Ambassador Ala: Coercive measures targeting Syria are immoral and harm its efforts to transition to development and reconstruction

Geneva-Sana

Syria's permanent representative to the United Nations Office and International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Husam El Din Ala, reiterated the Syrian Arab Republic's condemnation of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on it, indicating that these immoral measures harm its efforts to transition to recovery, development and reconstruction.

In an interview with the Special Rapporteur on the negative effects of unilateral coercive measures at the forty-eighth session of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Ala said, “The imposition of unilateral coercive measures in its various forms and nomenclature is inconsistent with the rules of international law and with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, foremost among which are the principles of respect for the sovereignty of states and their right to self-determination. and non-interference in its internal affairs.

Ambassador Ala stressed that the so-called “Caesar Act”, whose effects go beyond the borders of the United States, constitutes a model of abuse in the use of economic and financial force and means of economic coercion unilaterally and lacks any legal or moral basis. It is also economic terrorism that requires accountability for the massive human suffering that affects citizens Targeted countries are without discrimination and their basic rights are violated, including the right to life, health, food and development.

Ambassador Ala added, “Since the visit of the former Special Rapporteur to the Syrian Arab Republic in 2018, and his presentation of a report that included a balanced professional assessment of the suffering of Syrian citizens as a result of the coercive measures imposed on them, the size and impact of these measures expanded with the European Union and the United States resorting to tightening the economic siege on the Syrian people through measures It targeted vital sectors such as banking, energy, communications, and transportation, measures that deprived Syrians of their basic needs, including medicine, health care and food, and violated human rights, exposing Syria to additional pressures and challenges as the United States and the European Union expanded or renewed their measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Ambassador denied US and European allegations about the existence of so-called “exceptions and exemptions” that facilitate the import of goods and materials intended for medical, health and humanitarian purposes, stressing that they are an attempt to justify the imposition of these coercive measures and giving them a false humanitarian tinge.

The Ambassador demanded that the coercive measures imposed on the Syrian people be lifted immediately, as they impede the work of humanitarian agencies to provide relief aid and harm Syria's efforts to transition to recovery, development, reconstruction and the return of refugees and forcibly displaced people as a result of terrorism, once again Syria's willingness to work closely with the Special Rapporteur in the context of implementing its mandate.

In another statement delivered on behalf of a group of countries, Ambassador Ala stressed that unilateral coercive measures negatively affect the human rights of the population in the targeted countries and impede their implementation of the sustainable development goals.

Ambassador Alla pointed out that the expansion of the number and scope of these measures during the Corona pandemic negatively affected the ability of the targeted countries to respond effectively to the pandemic, which made their populations more vulnerable to infection with the epidemic and its consequences. The pandemic and its repercussions.

Ambassador Ala indicated that some countries are still politicizing the Covid-19 pandemic and prefer their political interests over saving lives, as the liberation of much-needed funds in foreign banks or international institutions for political considerations continues, and coercive measures targeting vital services and economic sectors continue, stressing that there is no Something that could justify the human suffering caused by these illegal practices.

“With this background and the absence of the so-called ‘humanitarian exception’, we call for a coherent approach by humanitarian agencies to mobilize their efforts to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance, particularly the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines and medical aid during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ambassador Alla.

“We are concerned about the negative effects of extraterritorial application and excessive compliance with coercive measures on humanitarian operations and aid delivery in targeted countries and we call on all member states not to impose or recognize unilateral coercive measures and to refrain from assigning responsibility for excessive compliance to private companies,” Ambassador Ala added.