WASHINGTON, December 11. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his counterparts from Jordan, Qatar and UAE in a phone call that Syria should not be allowed to become a harbor for terrorists.
Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that in a conversation with Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Blinken "emphasized the need to facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance, prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors." He also urged to ensure that "chemical weapons stockpiles are secured and destroyed."
A similar position was expressed during phone calls with Qatari Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi.
Blinken also "reiterated that all of Syria’s groups should be able to participate in a meaningful political process," the statement says.
Earlier in the day, the top US diplomat held a phone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. In the course of the discussion, he "reiterated the need for all actors in Syria to respect human rights, protect religious and ethnic minorities, and uphold international humanitarian law," the Department of State said.
The United States and its allies have been illegally present on Syrian soil under the pretext of combating terrorism since 2014. As Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya has said, the westerners have effectively abandoned their fight with the Islamic State and the Al-Qaeda (both outlawed in Russia), and have long resorted to using the militants, whom they have themselves nourished, exclusively in their own interest, including for sabotage against Syrian governmental forces.
On November 27, members of armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against government forces' positions in Aleppo and Idlib Governorates. By the evening of December 7, opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad had captured several major cities: Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Deraa, and Homs. They entered Damascus on December 8, after which Syrian army units withdrew from the city. The head of the Syrian government, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, expressed his readiness for a peaceful transfer of power in the country. Assad left office and fled the country.
Chemical weapons in Syria
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Monday its technical Secretariat is closely monitoring the events in Syria and reminds the Syrian authorities about Syria’s obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which remain in effect, the Organization said.
The Chemical Weapons Convention entered into effect for Syria on October 14, 2013. In 30 days, the country presented its initial declaration on its chemical weapons program. However, the OPCW considered this declaration incomplete and imprecise. In these circumstances, a special group has been established, which has been working on elimination of gaps and inconsistencies in the initial declaration to this day.