Qatar Will Spare Effort in Persecuting Perpetrators of Crimes in Syria

HE Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi stressed Monday that the State of Qatar will spare no effort in assisting in investigation and prosecution of officials responsible for the most serious crimes in Syria by supporting the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism established by the General Assembly of the United States.
His Excellency was speaking during the 7th Meeting of the National Responsibility to Protect Focal Points, which takes place over the course of two days in Doha, and said that the Syrian regime continues to challenge the will of the international community in light of the latter's failure to find a final resolution to the Syrian crisis. His Excellency noted that the regime has escalated its severe violations of international humanitarian law and the international human rights law.
The Secretary-General noted that the horrible massacres committed in Khan Sheikhon confirm the Syrian regime's, which has lost its legal and moral legitimacy, insistence on committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. His Excellency added that the regime adopted a policy based on laying siege, starving, displacement, demographic change, and the use of chemical weapons for reasons prohibited by the international law. This requires a suitable response by the international community, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added.
He pointed out that enforcing the responsibility to protect in the Syrian case by prosecuting the officials responsible for crimes against civilians will send out a message to all who violate international law and international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General expressed the State of Qatar's appreciation to the role played by the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect and the Group of Friends on the Responsibility to Protect and its efforts in promoting the principle.
His Excellency noted that this year's meeting is taking place in the context of critical developments, due to the spread of conflicts and civil wars in many of the world's regions. The increasing tragedies resulting from those conflicts leads to a bigger need for the international community to act and protect civilians who are suffering from human rights violations.
The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted in that regard the horrific images of victims of a chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun in Syria as evidence of such violations and crimes. He stressed on the importance of protecting civilians from such a horrible crimes in line with the Charter of the United Nations and the provisions of international law.
He added that if the international community agreed that the responsibility to protect aims to deal with genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and wars against humanity, then the international community must not turn a blind eye on these crimes no matter the reasons.
The Secretary-General added that selectivity in applying the right to protect has led to deterioration of humanitarian conditions of civilians in areas of conflict. This calls for more urgency from the international community in assuming its legal and moral responsibility of protecting civilians subjected to horrible crimes.

Source: QNA