Syria's statement at the UN Security Council on the global war against terrorism
Syria-Regional, Politics, 1/21/2003

Syria's Foreign Minister, Farouk Al-Shara, on Monday gave a speech at the UN Security Council ministerial meeting on the so-called global war on Terrorism.

Foreign minister's speech was delivered by the Syrian Permanent Representative to the UN, Mikhail Wahbe.

Al-Shara pointed out Syria's affirmation on the UN role in gearing up efforts of all the state members to fight terrorism in line with the UN charter principles and goals. He indicated that "terrorism did not start with the tragic events 9/11 of the US, which we all condemned, and regretfully saying would not end then, since in our world of today right is mixed with injustice."

"The Security Council resolution 1373, undoubtedly, forms a corner stone in our efforts for fight world terrorism and Syria cooperated with fighting terrorism committee chaired by the Ambassador, Jeremy Greenstock and hopes that this committee would continue its work for monitoring all related sides to this resolution," al-Shara added.

He indicated that world terrorism requires joint action by the international community in order to occupy the priority on its efforts. He pointed out that terrorism causes and roots should be seriously looked into in order to be fought and defeated.

The foreign minister affirmed that Syria condemns terrorism and has called for holding an international conference, under the supervision of the UN, to define terrorism and make distinction between it and the peoples struggle for freedom.

Syria also, al-Shara stressed, called since 1989 for making the Middle East a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) free area, an initiative which was joined by the Arab and Islamic countries of the region but was not achieved due to the Israeli rejection of joining the non-proliferation treaty of nuclear weapons under the pretext of waiting for reaching peace with its neighboring states.

"If the real goal of the international community is to disengage the dangerous terrorism and WMD and fighting both together, lets do it together for fighting both issues in a parallel way through what Syria has called for, for more than two decades, of holding an international conference to define terrorism and make the Middle East a WMD free region not excluding any of its states," Shara said.

The foreign minister mentioned that Syria had been a victim of terrorism since early 1980s and succeeded, by her own assets, in treating its causes and roots. Syria worked within the frameworks of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the UN for fighting terrorism as well as had worked bilaterally with a number of states for the same goal.

"Syria will continue cooperation with the terrorism fighting committee as well as with all sincere efforts for the sake of such a noble goal of the international community," Shara concluded.

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