3 obstacles need to be overcome to further improve humanitarian work in Syria: Chinese envoy

UNITED NATIONS, March 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Thursday that three obstacles need to be overcome in order to further improve humanitarian relief work in Syria.

Over the past month, no progress has been made in cross-line relief operations in Northwest Syria. The UN Secretariat should make great efforts to promote cross-line relief work and report problems to the Security Council in a timely manner in search of solutions, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

As an important civilian infrastructure and a key hub for the transfer of humanitarian supplies, the safe operation of the Aleppo airport should be guaranteed. China is concerned over another Israeli airstrike at the airport on Wednesday and hopes that nothing like this will happen again. The sovereignty and territory integrity of Syria should be respected, he told the Security Council.

The countries concerned announced a temporary relaxation or suspension of unilateral sanctions against Syria after the February earthquakes, he said. "However, temporary measures cannot cover up the systemic damage caused by long-term unilateral sanctions. The countries concerned should immediately and unconditionally lift all illegal unilateral sanctions against Syria, and stop artificially exacerbating the humanitarian disaster."

With regard to the political process in Syria, China welcomes UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen's extensive engagement with all parties in line with a step-for-step approach, he said.

China supports the resumption of the Constitutional Committee meetings as soon as possible in accordance with the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned principle. China welcomes the visit of the Syrian president to the United Arab Emirates and the meeting between the two heads of state, as well as Tunisia's consideration of restoring diplomatic relations with Syria, said Geng.

China looks forward to positive outcomes of the proposed meeting of deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Türkiye, and Syria. China is confident that assistance from regional countries can help boost the political settlement in Syria. China also calls on more countries to act up to create a favorable external environment for the political settlement in Syria, he said.

At present, the security situation in Syria remains complex, and the international community must combat terrorism in all its manifestations in Syria with zero tolerance. Any attempt to exploit terrorists for one's own purposes will backfire and be counterproductive, he said.

China once again urges foreign forces to end all illegal military presence in Syria and to stop the plundering of Syria's natural resources, he said.