Nell’arena dell’Assemblea generale delle Nazioni Unite, al Palazzo di Vetro di New York, molti capi di Stato e di governo, o ministri degli Esteri, si sono avvicendati per l’inaugurazione della 73.ma sessione. Nei discorsi pronunciati, il tema della Terra Santa, e del Medio Oriente più in generale, è riecheggiato più volte davanti ai rappresentanti dei 193 Stati membri.
Terrasanta .net propone un'antologia di brani di diversi oratori: Donald Trump, Hassan Rouhani, Re Abdallah di Giordania, Abdel Fattah al Sisi, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Michel Aoun, Donald Tusk, Sergey Lavrov, Wang Yi, Walid al- Moallem, Arcivescovo Paul Richard Gallagher . La trovate qui:
Noi proponiamo il testo integrale in inglese del discorso di Walid al-Moallem, Ministro degli Affari Esteri e degli Espatriati della Repubblica Araba di Siria
Madam President of the 73rd session of the United Nations General
Assembly,
I would like to congratulate you and your country #Ecuador on your
election as president of the current session of the General Assembly
and I wish you all success. I would also like to thank your predecessor
for presiding over the Assembly during the previous session.
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen,
Every year we arrive at this important international forum, hoping that
every corner of this world has become more secure, stable, and
prosperous. Today, our hope is stronger than ever, and so is our
confidence that the will of the people shall eventually triumph. Our
hope and confidence are the result of more than seven years of
hardship, during which our people suffered from the scourge of
terrorism. However, Syrians refused to compromise. They refused to
succumb to #terrorist_groups and their external supporters. They
stood their ground. They remained defiant, fully convinced that this
was a battle for their existence, their history, and their future, and that
they will ultimately emerge victorious.
To the disappointment of some, here we are today, more than seven years into this dirty war against my country, announcing to the world
that the situation on the ground has become more secure and stable
and that our war on terror is almost over, thanks to the heroism,
resolve, and unity of the people and the army, and to the support of
our allies and friends. However, we will not stop at these
achievements. We remain committed to fighting this sacred battle
until we purge all Syrian territories from terrorist groups, regardless of
their names, and from any illegal foreign presence. We will pay no
heed to any attacks, external pressure, lies or allegations that seek to
discourage us. This is our duty and a non-negotiable right that we have
exercised as we set out to eradicate terrorism from our land.
Madam President,
The governments of certain countries have denied us our right, under
international law, and our national duty to combat terrorism and
protect our people on our land and within our own borders. At the
same time, these governments formed an illegitimate international
coalition, led by the United States, on the pretext of combating
terrorism in Syria. The so-called international coalition has done
everything but fight terrorism. It has even become clear that the
coalition’s goals were in perfect alignment with those of terrorist
groups; sowing chaos, death and destruction in their path. The
coalition destroyed the Syrian city of #Raqqa completely; it destroyed
infrastructure and public services in the areas it targeted; it committed
massacres against civilians, including children and women, which
amount to war crimes under international law. The coalition has also
provided direct military support to terrorists, on multiple occasions, as
they fought against the #Syrian_army. It should have been more aptly
named ‘The Coalition to Support Terrorists and War Crimes.’
The situation in Syria cannot be divorced from the battle raging
between two camps on the world stage: one of the camps promotes
peace, stability, and prosperity across the world, advocates dialogue
and mutual understanding, respects international law, and upholds the
principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. The
other camp tries to create chaos in international relations and employs
colonization and hegemony as tools to further its narrow interests, even if that meant resorting to corrupt methods, such as supporting
terrorism and imposing an economic blockade, to subjugate people
and governments that reject external diktats and insist on making their
own decisions.
What happened in Syria should have been a lesson to some countries
but those countries refuse to learn. Instead, they choose to bury their
head in the sand. This is why ladies and gentlemen we, the members of
this organization, must make a clear and unequivocal choice: are we
going to defend international law and the UN charter and be on the
side of justice? Or are we going to submit to hegemonic tendencies and
the law of the jungle that some are trying to impose on this
organization and the world?
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, the situation on the ground is more stable and secure thanks to
progress made in combating terrorism. The government continues to
rehabilitate the areas destroyed by terrorists to restore normalcy. All
conditions are now present for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees
to the country they had to leave because of terrorism and the
unilateral economic measures that targeted their daily lives and their
livelihoods. Thousands of Syrian refugees abroad have indeed started
their journey back home.
The return of every Syrian refugee is a priority for the Syrian state.
Doors are open for all Syrians abroad to return voluntarily and safely.
And what applies to Syrians inside Syria also applies to Syrians abroad.
No one is above the law. Thanks to the help of Russia, the Syrian
government will spare no effort to facilitate the return of those
refugees and meet their basic needs. A special committee was recently
established to coordinate the return of refugees to their places of
origin in Syria and to help them regain their lives.
We have called upon the international community and humanitarian
organizations to facilitate these returns. However, some western
countries and in line with their dishonest behavior since the start of
the war on Syria continue to prevent the return of refugees. They are
spreading irrational fears among refugees; they are politicizing what should be a purely humanitarian issue, using refugees as a bargaining
chip to serve their political agenda, and linking the return of refugees
to the political process.
Today, as we are about to close the last chapter in the crisis, Syrians
are coming together to erase the traces of this terrorist war and to
rebuild their country with their own hands, whether they stayed in
Syria or were forced to leave. We welcome any assistance with
reconstruction from those countries that were not part of the
aggression on Syria and those that have come out clearly and explicitly
against terrorism. However, the priority is for our friends that stood by
us in our war on terror. As for the countries that offer only conditional
assistance or continue to support terrorism, they are neither invited
nor welcome to help.
Madam President,
As we move ahead on counter-terrorism, reconstruction and the return
of refugees, we remain committed to the political process without
compromising on our national principles. These include preserving the
sovereignty, independence, and territorial unity of the Syrian Arab
Republic, protecting the exclusive right of Syrians to determine the
future of their country without external interference, and eradicating
terrorism from our country. We expressed time and again our
readiness to respond to any initiative that would help Syrians end the
crisis. We have engaged positively in the Geneva talks, the Astana
process and the Syrian national dialogue in Sochi. However, it has
always been the other parties that rejected dialogue and resorted to
terrorism and foreign interference to achieve their goals.
Nevertheless, we continue to implement the outcomes of the #Sochi
Syrian national dialogue on the formation of a constitutional
committee to review the current constitution. We presented a
practical and comprehensive vision on the composition, prerogatives
and working methods of the committee and submitted a list of
representatives on behalf of the Syrian state. We stress that the
mandate of the committee is limited to reviewing the articles of the
current constitution, through a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process
that may be facilitated by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General
for Syria. No preconditions should be imposed on the committee, nor should its recommendations be prejudged. The committee must be
independent since the constitution is a Syrian matter to be decided by
Syrians themselves. Therefore, we will not accept any proposal that
constitutes an interference in the internal affairs of Syria or leads to
such interference. The Syrian people must have the final word
regarding any constitutional or sovereign matter. We stand ready to
work actively with our friends to convene the committee along the
parameters I have just mentioned.
In addition to these international initiatives, local reconciliation is well
underway. Reconciliation agreements allowed us to stem the
bloodshed and prevent destruction in many areas around Syria. They
restored stability and a normal life to these areas and allowed people
to return to the homes they were forced to leave because of terrorism. Reconciliation, therefore, will remain our priority.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The battle we fought in Syria against terrorism was not only a military
one. It was also an ideological battle, between the culture of
destruction, extremism, and death, and the culture of construction,
tolerance, and life. Therefore, I launch an appeal from this rostrum,
calling for fighting the ideology of terrorism and violent extremism,
drying up its support and financial resources, and implementing
relevant Security Council resolutions, notably resolution 2253. The
military battle against terrorism, albeit important, is not enough.
Terrorism is like an epidemic. It will return, break out, and threaten
everyone without exception.
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen,
We fully condemn and reject the use of chemical weapons under any
circumstances, wherever, whenever, and regardless of the target. This
is why Syria eliminated completely its chemical program and fulfilled
all its commitments as a member of the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), as confirmed by numerous
OPCW reports. Although some western countries are constantly trying
to politicize its work, we have always cooperated with the OPCW to
the largest extent possible. Unfortunately, every time we express our readiness to receive objective and professional investigative teams to
investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons, these countries
would block such efforts because they know that the conclusions of
the investigations would not satisfy the ill-intentions they harbor
against Syria. These countries have ready-made accusations and
scenarios to justify an aggression on Syria. This was the case when the
United States, France, and the UK launched a wanton aggression on
Syria last April, claiming that chemical weapons were used without any
investigation or evidence and in a flagrant violation of Syria’s
sovereignty, international law and the UN charter.
Meanwhile, these same countries disregarded all reliable information
we provided on chemical weapons in the possession of terrorist groups
that used them on multiple occasions to blame the Syrian government
and justify an attack against it. The terrorist organization known as ‘the White Helmets’ was the main tool used to mislead public opinion and
fabricate accusations and come up with lies on the use of chemical
weapons in Syria. The White Helmets was created by British
intelligence under a humanitarian cover. It has been proven however
that this organization is part of the Al-Qaida-affiliated Nosra Front.
Despite all allegations, we remain committed to liberating all our
territory without concern for the black banners of terrorists or the
theatrics of the White Helmets.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In another episode of the terrorist war on #Syria since 2011, suicide
bombings orchestrated by ISIL rocked the governorate of Suwayda in
southern Syria last July. It is worth noting that the terrorists behind
that attack came from the Tanf area where US forces are present. The
area has become a safe haven for ISIL remnants who are now hiding in
the Rukban refugee camp on the border with Jordan, under the
protection of US forces. The United States also sought to prolong the
crisis in Syria by releasing terrorists from Guantanamo prison and
sending them to Syria, where they became the effective leaders of the
Nosra Front and other terrorist groups.
Meanwhile, the Turkish regime continues to support terrorists in Syria.
Since day one of the war on Syria, the Turkish regime has trained and
armed terrorists, turning Turkey into a hub and a corridor for terrorists on their way to Syria. When terrorists failed to serve its agenda, the
Turkish regime resorted to direct military aggression, attacking cities
and towns in northern Syria. However, all these actions that
undermine Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity and
violate international law will not stop us from exercising our rights and
fulfilling our duties to recover our land and purge it from terrorists,
whether through military action or reconciliation agreements. We have
always been open to any initiative that prevents further deaths and
restores safety and security to areas affected by terrorism. That is why
we welcomed the agreement on #Idlib reached in Sochi on September
17th. The agreement was the result of intensive consultations and full
coordination between Syria and Russia. The agreement is timebound,
includes clear deadlines, and complements the agreements on the deescalation
zones reached in Astana. We hope that when the agreement is implemented, the Nosra Front and other terrorist groups will be
eradicated, thus eliminating the last remnants of terrorism in Syria.
Any foreign presence on Syrian territory without the consent of the
Syrian government is illegal and constitutes a flagrant violation of
international law and the UN charter. It is an assault on our
sovereignty, which undermines counter-terrorism efforts and
threatens regional peace and security. We therefore consider any
forces operating on Syrian territory without an explicit request from
the Syrian government, including US, French, and Turkish forces,
occupying forces and will be dealt with accordingly. They must
withdraw immediately and without conditions.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Israel continues to occupy a dear part of our land in the Syrian Golan
and our people there continue to suffer because of its oppressive and
aggressive policies. Israel even supported terrorist groups that
operated in southern Syria, protecting them through direct military
intervention and launching repeated attacks on Syria. But just as we
liberated southern Syria from terrorists, we are determined to liberate
fully the occupied Syrian Golan to the lines of June 4th, 1967. Syria
demands that the international community put an end to all these
practices and compel Israel to implement relevant UN resolutions,
notably resolution 497 on the occupied Syrian Golan. The international community must also help the Palestinian people establish its own
independent state, with Jerusalem as its capital, and facilitate the
return of Palestine refugees to their land, pursuant to international
resolutions. Any actions that undermine these rights are null and void
and threaten regional peace and security, especially the Israeli racist
law known as “the nation-state law” and the decision of the US
administration to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and stop funding
UNRWA.
Madam President,
Syria strongly condemns the decision of the US administration to
withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement, which proves once again
the United States’ disregard for international treaties and conventions.
We express once again our solidarity with the leaders and people of
the Islamic Republic of Iran and trust that they will overcome the
effects of this irresponsible decision. We also stand with the
government and people of Venezuela in the face of #US attempts to
interfere in their internal affairs. We call once again for lifting the
unilateral economic measures against the Syrian people and all other
independent people around the world, especially the people of the DPRK, Cuba, and Belarus.
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen,
With the help of allies and friends, Syria will defeat terrorism. The
world must never forget that and should treat us accordingly. It is time
for all those detached from reality to wake up, let go of their fantasies,
and come to their senses. They must realize that they will not achieve
politically what they failed to achieve by force. We have never
compromised on our national principles even when the war was at its
peak. We will surely not do that today! At the same time, we want
peace for the people of the world because we want peace for our
people. We have never attacked others. We have never interfered in
the affairs of others. We have never exported terrorists to other parts
of the world. We have always maintained the best relations with other
countries. Today, as we seek to defeat terrorism, we continue to advocate dialogue and mutual understanding to serve the interests of
our people and to achieve security, stability, and prosperity for all.
