U.A.E. condemns human rights violations in Syria, ISIL's crimes

GENEVA: Despite several international resolutions designed to put an end to the violence, the Syrian regime has been continuing with massacres. Chlorine, a prohibited product, has been used against civilians. The international community has been called upon to ask for accountability for the authors of those crimes, said Ambassador Obaid Salem Saeed Al Za'abi, Permanent Representative of U.A.E. to the United Nations and other international organisations, in his speech before the Human Rights Council in Geneva, on Tuesday. The U.A.E. also condemns in the strongest terms the crimes perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) which amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes according to the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, and the Human Rights Council should hold the perpetrators accountable and stop them from getting away with it, affirmed AL Za'abi in his speech before the Human Rights Council's interactive dialogue with the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria. Citing a recent report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, the U.A.E. permanent representative said that 6.5 million Syrians were displaced within their country and 2.9 million have become refugees, making Syria the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. UN agencies say that 10.8 million Syrians are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance inside Syria, including 241,000 people who are still under siege and 4.7 million in hard-to-reach areas. Noting that in the past two years, the U.A.E. has pledged US$360 million to provide humanitarian assistance for Syrian refugees, the U.A.E. representative also urged the enabling of international relief agencies to have unhindered access in implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 2139 and 2165 of 2014, as well as the provision of protection for hospitals, medical teams and humanitarian workers. He also reiterated that the U.A.E. stands for the legitimate demands of the Syrian people and for the integrity and unity of Syria, and is always keen on easing the humanitarian tragedy and the suffering of the Syrians. Ambassador Al Za'abi also reiterated the U.A.E.'s adherence to the resolution of the League of Arab States, which emphasises the need for an urgent political and peaceful settlement for the Syrian issue as the best way for fulfilling the aspirations of the Syrian people, sparing their blood and achieving their stability. – Emirates News Agency, WAM – http://www.wam.ae/en/news/international/1395269765349.html