Syria has stressed that the international support for efforts to dismantle landmines and explosive devices should depend on the rules of international law in coordination with the national authorities concerned, adding that the dangers of landmines and explosive devices left behind by terrorist organizations continue to threaten the lives of Syrians.
“The problem of mines and explosive devices is still a major threat to the lives of millions of people, particularly children, women, and it affects livelihoods and impedes development and stability efforts and the return of the displaced to their homes,” Syria’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Hussam al-Din Ala said in a statement on Friday, during the 19th meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines.
He added that despite the national efforts exerted to face the dangers and challenges arising from them, achieving real progress requires strong international support and facilitating the access of affected countries to the financial and technical resources needed for dismantling landmines without politicization or double standards.
Ambassador Ala pointed out that with the escalation of challenges related to the multiplicity of hotbeds of tension in the world and the spread of terrorism, the using of terrorist organizations of landmines and explosive devices to threaten civilians and spread terrorism requires taking effective measures to combat it and to ensure compliance of the countries that supply terrorists with landmines and explosive devices for Security Council resolutions related to combating terrorism.
He said the Syrian Arab Republic has suffered from the effects of the terrorist war waged against it since 2011 and using landmines and explosive devices by terrorist organizations such as Daesh, Jabhat al-Nusra and Tahrir al-Sham has caused large human suffering.
The Ambassador added that the Syrian Arab Republic deals, in this context, with the issue of removing landmines and explosive devices left by terrorist organizations to protect its citizens and ensure their safe return to their homes and face the humanitarian, social, and economic consequences arising from it.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)