The US occupation of Syria is a violation of international law. Syria’s Envoy to the United Nations Bassam al-Sabbagh accused the United States and other NATO members, on 25 February, of hindering the efforts by the Syrian government to put an end to the 11 year-long and rebuild the country.
In an address to the UN Security Council, Sabbagh said the occupation of large tracts of Syrian territory by the US perpetuates the activities of the armed groups that are causing instability in the country and the entire region.
“The suffering of the Syrian people continues as a result of the practices of Western countries whose interests and agendas have prevailed over the lives of Syrians and the security and stability of the region,” the Syrian envoy charged.
Sabbagh also slammed the sanctions that the US government has imposed on Damascus. He said the coercive measures have significantly reduced the ability for the Syrian government to access the financial capital needed to rebuild the country and to resettle the millions of people who were displaced by the western-backed insurgency.
He appealed to the UN to speak out against the “blatant violations of international law and the UN Charter” by the US.
Sabbagh emphasized that his country was food self-sufficient before the US illegally wrested control of most of its wheat producing regions. Prior to the US occupation, the envoy said Syria produced over 2.5 million tonnes of wheat per year but is now forced to import most of the wheat needed for domestic consumption.
Washington has deployed its troops across much of eastern and northeastern Syria under the pretext of preventing the oil fields in the region from falling into the hands of ISIS. Damascus has however accused the US of using its occupation to loot and plunder Syrian resources such as wheat and oil.
