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Kuwait alarmed at ongoing attacks on innocent in Syria

GENEVA, March 12 (KUNA) -- Kuwait is concerned because of continuous attacks on innocent civilians in Syria and random offensives on civil targets.
Kuwait condemns recurring indiscriminate offensives, with heavy-caliber arms, on medical facilities, schools, civil infrastructural installations that, in most situations, inflict casualties among innocent civilians, says the State Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghunaim.
He was speaking during a session by a fact-finding commission, held as part of the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Ambassador Al-Ghunaim decried deployment of internationally prohibited arms, perpetration of a large number of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, explicitly breaching international human laws and universal human rights laws.
He urged co-conferees to examine closely the commission regular report about outcome of battles that had happened in 2018; namely immigration of 1.5 million scared and desperate Syrians, swelling total number of the Syrian refugees to 5.6 million, in addition to 6.2 million displaced people in Syria.
"The State of Kuwait demands that the international community consider this issue as of extreme significance to avert humanitarian repercussions and seek to spare the brotherly country further pain, tragedies and homelessness," Ambassador Al-Ghunaim stated.
The senior Kuwaiti diplomat called for "dealing with crimes that are tantamount to the level of crimes against humanity and war crimes," dedicating attention to humanitarian issues, namely permits for safe and sustainable dispatch of humanitarian aid to peoples in need, providing medical aid and prohibiting blockades on residential regions, "on basis of our adherence to relevant international conventions." Kuwait, he adds, emphasizes necessity of implementing the UNCHR resolutions, particularly those related to human rights in Syria that have been issued since more than seven years ago.
Afflicted children of Syria "deserve" to be looked after, he says, noting that millions of Syrian kids "know nothing about life but war and many of them get neither education nor proper health care." Kuwait, in coordination with countries neighboring Syria, has exerted tremendous efforts to educate the Syrian children, he said, noting financial support for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to enable it teach them, in addition to construction of schools with allocations from Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED).
He underscored an initiative by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to support and help children and juveniles among the Syrian refugees and the displaced -- namely through educational programs.
Sensing its responsibilities and duties toward the brotherly Syrian people who have experienced an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy in modern times, Kuwait has adopted an effective humanitarian diplomatic policy toward the Syrian crisis.
Citing tangible outcomes of this strategy, Ambassador Al-Ghunaim alluded to the three Kuwait-hosted conferences for pledging assistance for the Syrian people, held in 2013, 2014 and 2015, in addition to its participation in donors' congresses in London and Brussels in later years.
Moreover, in this regard, Kuwait urges states that had vowed to aid the Syrian people to honor the pledges.
Kuwait remains utterly convinced that the sole possible solution to the Syrian crisis lies in a political settlement that meets the Syrian people aspirations, as mentioned in the 2012 Geneva declaration, on the basis of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.
"We hope that efforts aimed at pushing toward a peaceful solution will be successful," the Kuwaiti envoy states.
Furthermore, he called on the UNHRC to act to avert "further humanitarian repercussions," as "we aspire to see cooperation from all parts, along with the efforts by the United Nations Secretary General Envoy Geir Pedersen for attaining peace." (end) ta.rk