offensive is a violation of the United Nations Charter and Security Council resolutions.

“Syria continues to fight terrorism in tandem with continued efforts to [reach] a settlement of the political crisis based on a Syrian-Syrian dialogue and without foreign interference,” Mekdad said in a speech at the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku on Saturday.

He highlighted that Turkey’s repeated attacks on Syrian territory and its continued attempts to establish a so-called “safe area” in northern Syria, together with direct aggression against the Syrian soil by the US-led coalition were all unilateral acts, vehemently rejected and condemned by the Damascus government.

Mekdad said such measures constituted a violation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions, which demand respect for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.

“One of the most dangerous threats facing the world today is the spread of terrorism both at regional and international levels. The menace is being supported, financed, armed and justified by certain governments and states, which are known to all,” the Syrian deputy foreign minister pointed out.

Mekdad said crimes committed by members of Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, Takfiri terrorist groups as well as their proxies clearly pointed to the gravity of terrorism.

“The United States and some European Union countries overlook the fight against terrorism, and adopt a selective approach vis-à-vis the issue. This proves that they have no political will to eradicate it,” the top Syrian diplomat added, calling for practical deterrent measures to account the countries that support and finance terrorism.

“Syria is determined to liberate every inch of its land from terrorism and from any illegal foreign presence,” Mikdad said.

He added that the first beneficiary of the ongoing conflicts in Syria and the Middle East region is the Israeli regime, which continues to commit crimes against those under occupation and launch attacks on Syria and other countries.

Mekdad stressed that the ongoing Syrian crisis and repeated acts of aggression against the Syrian soil will fail to force the Damascus government to forgo its inalienable right to fully restore the occupied Golan Heights by all means guaranteed by international law and in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, especially resolutions 242, 338 and 497.

He emphasized that US President Donald Trump’s recognition of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory will not change the legal status of the region, as “it is part of the Syrian Arab land and will return to the Syrian national sovereignty sooner or later.”

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