Syria and Russia have called upon the international community to exert pressure on the US, to force it to pull out its troops from Syria as soon as possible.
In a joint statement the Syrian and Russian Coordination Committees on the Return of Displaced Syrians called upon the, “International community, the UN agencies and international humanitarian organizations to adopt a principled stance to influence the US in order to solve the issue of withdrawing its occupation forces from Syria at the soonest possible time.”
The two committees reaffirmed that the, “US forces, which are occupying lands in Syria, had illegally entered Syria and their presence hinders the exerted efforts for restoring normal life to the country and they constitute an obstacle that hinders stability in the southeast of Syria and which causes a catastrophic situation for the residents of the al-Rukban Camp, who are forcibly held at the camp by terrorist groups controlled by the US.”
The statement noted that doctors from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) confirmed, after examining patients at the camp, that they have chronic diseases and some of them suffer from tuberculosis and dermatological diseases, meanwhile many of them suffer from malnutrition, and the children have vitamin deficiencies and suffer from intestinal and viral infections.
The statement indicated that Syria and Russia are taking unprecedented measures to save the residents of the al-Rukban Camp as, 13,337 people have been evacuated from the camp since Mar. 23, 2019.
The statement asserted that the Syrian state is taking all possible measures to guarantee a dignified life for those who exit the camp and that temporary housing shelters equipped with the basic food and medical needs have been provided for them, while more than 85 percent of them have returned to their hometowns.
The two committees called upon the US to prevent terrorists whom it backs from blackmailing those who are willing to get out of the camp and to ensure the arrival of representatives of Syria and Russia to the al-Rukban Camp.
Meanwhile, the statement indicated that the conditions for the 73,000 civilians at the al-Hol Camp in Hassakeh, which is also controlled by the US, are deteriorating as the number of its residents increased by more than seven folds over the past four months. They called for support to aid the efforts exerted by the Syrian state for the return of the displaced to their hometowns.
The two committees called on the US and the European Union to lift the unilateral economic sanctions imposed on Syria that impede their ability to obtain medical equipment, materials and maintenance equipment, in addition to construction materials.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
