Int’l silence on Syria must end, Jordan tells Security Council

AMMAN — Jordan has called on the international community to examine the UN Security Council's deliberations on ways to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and its repercussions on Jordan and the entire region.

The Kingdom's permanent representative to the UN, Dina Kawar, said on Thursday that Jordan has been standing with the Syrians for almost four years, "aching for all what they are going through" and supporting a political solution that would end their suffering.

Addressing an open UN Security Council session, she called on the international community to step up and shoulder its responsibility towards Syrian civilians, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The international community, Kawar said, should not remain silent while civilians and hospitals are targeted and main services like electricity and water are disrupted, and should condemn those behind these crimes and bring them to justice. 

She underlined the need for the parties of the conflict in Syria to stop their disputes and violations of international laws, and especially for the regime to halt the use of barrel bombs.

She urged the international community to intensify its work to ensure aid is delivered to more than 12 million Syrians in dire need of assistance.

The UN representative stressed Jordan’s commitment to applying all the council’s resolutions related to the humanitarian situation in Syria, adding that the Kingdom will work with New Zealand and Spain to follow up on the implementation of these resolutions to ensure access to relief aid and save more lives.

“Jordan will continue facilitating the passage of aid trucks to Syria via the Ramtha border crossing,” Kawar said, urging the UN and its partners to utilise the resources offered by Jordan.

The diplomat called on the international community to assist host countries such as Jordan, citing the state of “exhaustion” they have reached, noting that the Kingdom has reached its limit in providing aid to refugees.

She reiterated the Kingdom’s stance in supporting efforts to reach a political solution in Syria, warning that failure to end the conflict will exacerbate sectarian strife in the region and bring more destruction and chaos.