Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia laid responsibility for the dire conditions prevailing in Syria on Israel and the United States, in a statement made to a Jan. 8 meeting of the UN Security Council on Syria. After noting the violence that has “already engulfed many regions of the country,” Nebenzia took aim at Israel first.
“In particular, we would like to point out the direct threat to the territorial integrity of Syria posed by the unlawful policy of Israel, which is creating irreversible facts on the ground (fait accompli policy) in the occupied Golan Heights (by the way, Israel has already taken over 500 square kilometers of Syrian land). Israel’s actions are in gross violation of international legal decisions, including numerous decisions of the Security Council and the General Assembly.”
“Under these circumstances, Syria continues to face a dire humanitarian crisis, which the head of OCHA has confirmed today,” Nebenzia continued. “Millions of citizens of that long-suffering country continue to experience acute food shortages and inadequate medical care. That situation has been consistently exacerbated by Washington, since the U.S. has for several years been de facto occupying the most resource-rich northeastern part of Syria, exerting heavy sanctions pressure on Damascus and encouraging its satellites to do the same. As a result, the Syrian economy is under tremendous pressure and is unable to cope with the challenges facing the country. …
