by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Syrian government soldiers celebrate victory against the Islamic State (IS) in the eastern city of al-Bukamal. (Credit: newsx.com)
United Nations : Syria remains the world’s largest and most dynamic displacement crisis, with half of Syrians displaced from their homes, a top UN humanitarian official has said.
On average, more than 6,500 people have been displaced every day in the first nine months of 2017, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock told the Security Council on Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
In northeast Syria, as fighting continued down the Euphrates River toward the border with Iraq, airstrikes and clashes have displaced more than 436,000 people from and within Raqqa governorate since the anti-Islamic State offensive began a year ago.
Another 350,000 people have been displaced from and within the neighbouring governorate of Deir ez-Zor since August 2017, said Lowcock.
Nearly 3 million people continue to live in besieged and hard-to-reach areas in Syria, he said.
At least 420,000 people are living in 10 besieged areas, 94 per cent of whom are in the rebel-held enclave of East Ghouta near the capital city of Damascus.
The UN official expressed grave concern over the food crisis in East Ghouta as fighting continued. Only 100,000 people out of an estimated population of 400,000 in the enclave have received food assistance this year. And those people are only getting occasional one-off deliveries, he said.
Across the war-torn country, more than 13 million people urgently need humanitarian assistance and protection, 5.6 million of them are in acute need, he said.
Almost one school-age child in three is out of school; one-third of schools are damaged or destroyed; fewer than half of Syria’s health facilities are fully operational, leading to thousands of preventable deaths from injury or disease, said Lowcock.
Humanitarian deliveries continue to be impeded, particularly with regard to cross-line operations, he said.
Although assistance to areas under government control represents the majority of UN response, civilians in areas not under government control are reached in much larger numbers, with much greater consistency, and with much more comprehensive support through cross-border operations than through cross-line operations, said Lowcock.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Canberra : The Syrian city of Raqqa is no longer under the control of Islamic State (IS) forces, the Australian Foreign Minister confirmed on Wednesday, paving the way for his countrymen to travel there.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said while the travel ban had been lifted after coalition forces retook the city, both Syria and Iraq retained their “do not travel” warnings, Xinhua news agency reported.
Australia’s Attorney-General George Brandis said that it was still illegal for Australians to travel to the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
Bishop admitted the liberation of Raqqa was a “major step forward” in the fight against IS, but added that it was still an incredibly dangerous place to visit.
Australians will no longer face criminal charges for travelling to the former “de-facto capital city” of the terrorist organisation.
Travel to the city was made a crime by the Australian government in December 2014 to discourage possible extremists from joining the fight in the Middle East.
Laws were also passed stripping dual citizens of their Australian passports should they be found to be in the war-affected nations.
“This is an important milestone in the fight against Islamic State, because the retaking of Raqqa deprives this terrorist organisation of an operating base in Syria.”
Bishop said while IS had been driven out of the city, the terror group “remains a dangerous threat”, hinting that factions would continue to emerge in other parts of the world, as it has in the Philippines.
“IS is likely to emerge elsewhere, with its violent insurgency activities, and we will continue to be committed to the fight against (the group),” the Minister said.
The government added that those who traveled to Raqqa between December 5, 2014 and November 28, would still face prosecution.
“Any Australian who travels to Mosul should know that they will be detected and they will be prosecuted, as five Australians are currently subject to prosecution,” Brandis said.
According to the government, it “remains illegal for Australian citizens to… fight with any armed group in Syria or any terrorist organisation listed under Australian law”.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business Summit, Events, World
By Selen Temizer and Sena Guler,
Ankara : Leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran reiterated their support for Syria’s territorial integrity during a summit in the Russian city of Sochi on Wednesday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani met in the Russian Black Sea resort for the summit and gave messages highlighting the need for a political solution and territorial integrity of Syria.
In a joint statement at the summit, three guarantor countries declared that they would continue to cooperate for the sake of reducing violence in Syria.
In the statement, the three presidents also emphasized on their strong commitment to supporting the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.
The guarantor countries also pointed out the need for confidence-building measures in order to speed up the search for political solutions in Syria.
The measures were listed as fast, secure and continuos humanitarian aid; release of detainees and identification of missing persons.
Measures against PKK/PYD
In the joint statement, they also agreed to hold the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, which will be attended by the Assad regime and the opposition.
The opposition groups who attend the congress would be “the ones that respect Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and non-divisible character”.
By this description,Turkey’s resolute position against the terrorist organization, PKK/PYD, has been reflected.
Opposition groups that will be invited to the congress will be decided by the three countries.
Erdogan’s remarks
President Erdogan said: “Exclusion of terrorist elements — that target both Syrian political union and territorial integrity and our country — from the process, will be among Turkey’s priorities.”
Ankara reiterated there is no difference between the PKK, YPG and PYD terrorist organizations.
He also warned that Turkey cannot share a platform with any terrorist organization that poses a threat to its national security.
Erdogan referred to the Geneva talks under the auspices of the UN, and said the National Dialogue Congress would contribute to the Geneva process.
About the conditions for achievement, he said that besides the attitudes of the regime and the opposition, the three guarantor countries would play a critical role in maintaining “respect and understanding of mutual sensitivity”.
Putin’s remarks
The Russian president pointed out that the summit was a means to strengthen the territorial integrity of Syria.
Vladimir Putin said the Astana process prevents the division of Syria and moves the country towards a “new phase of political solution”, with the cooperation of Turkey and Iran.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Turkish and Iranian leaders for welcoming the idea of holding the Syrian National Dialogue Congress regarding the solution of the Syrian crisis.
Putin added the countries had given necessary instructions about the congress’ date and structure.
Rouhani’s remarks
“We are pleased to see that the three countries have agreed on Syria’s territorial integrity, independence and unity, and we are in close cooperation to ensure peace and stability in Syria,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.
Recalling that the meeting in Sochi constitutes an important step for ending the Syria crisis, Rouhani noted that the solution can be achieved through joint political work, referring to the Astana process launched in January.
“There is no reason for any foreign forces to be present in the country without the consent of the legitimate government of Syria,” Rouhani said.
—AA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
Vladimir Putin
Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the breakdown of Syria has been prevented, and that a new stage has been reached for the possible transition to a political settlement in the war-torn country.
The leaders of Russia, Iran, Turkey held a trilateral summit in the Russian city Sochi, discussing the current situation in Syria and further joint steps to restore peace and security in the country.
“Large-scale military operations against terrorist gangs in Syria are coming to an end. I should note that thanks to the efforts of Russia, Iran and Turkey, it was possible to prevent the disintegration of Syria and conquest by international terrorists, as well as to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe,” Putin said at the summit, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to Putin, the regime of the cessation of hostilities is observed in Syria, four de-escalation zones are functioning in key regions of the country and hundreds of thousands of refugees have begun returning to their hometown.
“It can be stated with certainty that we have reached a new stage that opens the door to a real political settlement process,” he said.
Underlining that the political settlement must be formalized within the framework of the Geneva process, Putin suggested developing a long-term “comprehensive system for the revival of Syria.”
He said the success of the forthcoming reforms largely depends on the solution of the social and economic problems of Syria, as well as the restoration of industry, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education systems.
In particular, the president highlighted the importance of speeding up the implementation of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress and proposed to discuss the parameters of the forum with the other two heads of state.
“It is obvious that the process of reform will be difficult, will require compromises and concessions from all its participants, including the Syrian government. I hope Russia, Iran and Turkey together will make the most active efforts to make this work as productive as possible,” he said.
The Syrian National Dialogue Congress, proposed by Moscow in late October at Astana talks in Kazakhstan for Syrian settlement, is expected to bring together opposition and pro-government forces, as well as representatives of all Syrian ethnic and religious groups to work for the peace process in the country.
On Tuesday, first deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Defense and Security committee Frants Klintsevich said that the fight against Islamic State terrorist group in Syria will possibly be over by the end of the year and Russia may be able to withdraw its air forces.
The Syrian armed conflict broke out in 2011 and Russia started to participate in the anti-terrorist operations in Syria in September 2015.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Latakia : A total of 1,000 tonnes of rice donated by China has been delivered to Syria’s northwestern city of Latakia, the Chinese Embassy in Damascus said.
The donation was part of a larger supplies aid to be delivered to the war-torn country in batches in the near future, Xinhua news agency reported.
The statement issued on Monday by the Chinese Embassy in Damascus said the 1,000 tonnes of rice is part of 5,404 tonnes of rice China is pledging to deliver in the near future.
“China is working hand in hand with the Syrian side to secure the rice to be delivered to the Syrian people as soon as possible.”
A delegation from the Chinese Embassy in Damascus on Monday visited the port of the coastal city of Latakia in northwestern Syria, where the first shipment arrived.
Latakia Governor Ibrahim Khudr Salem escorted the delegation to the port of Latakia, expressing gratitude for the Chinese food aid.
“Thanks for the aid donated by China and for the supportive stance of the Chinese government and people to the Syrian people in their confrontation of terrorism and the regional schemes to divide Syria,” Khudr said.
Chinese Ambassador to Syria, Qi Qianjin, said that Beijing aimed to help the Syrian people in the difficult time the country is passing through.
“We would like, through this food aid, to help the Syrian people in the difficult time of war and this food aid is a clear sign of the firm relations and friendship between the governments and peoples of China and Syria and we will continue to offer all humanitarian and economic help to the Syrian people.”
China has been supporting Syria in the humanitarian field since 2011. In May, China declared that it would provide food aid to the developing countries, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by China in 2013 with the aim of building a trade, investment and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
Apart from the cooperation with the humanitarian organisations, China has also made direct donations in Syria.
—IANS
