The Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry reaffirmed on Tuesday that the presence of the U.S. forces in Syria without the approval of the Syrian government is considered an aggression.
“The presence of the U.S. forces or any foreign military presence in Syria without the consent of the Syrian government constitutes an act of aggression and an attack on the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic as well as a gross violation of the Chart and principles of the United Nations,” said an official source at the Foreign Ministry commenting on the latest statements of US Defense Secretary James Mattis.
The source dismissed the attempt to connect the US military presence in Syria with the settlement process as “a pretext and an attempt to justify this presence,” reiterating that this connection is categorically rejected “as neither the US nor others can impose any solution by means of military pressure.”
“On the contrary, this presence only leads to prolonging the crisis and further complicating it, and this is where the real goal of this U.S. presence in Syria lies,” the source added.
US Defense Secretary told reporters on Monday that the U.S. forces would only leave Syria after it is evident the Syrian settlement process in Geneva is successful.
“We’re not just going to walk away right now before the Geneva process has cracked. That doesn’t mean everyone stays there. That doesn’t mean for certain — certain troops are leaving… We’re going to make sure we set the conditions for a diplomatic solution… Not just, you know, fight the cop part of it and then say good luck on the rest of it. We did it for that — to support the diplomatic solution,” Mattis said.
The Foreign Ministry source said Mattis’s statements stress the U.S. administration’s agenda that is no longer unknown and the subversive role this administration has played through the “clear” and “evident” collusion with ISIL and other terrorist organizations and its constant quest to foil all efforts aimed at finding a solution to the current crisis with the aim to inflame tensions and the situation in the region in service of the Zionist project and impose hegemony on the region’s countries and resources.
“This American demeanor is enough to belie and refute the statements of the U.S. Secretary of Defense,” the source added.
The source renewed Syria’s demand of the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the U.S. forces from the Syrian territory, reiterating that the US military presence is an act of aggression on the sovereignty and independence of Syria and will be dealt with as such.
Source: SANA
