A/70/385–S/2015/727

United Nations

General Assembly
Security Council

General Assembly
Seventieth session
Agenda item 108
Measures to eliminate international terrorism

Distr.: General
22 September 2015
English
Original: Arabic

Security Council
Seventieth year

Identical letters dated 21 September 2015 from the Permanent
Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations
addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the
Security Council
On instructions from my Government, I wish to transmit the following
information:
The United Nations is currently marking the tenth anniversary of the adoption
of Security Council resolution 1624 (2005), which prohibits incitement to violence
and terrorism. We are also approaching the fourteenth anniversary of the adoption of
Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) on counter-terrorism, which followed the
terrorist attacks in New York on 11 September 2001. On this occasion, the
Government of the Syrian Arab Republic once again calls on the United Nations, its
competent entities and its Member States to make a genuine and sincere
commitment to fighting terrorism; to fully and decisively enforce the texts that we
have adopted over the years; to hold States sponsors of terrorism to account; and to
prevail on them to refrain from violating international law and the Charter of the
United Nations.
Terrorists have been targeting the State and people of Syria for over four
years, and they have now reached an unprecedented degree of criminality and
savagery. We have described to the Security Council the acts of terrorism that have
taken place in Syria. Most recently, terrorist groups launched missiles at the cities of
Damascus and Aleppo and other Syrian towns and villages and their facilities and
infrastructure. On 14 September, two blasts struck the city of Hasakah. These and
other terrorist acts require a strong international commitment to tackling the roots of
terrorism and its sources of funding. Despite their importance, resolutions 1267
(1999), 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005), 2170 (2014), 2178 (2014) and 2199 (2015) have
unfortunately been neglected in numerous cases, whether because certain Member
States believe that they are safe from terrorism and violent extremism, or because
certain other States face a gap in means and capacities, or because Governments
lack political will or are directly or indirectly involved in supporting or glorifying
terrorism or in inciting violence, terrorist acts and barbaric crimes.
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The counter-terrorism resolutions of the Security Council require all Member
States to take a set of legislative and practical measures that are necessary in order
to fight the scourge of terrorism, which poses a threat to international peace and
security. Yet the Governments of certain States Members of this Organization,
particularly Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, continue to provid e every form of
support for terrorism and terrorists, including funds and weapons, extremist takfirist
ideology and foreign mercenary recruits. The Governments of certain other States,
some of which are members of the Security Council, have continued to po liticize
counter-terrorism issues. They take a frankly ideological approach to the topic,
turning a blind eye to the glaring violations committed by State sponsors of
terrorism, which ought to be held rigorously accountable. Citing pretexts that have
become all too familiar to everyone, certain Member States have let their territory
become a safe haven for extremist groups, which have free rein to incite violence
and terrorism, spread their hateful rhetoric and sow discord among religions. What
are the Security Council and the United Nations doing about all of this?
The United Nations should also prevent the Erdoğan regime in Turkey from
exploiting the suffering of Syrian citizens who have been displaced by Turkish backed terrorists and by the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria by
certain Member States. The Turkish regime has forced those people to flee in order
to create a large-scale humanitarian crisis. Turkey believes that such a crisis will
bring Europe and the United States to establish a terrorist hotbed in northern Syria.
As part of the same endeavour, Turkey has asked to have an item regarding the
Syrian refugees included on the agenda of the General Assembly. That step paves
the way for Turkey to exploit the so-called international humanitarian summit,
which will take place in 2016 in Istanbul, in order to promote Turkey’s craven
agenda and trade on the suffering of the Syrians.
The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic reiterates that all parties must
coordinate with it in advance and cooperate fully in order to eliminate terrorism as
represented by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Nusrah Front and
other terrorist organizations, entities, groups and ind ividuals associated with the
Al-Qaida organization, which are active on Syrian and Iraqi territory and pose a
threat to regional and international peace and security. The United States, Britain,
France, Canada and Australia have sought to justify their intervention in Syria by
citing the fight against ISIL. They have invoked Article 51 of the Charter of the
United Nations, but have not consulted with the Syrian Government. That course of
action distorts the provisions of the Charter and manipulates international law. Such
an assault on Syrian sovereignty will merely give terrorism a freer hand. The only
productive way to combat terrorism remains the establishment of an effective
international coalition within the framework of international law and with the
participation of concerned States, particularly Syria, which is the mai n party
confronting terrorism in the region.
I should be grateful if you would have the present letter issued as a document
of the General Assembly, under agenda item 108, and of the Security Council.
(Signed) Bashar Ja’afari
Ambassador
Permanent Representative

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