Deputy Expatriates and Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad said on Monday that the war on terrorism should not be merely a public relations exercise or an attempt to satisfy one party at the expense of another. Rather, he said all states affected terrorism should be involved.
In an interview with RT TV channel, Mikdad said that Syria has been combating terrorism relentlessly for more than three years and its absence along with other important states from conferences on counterterrorism held in Jeddah, Paris or elsewhere raises doubts about these conferences.
He expressed astonishment that countries that are at the forefront of these conferences are also those responsible for supporting, financing, and arming terrorists, pointing out that these countries should be punished for violating the U.N. Charter and the Security Council resolutions instead of inviting them to such conferences.
He noted that Iran, like Syria, is waging a war against terror, yet some states are maneuvering to prevent Iran from participating in these conferences.
"Iran is feeling that some states are not serious in countering terrorism and that they have agendas not related to this issue. This has made it refrain from participating in such conferences," Mikdad said.
Mikdad stressed that Security Council resolutions force any alliances or fronts that are meant to confront terrorism to respect the sovereignty and independence of states and to consult with them regarding war against terrorism, and these alliances should not overstep the rules of international law when taking counterterrorism decisions.
The deputy minister said that Saudi Arabia and Turkey have played a key role in supporting terrorist groups, including the Islamic State, in Syria over the past years, pointing out that these countries have hosted terrorists and facilitated their movement to Syria and they supplied them with everything to fight the Syrian people.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
......
