April 3, 2024 (EIRNS)—Both Russia and China denounced the April 2 attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria during a meeting of the UN security Council yesterday. Chinese deputy envoy Geng Shuang condemned the attack as yet another example of the crossing of the red lines of international law. “Since the latest round of conflict broke out in the Gaza Strip last October, we have witnessed countless attacks on houses, schools, hospitals, humanitarian facilities and UN agencies,” he said, reported CCTV Plus. “Today, we have witnessed attacks on diplomatic institutions. The red line of international law and international relations has been broken again and again, and the bottom line of human moral conscience has also been repeatedly broken. This tragic situation must be ended immediately.”
Geng said China calls on all parties, especially countries that have important influence on Israel, to play a constructive role and make practical efforts to push for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, cool down the situation in the Middle East at an early date, and restore peace and stability in the region.
“We condemn this attack in the strongest terms. We regard as categorically unacceptable any attacks on diplomatic and consular facilities, the inviolability of which is guaranteed by the relevant Vienna Conventions of 1961 and 1963,” Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. Nebenzia also denounced the escalation of Israeli air strikes in Syria over the recent weeks, citing a long list of attacks since last Oct. 7. “The Russian Federation strongly condemns the ongoing raids against the sovereign territory of Syria, viewing them as a flagrant violation of SAR’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said. “We believe that such aggressive actions by Israel, which are designed to further fuel the conflict, are absolutely unacceptable and must stop.”
UN Secretary General António Guterres also denounced the attack on the Iranian consulate in a statement issued by his spokesman. “The secretary-general reaffirms that the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law,” spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said, reported the Times of Israel. Guterres called on “all concerned to exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation,” his spokesperson added in a statement.
“He cautions that any miscalculation could lead to broader conflict in an already volatile region, with devastating consequences for civilians who are already seeing unprecedented suffering in Syria, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and the broader Middle East,” Dujarric continued.