A special session of the UN Security Council convened on Tuesday, March 25 to discuss the current situation in Syria.
The security of civilians and protection of minorities should be prioritized by the interim government in Syria, Iran demanded, claiming it is the key for peace in the country. Iran also highlighted Israel’s continued violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity calling these actions a threat to regional peace and stability.
Several other countries, including Russia and China raised the issue of the killing of civilians and demanded an end to the Israeli occupation of Syrian lands.
Presenting his country’s views on the situation in Syria, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations Sa’eed Iravani condemned the mass killings of civilians, particularly people belonging to the minority Alawites sect earlier this month. He demanded that the rights of “all communities” be respected and guaranteed, and any attempts to displace minorities, especially Alawites and Shiites, must stop immediately.
Turmoil under Syria’s new Western-backed regime
The new regime, led by former members of the extremist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took control in Syria in December after long-term president Bashar Al-Assad was forced to leave the country.
The forces affiliated to the interim regime have attacked minorities and Alawite dominated regions in Latakia and Tartus, calling them Assad loyalists and the “last hotbeds of criminals.” Hundreds of people, mostly minorities, were killed in Latakia and Tartus following these attacks in the first week of March.
Geir O. Pederson, the UN Secretary General’s special envoy to Syria also confirmed the high civilian death toll in Syria, since the interim government took control, calling the situation in the country “appalling”.
Iravani also demanded that Syria’s interim administration ensure full accountability for the killing of innocent civilians and bring all those responsible for those killings to justice.
Iran also stressed the need to expel all foreign mercenaries and militants from Syria as the preliminary stage to securing peace in the country and in the region at large. Iran offered its cooperation in any internationally “coordinated” move to hold the foreign “terrorists” accountable for their atrocities in Syria.
A large number of fighters in the HTS come from other countries. These fighters have been accused of large-scale human rights violations and war crimes committed against the Syrian people in more than 13 years of war in the country.
End of all sanctions and external interventions
Iran also demanded the end of external interventions in Syria, saying actions against the foreign terrorists alone may not bring peace in Syria until it is allowed to rebuild its economy. Iran demanded the immediate removal of all sanctions imposed by the US and its European allies on Syria for over a decade now.
The sanctions are preventing Syria’s reconstruction and negatively affecting the lives of ordinary Syrian citizens, Iran emphasized.
Iran also demanded the immediate cessation of Israeli violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity claiming “such aggression constitutes blatant violations of international law and exacerbates instability in the region.” It asked the Security Council to take measures to implement its own resolutions opposing the Israeli occupation of Syrian territories including the Golan Heights.
After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, Israel breached long established buffer zones in Syria. Its forces invaded and captured a large part of Syrian territory calling it necessary for its own security. Israeli forces have since refused to withdraw from the region even carrying out fresh invasions deep inside the Syrian territory.
Iran said the future of Syria should only be determined by the people of the country without any external interference. It demanded a government representing every section of Syrian society and comprehensive national dialogue as per the UN resolution 2254 adopted in 2015.
Iran also rejected the US allegations about Iran’s alleged involvements in Syria claiming that “under the false pretext of counterterrorism, the United States has flagrantly violated Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, enabling terrorist groups and backing Israel’s occupation to advance its geopolitical agenda” for years.
Iran has long maintained that US military presence in Syria is illegal and demanded the withdrawal of its forces. It reiterated its call for the end of all such imperialist interference in the region.
