Heated UN Security Council exchange among member states over Syria

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Russia, the US and Syria traded accusations during a heated exchange Thursday at a UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

Russia's Ambassador Dmitry Chumakov noted the risk of Israel's ongoing war against Palestinians spreading to the wider region as he noted the strike on the Iranian Embaccy in Damascus last month.

"We condemn such attacks in the strongest possible terms. We call on Israel to refrain from military actions on the territory of Syria and its neighbors," said Chumakov.

He criticized the US’ military presence in Syria ‘under the pretext of allegedly fighting terrorism,” as “having a destabilizing effect. Washington's double standards are clearly manifested here."

He also found fault with the US for new sanctions against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.

US envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield countered with the "serious dire humanitarian situation, human rights violations and lack of accountability for regime crimes and abuses."

"It is no wonder that Syrian refugees overwhelmingly believe they cannot return to their country," she said.

She urged Council members to pressure the Assad regime to implement Security Council Resolution 2254 which calls for national reconciliation to address the root causes of the conflict.

While pledging to continue to work with diplomatic partners to prevent a further escalation in Syria and neighboring countries, Thomas-Greenfield stuck back at her Russian colleague.

"Don't throw stones when you live in a glass house," she said about the war in Ukraine. "You speak here about peace. It is a clear reflection of your commitment, or lack thereof, and your humanitarian concerns."

"Finally, I really want to ask about your commitment to Syria. What did you contribute to serious humanitarian needs, or to serious recovery needs that you speak so strongly about? So, let's not talk about hypocrisy in this room," she said.

Following the exchange between the US and Russia, Syrian Ambassador Qusay al-Dahhak took the floor and criticized the US for its "blind, full support" to Israel and criticized Washington’s "policies of hypocrisy and double standards."

Calling the US-led coalition "illegal," al-Dahhak questioned the US, UK and French envoys about not commenting on the "damage caused by the illegal coalition" in the so-called fight against the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

He accused the US of imposing sanctions that have killed civilians, prevented refugees and internally displaced peoples from peace and denied hope for Syrians.

US deputy envoy Robert Wood responded to "push back on a number of these falsehoods."

He said the US existence in Syria is only to fight Daesh/ISIS and he criticized the Syrian envoy for claims that Washington is "looting Syrian property and oil resources."

"This is out of the Syrian playbook. It's absolute nonsense. The US is not looting Syrian property, or taking seizing its oil resources," he said.

Noting that the Syrian regime is killing "thousands of its own people since the war began in 2013," Wood told the Council that Syria "used chemical weapons against its own people."

"No amount of lies, no distortions. No propaganda can change that reality," he said.

The Syrian envoy responded and hit back at the US envoy by criticizing US support to Israel and its numerous vetoes at the Council "to prevent an end to the massacres and the genocide and to prevent the delivery of aid."

He accused the US of not having any “red lines in the service of Israel and in destabilizing neighboring regions."

The US rebutted and asked the Council president if the session is "supposed to be about the situation in Syria."