The Syrian Foreign Minister on Monday accused France and other countries of supporting "terrorism" by providing money and weapons to the rebels trying to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Walid Al-Moualem also cited the United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey among the countries acting like France.
The Syrian minister also denounced as a "flagrant interference" in Syria's internal affairs by calling for the departure of Bashar al-Assad.
Regarding the international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, he stressed that the success of any international effort to resolve the Syrian crisis requires, in addition to the commitment of the Syrian government is to obtain assurances from those states who support the rebels. These countries should instead promote dialogue and renounce violence, the Syrian official stated. More broadly, Muallem called on all countries represented in the General Assembly to pressure to end the violence by ceasing arming, financing or training terrorist groups.
He also called on the national opposition to work together to put an end to the bloodshed and sit at the dialogue table with the Syrian government, stressing that Damascus continues to believe in a political solution. "This national dialogue will define the way forward for establishing a more democratic and pluralist Syria," he said.
The Syrian Minister also criticized the international sanctions against Damascus, arguing that they undermine the lives of Syrian citizens. H
During his meeting with al-Moualem on the sidelines of the General Assembly session, the UN chief Ban Ki-moon "denounced in the strongest terms the continued killing, destruction, damage to human rights, air attacks and artillery by the Syrian government," said a spokesman for the UN Secretary General. Ban noted that a decrease in violence could prepare for the political process. He expressed his deep frustration at the fact that after 19 months of fighting, the situation continues to worsen.
