China has called on the international community to step up efforts aimed at considerable improvement of the humanitarian situation in war-ravaged Syria.
Addressing the Security Council on Wednesday, China’s Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Geng Shuang cited UN assessments and said humanitarian needs in Syria have reached the highest level ever since foreign-backed militancy broke out there, and more than 13 million people are now estimated to be in urgent need of assistance.
He said the international community should make joint efforts to maximize humanitarian assistance to Syria, and try to enormously improve Syria’s humanitarian situation as soon as possible.
The Chinese diplomat emphasized that projects tailored to the needs of Syrian people should be vigorously carried out at the same time that emergency humanitarian assistance is provided.
“The international community should implement Resolution 2585 by promoting early-recovery projects in water resources, health care, education, and shelter, while helping Syria fight COVID-19 so as to promote its economic and social development,” Geng said.
He also slammed unilateral Western sanctions imposed on Syria, stressing that the bans aggravate the humanitarian crisis in the Arab country, hinder its economic and social development and run counter to international efforts. They must be lifted immediately, China’s deputy UN ambassador noted.
The Security Council has an obligation to monitor the cross-border mechanism for Syria, and ensure its neutrality, transparency and humanitarian nature, Geng said.
“China supports the World Health Organization in order to carry out its humanitarian operations in northeastern Syria through the cross-line mechanism. The World Food Programme’s first cross-line delivery of humanitarian supplies from Aleppo to Idlib marks a major breakthrough in humanitarian relief operations in Syria. We can hopefully work together to scale up the cross-line mechanism and better meet the humanitarian needs of Syrian people,” he stated.
Geng said the Damascus government should be supported as it tries to establish security across the country, and seeks to create necessary conditions for humanitarian operations and political settlement of the ongoing crisis.
Many of the Security Council member states are concerned about terrorist activities in Syria and their spillover risks, he said, adding that the fight against terrorism is the prerequisite for restoration of peace and order in Syria.
he said terrorists holed up in Idlib pose a major threat to Syria’s national security, noting the international community should openly condemn terrorism, support the Syrian government’s counter-terrorism operations, and work towards reconstruction in Syria, he said.
The Syrian government has repeatedly condemned the US and the EU for waging economic terrorism on the country through their unilateral sanctions, holding them responsible for the suffering of the Syrian people, especially now that the country is grappling with a deadly coronavirus outbreak.
Damascus has also been critical of the United Nations for keeping silent on the destructive role of the US and EU, among other parties supporting terrorism in Syria.
Source: Agencies
