TEHRAN –Deputy Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations Zahra Ershadi has called on the UN Security Council to pressure Israel into stopping its attacks on Syria. 

In a statement to a meeting of the Council on the situation of Syria, Ershadi pointed out that for well over a decade, the Syrian people have been seriously suffering from the conflict.

She said, “To end their grief and the dangers that this conflict poses to regional peace and security, we need to redouble our efforts to find a political solution to this unfortunate conflict. The Astana format will continue such efforts, and to that end, senior officials of the Astana guarantors will meet in Nur-Sultan on 21-22 December. We welcome the recent release of 10 Syrian detainees as a result of efforts of the working group on the release of detainees, established by the Astana format. Iran will continue to seriously contribute to such efforts and urges all parties to cooperate for the realization of this noble humanitarian endeavor.”

She added, “We hope that the ongoing consultations conducted by Mr. Pedersen would help hold the Constitutional Committee’s next meeting very soon. The Committee must work without any external interference or pressure or setting any artificial deadline for its work or any other conditions of similar nature.”

According to UN secretary general’s report on the implementation of resolution 2585, Ershadi continued humanitarian situation in Syria is deteriorating, the needs continue to grow, and “significant parts of the civilian infrastructure have been destroyed or are disintegrating.”

“This indicates the dire need to intensify humanitarian work, in particular by effective implementation of resolution 2585, through which, this Council has called upon all States ‘to respond with practical steps to address the urgent needs of the Syrian people’, stressing that such efforts must include supporting ‘early recovery projects.’ One such ‘practical step’ can indeed be the removal of unilateral sanctions imposed on Syria, prolonging the sufferings of its people and adversely affecting the work of international and national humanitarian agencies there,” she stated. 

The Iranian diplomat noted, “As UNSG has rightly stated, early recovery activities are key in ‘preventing a further increase in the number of people in need, as well as reducing immediate and protracted humanitarian needs’, and ‘therefore reducing dependence on external assistance.’ Noting the efforts undertaken in early recovery activities, we believe that such activities are much less than needed, and therefore support the call by UNSG for ‘further expanding early recovery efforts’, as according to him, such efforts ‘are critical to the continued success of the humanitarian response in the country’. It is important to ensure that aid entered into Syria through cross-border operations reaches the actual beneficiaries and does not fall into the hands of terrorist groups.”

She urged the UN Security Council to increase funding and allocation of humanitarian aid. “We call for an increase in funding and allocation of humanitarian aid to cross-line operations aimed at turning them to only humanitarian operations in Syria. We welcome the positive response of the Syrian Government to all five UN Notes requesting access for cross-line operations, as confirmed by the Secretary-General in his report. It is, however, extremely disappointing that, due to lack of cooperation by other sides, only two cross-line deliveries have so far taken place, which have yet to be distributed. We call for facilitating the safe, voluntary and dignified return of the Syrian refugees and IDPs, and at the same time, warn about attempts to discourage them from returning home, including by disseminating inaccurate information about current conditions in Syria.”  

She also strongly denounced Israel’s aggression against Syria. “We strongly condemn all aggressions of the Israeli regime against Syria, and reaffirm Syria’s inherent right to self-defense and to respond at a time and place of its choosing. The Security Council must compel the Israeli regime to end the occupation of the Syrian Golan and also stop immediately its aggressions against Syria. Moreover, the continued occupation of parts of Syrian territory by foreign forces, which constitutes flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter, must come to an end and all occupying and uninvited foreign forces must leave that country without any precondition or further delay,” she said. 

She concluded, “In this context, the recent reports by the U.S. media about the killing of dozens of Syrian civilians such as farmers, children and villagers, by the United States forces, which, we strongly condemn, indicate the urgency of their withdrawal from Syria. We reject separatist activities or illegitimate self-rule initiatives in Syria and condemn any efforts to support them. The Syrian crisis must be settled peacefully and in accordance with principles of international law, particularly the full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States. The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to support the people and Government of Syria to restore the unity and territorial integrity of their country.”