(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Russia and China vetoed on Saturday a Western-Arab UN Security Council resolution on Syria which infringes upon its sovereignty and interferes in its internal affairs after western countries rejected Russian amendments to the draft resolution.
Al-Jaafari: Syria Is Victim of Crisis Triggered by Parties who Do Not Want Good for Syria & its People
Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari affirmed that Syria is a victim of a crisis triggered by parties who do not want good for Syria and its people, and that these are providing money and weapons to terrorist groups perpetrating murder, abduction and vandalism.
In a speech during the Security Council meeting, al-Jaafari stressed that Syria will not wait for lessons in democracy and human rights from countries that deal with these concepts in the same way that they deal with opportunist sales and purchases in stock markets, adding that Syria will become stable and safe as it always has and will remain a country of tolerance and openness to all its children.
Al-Jaafari recalled the play Faust, written by German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, underlining the inherent dangers of selling one's soul to the devil, saying that this story sums up what he wants to say, by which he means that one mustn't sell their soul to the devil in exchange for false gains which will destroy their hope of freedom alter.
"We were wishing that handling the Syrian crisis would remain inside the Syrian house first, then inside the Arab one, but speeding up the demands for international intervention – the goals of which as we know are addressing the Arab issues, on top of which is the Palestinian cause and the Israeli occupation of the Arab territories – calls us to express our sorrow for the regretful reality that we reached," he said.
Syria's Permanent Representative quoted former Attorney General of the US Department of Justice Ramsey Clark, who nearly 22 years ago said that the UN, which was established to prevent the encouragement of wars, become itself a tool for war.
He expressed appreciation for the efforts exerted by members of this council who defend people's rights and the U's charter, particularly in preventing interference in countries' internal affairs and waging wars on them and resolving economic issues of western countries at the expense of developing countries, adding "we express our gratitude to these countries which protect international security and peace… history will record their honorable stances."
Al-Jaafari noted that the Security Council adopted less than 690 resolutions between its establishing in 1945 and 1988, then adopted nearly three times as many within the next 20 years, saying that this shows that the world has become less safe and less just.
"Is there one sane person who can believe that a government would commit massacres in a city on a day in which the Security Council will hold a meeting to discuss this country? Would anyone place themselves in such a situation?" He asked.
He went on to note that the acts of destruction and murder committed today by armed groups and the attacks on civilians, homes and Syrian embassies across the world is proof of their criminal nature, adding "yet nothing came from the Secretary General nor the Security Council to denounce the attacks on the Syrian embassies abroad… all this is happening to sending a misleading message to influence decision-makers in the Council."
Al-Jaafari said that the report of the Arab League observer mission proves Syria's honest intentions to cooperate with the Arab League, saying that the report wasn't presented to the Council at a suitable time for reasons well-known to all, since the report proves that Syria carried out its obligations as per the protocol.
"If the killing stops and those who boast democracy cease the plan against Syria, and if the countries that are exerting greatest degrees of generosity in providing billions of dollars to armed groups, supplying them with the most modern weapons and communications devices, and hosting them in their capitals to facilitate their crimes against the Syrian people and their possessions, Syria would have fulfilled the Arab work plan and the protocol completely," he said.
Syria's Permanent Representative noted that some Arab Gulf countries dragged the Arab League to the Security Council in order to use it to strong-arm Syria and internationalize and Arab affair, which contradicts the very charter of the League, despite the fact that since the crisis began, Arab politicians were competing in affirming that they don't seek the internationalization of the Syrian crisis.
He went on to cite parts of the Arab League observer mission reports which show that the Syrian government cooperated with the mission and facilitated their work.
Al-Jaafari called attention to a program broadcast on al-Jazeera two and a half months ago, in which the program's presenter said that he has information from higher levels in Doha that "the Syrian regime will change by January 22nd," which is the date when the Arab League convened and decided to head to the Security Council.
He added that it's odd that the calls of reform and respecting human rights are directed only to Syria and not to other countries in the region, particularly those that adopted the resolution, pointing out that the same Arab League countries which adopted the draft resolution were the same countries that prevented the League from adopting the initiative which Syria proposed on improving democracy, reform and human rights in Arab countries.
Al-Jaafari asked if it makes sense that those who adopted the resolution against Syria include a country that prevents women from attending a football match, yet it demands that Syria be democratic.
He stressed that peaceful protest in a basic right guaranteed by Syrian law, and demanding reform is the right of every Syrian, adding "the only thing that no law can guarantee and no country can accept is terrorism, chaos, the vandalism of public and private property, and destabilization."
Al-Jaafari affirmed that each peaceful demonstrator and everyone who supports the dialogue is a welcomed partner and a basic part of the reform process, adding that the proposed draft resolution which failed shows the importance of dialogue, yet there are those who claim that they have to be parts of this dialogue while at the same time they openly reject dialogue in full sight of the Security Council and the Arab League.
"The other side is the one who stood against dialogue due to encouragement by some to take domineering stances," he pointed out, hoping that those who still support the opposition and armed groups to advice their friends to join dialogue and abandon their goals of destroying Syria and summoning foreign military intervention.
He said that the US representative said today that she's disgusted that two member countries used veto, asking her in turn if she was also disgusted by the sixty vetos that were used in this very Council to prevent just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict in a just manner, and resolve the Palestinian cause.
Al-Jaafari stressed that the statements made by some representatives show their countries' hostile intentions towards the people and government and Syria, adding that since the beginning, their statement lacked diplomacy and conflicted with the principles of international laws, with them using inappropriate phrasing to address the Syrian President which betrays their direct involvement of the escalation of violence and bloodshed in Syria.
He concluded by noting that a journalist from al-Jazeera's London office went on record and said that the Qatari Foreign Ministry gave orders to escalate media coverage hours before the Council convened, saying "I leave it to you to deduce the purpose of these political instructions which came to a news to channel – or at least one that claims to be so – to pressure the Council by lying and saying that massacres are taking place in Syria."
For his part, the Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin said in his speech that Russia worked to devise an objective resolution that actually helps end violence in Syria, saying that the Council's resolution should have reflected that very approach, but some influential members of the international community – some of which are present – had been hindering the possibility of a political resolution since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, going as far as to encourage resorting to armed conflict.
Churkin said that Council members rejected Russia's suggestions regarding ceasing the attacks by armed groups on government establishments and neighborhoods, adding that Russia's Foreign Minister will visit Damascus on Tuesday to support the political solution in the country, something which some sides in the Security Council refused to wait for,
He said that Russia hadn't wish for things to turn out the way they did in the Council, but it found itself forced to veto the draft resolution, expressing at the same time hope that efforts will continue to end violence in Syria and ensure the success an internal political process initiated by Syrians themselves.
In turn, China's Permanent Representative to the UN, Li Baodong, said that his country vetoed the resolution after careful observation of developments in Syria, stressing the need for the Security Council to adhere to the basic principles of the UN charter, help reduce tension, support political dialogue, and achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, rather than complicate matters further.
He said that the Syrian crisis must be resolved on the basis of the interests of Syria and its people through a comprehensive political process, underlining the need for the international community to provide constructive help to achieve this.
The Chinese Permanent Representative stressed that pressuring the Syrian government shouldn't preceded dialogue and shouldn't impose solution, since this will only complicate the situation, voicing China's support for the amendments which Russia suggested yet were not taken into consideration.
Baodong concluded by stressing that Syria is an important country in the Middle East and that’s stability and peace in Syria serve both the Syrians and the international community, affirming that China will continue to work with the international community and play a constructive and positive role to reach a reasonable solution to the Syrian issue.
During the session, the representatives of India and South Africa contradicted their stances of supporting the drafty resolutions, with their speeches coming out more balanced and stressing the need to adopt dialogue as a solution, allow the Syrians to make their own decision, and preserving the sovereignty and integrity of Syria.
Meanwhile, the representatives of France, England, the US, Portugal, Morocco and Columbia were quick to lament their failure to pass the draft resolutions, with their speeches sharing the use of phrases of sadness, pain and frustration.
The Moroccan representative was the first to express frustration and sorrow over the use of veto by Russia and China, rushing to thank the Council members who adopted the draft resolution his country submitted,
In turn, the French representatives carried out in the same manner as his Moroccan counterpart, voicing regret and worry over the failure of the conspiracy against Syria in which he and his colleagues are part of, not neglecting to issue a series of misguided falsehoods in depicting the Syrian scenario.
The US representative showed signs of failure and tension, both in her expression and her worlds, as she voiced clear dismay over Russia and China who hindered what she perceived to be the main reason of her presence of the Security Council, resorting to profanity not fit for the Security Council to attack Russia and China and showing anger over the Council's failure to achieve her country's goals of interfering in Syria's internal affairs.
As for England's representative, he continued the play by lamenting over the alleged increasing number of victims in Syria which is based on suspect media sources, while the German representative mimicked his colleagues' attitude and repeated the same accusations, as did the representatives of Portugal, Columbia, Guatemala, Azerbaijan and Pakistan, each throwing more stones at Syria in a dull manner aping what the previous speeches did.
Earlier, the UN Security Council held a session in New York to vote on a Western-Arab draft resolution about Syria.
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