Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA – Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad said on Wednesday that Washington is uneasy about the achievements of the Syrian Arab Army and therefore it spreads misleading news claiming that the Syrian forces are using chemical weapons in the Eastern Ghouta, Idleb and other areas.
“We call on the United Nations to investigate into the actions and practices of the United States, which threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Syria and aim at the liquidation of the Syrian people, contradicting the objectives and principles of the UN,” in a statement read by Mikdad at the Ministry HQ.
“There is still no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by Syria and all the accusations are based on false allegations made by the so-called Syrian Civil Defense Organization (white helmets), which actually appeared through publishing news and videos proved to be false,” Mikdad added.
On the period between January 15 and 17 in 2018, terrorists in Idleb used chemical weapons twice against the advanced Syrian forces, Mikdad said, adding that “our soldiers were attacked by chlorine gas near the town of Hawin to the south of Idleb and the town of Sinjar and that made our soldiers in need for medical treatment.”
Mikdad wondered about the role of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) which was designed to control the spread and use of chemical weapons,” considering that such an act by the OPCW and the lack of desire of Western countries to take practical measures in response to the use of chemical weapons raise serious questions regarding the direct impact on the activities of international organizations of the United Nations.”
He said that OPCW is ineffective when it comes to investigating chemical attacks on the Syrian soil, as the facts collected by it are limited to researches that were published on websites and interviews with witnesses in other countries, while the investigation must be credible and serious and it should be done in the place where the alleged incident occurred.
About the allegations made by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson about the remaining of his country’s illegal forces in Syria under the pretext of beating terrorists, Mikdad said “we tell Tillerson and others that we are able to get rid of terrorists when the West stops supporting them and that those who killed the terrorists in Syria are the Syrian army and its allies.”
Mikdad pointed out that within two years of launching the so-called international coalition led by US to fight Daesh (ISIS) terrorist organization, the organization’s control in Syria has expanded from 20 percent to 70 percent.
“The US uses all pretexts, including that of chemical weapons, to target the Syrian state even though the Syrian Arab Army is achieving victories against Daesh and is about to defeat and liquidate it through successive and successful operations of our forces with the support of our allies. But Washington, which claims to fight the organization, continues its attempts to our government by using all possible means,” he said.
Mikdad said that the Syrian government refutes Syria’s possession of any weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, as it considers that the use of chemical weapons in any circumstance, anytime, anywhere is unethical and unacceptable.
“The Syrian Arab Army will down any jet that launches an assault on Syria and that is not a mere threat… we are able to get rid of terrorists when the West stops supporting them,” Mikdad continued to say.
He warned against the continuation of launch attacks on Syria because these attacks pose threat to the unity of Syria and the security and stability of the whole world, saying “we are committed to international humanitarian law and to self-defense at the same time when we are subjected to aggression.”
During the past two days, a team of the OPCW visited a number of sites in Homs province where they found chemical materials that were hidden by the gunmen under the soil before they were defeated by the Syrian Arab Army.
As for the US and Western media’s broadcasting threats against Syria, Mikdad said “we assure the Syrian people that we are ready to confront any developments and to refute what Western propaganda is broadcasting and to work with our allies to counter terrorism.”
He said that the US is not fighting terrorism but rather supporting it, adding that Syria is working to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria taking into consideration the interests of the Syrian people without external interference and through a political process among the Syrians themselves and without any manipulation by either party.
The US, Western countries and their tools in the region and in Syria are trying to prolong the crisis at the expense of Syrian blood and all that to serve the interests of the Zionist entity, Mikdad said, adding that Syria supported UN resolutions that do not conflict with resolving the crisis in Syria, including Resolution No.2254, which demands that the solution is Syrian, by the Syrians themselves and without any external interference
On the latest events in Afrin area, Mikdad affirmed that “Afrin is an integral part of the Syrian Arab Republic” and that Syria is working against the Turkish presence and aggression on Afrin and the neighboring areas, adding that the Turkish leadership is responsible for what has happened.
He called on the Kurds and Arabs in those areas to unite and face the aggression, adding “we affirm that the Syrian Arab Army defends every inch of the Syrian territory and Syria will return as unified as it has been throughout history.”
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