Minister of Foreign Affairs from Brussels: “We Need to Take Genuine Political Steps to Put an End to the Syrian Crisis and Realise Goals of the International Community in Bringing Peace and Security to Syria”.

The Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Fuad Hussein, affirmed that the Syrian crisis, since its outbreak, has led to a huge number of civilian victims of the Syrian people, and displacement and migration of millions of them inside and outside Syria, in addition to the substantial destruction caused to a number of Syrian cities and their infrastructure. Eleven years after the outbreak of the crisis, the world has become more aware now than ever that the political and economic blockade and military confrontations will only lead to more suffering and destruction, and that the resolution to the crisis lies in ending the stalemate that dominated the efforts for a political resolution and starting to take actual political steps to put an end to the crisis and realise the goals of the international community in bringing peace and security to Syria and protecting its people.

This came during a speech delivered by His Excellency at the Brussels VI Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, organised by the European Union in Brussels, in the presence of more than (46) international delegations.

 The Minister confirmed that the Iraqi government, since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, had been very keen to support all international and regional initiatives and efforts aimed at resolving conflicts in the region by rejecting rivalries and military resolutions and giving priority to the language of dialogue and diplomatic efforts to realise security and stability, adding that Iraq has called in all international forums for Syria’s return to occupy its seat in the Arab League because of its great importance in giving priority to the language of dialogue in preparation for the establishment of security, peace and stability in the region, emphasizing Iraq’s support for all initiatives that respect the choices of the Syrian people, preserve Syria’s unity and territorial integrity, to preserve and promotes the principles and values ​​of human rights in it, calling on all concerned parties to engage in a constructive political dialogue aimed at finding quick resolutions to the suffering of the Syrian people due to that crisis and expediting all efforts aimed at the safe and voluntary return of migrants and displaced persons to their places and the reconstruction of the affected areas as stipulated in Security Council Resolution No. (2254), the statements of the Geneva Conference on Syria and the Astana peace talks in Syria, stating that Iraq renews its support for the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Geir Pedersen, to find a resolution to the crisis and end the suffering of the Syrian people.

The Ministry stated that Iraq hosts almost  260,000 registered Syrian citizens, as well as tens of thousands of Syrian citizens scattered in Iraqi cities who are not registered in the records of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and His Excellency appreciates all the efforts exerted by the European Union and the United Nations to support countries in the region that host Syrian refugees, stating that Iraq, despite the security and logistical challenges it confronts, has allowed cross-border transportation of humanitarian assistance and cooperates positively with the programmes and projects of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Assistance, UNHCR and other international humanitarian organisations.

His Excellency renewed Iraq’s call to the international community for concerted efforts to eliminate the remnants of ISIS and its extremist ideology conclusively and to hold its members accountable for all the crimes they committed against innocent people, which amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and the need to find a final and decisive resolution to the issue of refugee camps scattered throughout Syria and some countries in the region because of the imminent danger these camps could pose to regional and international security.

In conclusion, the Minister expressed his thanks to those who involved in organizing these Conference of European Union officials, international organisations and workers in the field of relief and humanitarian assistance for their great efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian refugees.

It is worth noting that this conference is held annually at the ministerial level, with in the presence of high-level personalities. The Minister holds, on the sidelines of the conference bilateral meetings to discuss issues related to supporting Syria and issues of the region.