Iran UN envoy urges end to US occupation of northeast Syria

New York, IRNA – Iran’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Zahra Ershadi, said on Monday that the United States has kept its presence in northeast Syria under the pretext of combating terrorism, adding that Washington’s presence is a clear violation of international law, as well as the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. Ershadi was speaking at the Security Council meeting on 'The situation in the Middle East: (Syria)'. She also rejected US accusations against Iran leveled by the American representative in that meeting, and condemned the Israeli regime’s continued attacks against Syria. The following is the full text of the Iranian envoy’s speech at the Security Council meeting. Mr. President, I thank the UN Special Envoy and the Under-Secretary-General for their briefings. The humanitarian situation in Syria remains dire, and the country's economic crisis continues to affect the people across the country. The provision of humanitarian aid is essential, and political circumstances should not be allowed to prevent humanitarian aid to reach the people in need. This must, however, be done with full respect for Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national unity. We welcome the adoption of Resolution 2642 (2022) and consider it an important step toward addressing Syria's urgent needs. The resolution expressly calls for early recovery projects and greater transparency in relief efforts. Furthermore, it emphasizes the critical importance of increasing cross-line delivery throughout Syria. Mr. President, The UN’s first report on the implementation of the resolution emphasizes the importance of early recovery projects and claims that the lack of electricity has made it more difficult to access necessary basic services. According to the report, limited access to electricity has also hampered the provision of essential humanitarian services and other response activities, including the provision of hospital and clinic services, food production, and water distribution. Given the severity of the situation, early recovery projects such as electricity projects are critical in re-establishing access to essential services and must not be affected by unilateral sanctions. In this regard, the resolution's provisions and content are explicit, leaving no room for arbitrary interpretation or self-reading. We demand that the resolution be fully and effectively implemented. We also demand that unilateral sanctions against Syria be lifted, as they are impeding the resolution's implementation. Mr. President, We trust that the special report of the Secretary-General, requested by Resolution 2642, will include general trends regarding unimpeded and secure United Nations cross-line operations, which should reach all of Syria, as well as early recovery projects, and accurate information on the humanitarian assistance provided through the United Nations humanitarian cross-border operations, including their transparency and the distribution mechanism. Furthermore, an Informal Interactive Dialogue of the Security Council, as set out in the resolution, to review and monitor the implementation of this resolution, on a regular basis, could be an appropriate mechanism to allow the Council to keep track of how the resolution is being implemented effectively and fairly. Mr. President, Regarding the political process, we would like to reiterate our steadfast position that the Syrian crisis must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the principles of international law, particularly the full respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of States. In order to achieve this goal, the occupation must end, and Syria's full sovereignty must be restored. We emphasize the Constitutional Committee's crucial role in the political resolution of the Syrian crisis, and we commend and support the UN Special Envoy's efforts to interact with the Syrian parties in order to facilitate the work of the Committee's ninth session. In this regard, we highlight the tripartite summit within the framework of the Astana format held in Tehran on 19 July 2022, where the Presidents of the Astana format guarantors emphasized their unwavering commitments to the Syrian Arab Republic's sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity and the advancement of a sustainable political process led and owned by the Syrian people in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. They also emphasized the Constitutional Committee's critical role and reaffirmed their willingness to support ongoing interactions between its members and the Special Envoy for Syria as a facilitator in order to ensure long-term stability and effective work of the next sessions of the Committee. Mr. President, The Israeli regime continues to violate Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as carry out terrorist attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure within Syrian territory. According to the UN report, the Damascus international airport was forced to close due to the damage caused by the Israeli terrorist attack on 10 June. All flights for the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service, which is run by the World Food Program and is the primary enabler of access for humanitarian operations in the country, have been canceled as a result of this criminal act. We strongly condemn the continuing Israeli military attacks in Syria including on civilian infrastructures and recognize Syria's legitimate right to self-defense under international law and the United Nations Charter. The continuation of such criminal acts will destabilize and exacerbate tensions in the region. The Security Council must abandon its double standard and condemn unequivocally Israel’s aggression and terrorist attacks on Syria’s territory, which are being pursued in flagrant violations of the UN Charter and international law, particularly the principle of a sovereign state’s territorial integrity and independence. And finally, Mr. President, my delegation categorically rejects the unfounded accusations made by the representative of the United States against my country at this meeting. Indeed, the United States’ presence in the northeast of Syria under the pretext of combating terrorism is a clear violation of the UN Charter, international law, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. It is the United States that is working with the terrorist groups in Syria and destabilizing the peace and security in the region, The United States must seize its violation of international law and the UN charter, by ending its continuing support of terrorist groups and occupation of the northeast part of Syria. The Security Council should live up to its charter mandate and demand the US honor its international obligations. Iran, as a responsible State, and in line with its international obligations continues its efforts to assist the Syrian government to combat terrorism. I thank you, Mr. President. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish