Syria raps UNSC for holding meeting in support of terrorists

Syria's Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Ja'afari

Syria's Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Ja'afari has censured the Security Council for permitting representatives of terrorist organizations to call for the convening of an emergency meeting.

During a UNSC emergency session held on Wednesday, Ja'afari also expressed his regrets that three members of the council had drafted a resolution without coordinating with his delegation.    

The draft resolution, submitted by Egypt, New Zealand and Spain, calls for a 10-day humanitarian ceasefire in the divided Syrian city of Aleppo.

Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, remains split between government forces in the west and foreign-backed terrorists in the east, making it a frontline battleground.

“It is high time to end this political theater” said Ja'afari, while noting that militant groups were still active in Syria and were using civilians as human shields in Aleppo.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin also stressed that halting counter-terrorism operations will not aid the humanitarian situation.

According to reports, most of the aid being sent to Aleppo ends up in militant-held areas, including areas controlled by the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terror group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

He added that the Security Council should stop supporting “moderate opposition” in Syria as they have mostly proven to be allied with Takfiri terrorist groups.

Syrians, who fled from militant-held areas in the city of Aleppo, sit around a fire on November 30, 2016, at a shelter near the city. (Photo by AFP)

Moscow has long insisted that the so-called moderate opposition groups in Syria should leave the terrorist-held areas targeted in the Russian air campaign.

Churkin added that the UK and France are using terrorists to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and accused the UN Security Council of convening the emergency meeting to save terrorists from defeating.

The foreign-backed conflict in Syria, which flared up in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 people, according to an estimate by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.