SVG condemns violent attacks in Houla, Syria

The government has issued a statement condemning the recent violent attacks which took place in Houla, Syria on May 25, when 108 people, including 34 women and 49 children were killed.{{more}}

Reading the statement during the sitting of the House of Assembly on May 31, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said that he was making a statement based on the recent massacre that had taken place and on the civil unrest that is currently ongoing in that country.

The prime minister said the statement was being made because there is a small, but vibrant community of Syrians and Lebanese immigrants living in St Vincent and because this country is upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter.

“And as representatives of a peace loving and God- fearing country, whose coat of arms is emblazoned with the Latin phrase Pax et Justitia,” Gonsalves said.

He also made a call for the relevant national and international authorities to conduct a full investigation into what had taken place in Houla.

“The parties responsible for these dastardly crimes have yet to be determined and are still at large,” the prime minister quoted from the statement.

The deepening civil war in Syria was of grave concern to the government of this country according to the statement.

And according to the prime minister, there was also some concern that the conflict may spread beyond Syria as had been the case within recent times.

“The presence of radical Islamic terrorists including the confirmed involvement of Al Qaeda in anti-government violence is of cause for particular alarm.

“The complexity of this conflict is potential for further escalation or expansion to neighbouring states,” the statement noted.

The growing presence of Al Qaeda in Syria, along with the growing conflict, demanded a coordinated diplomatic resolution that will lead to a cease fire by all parties, the statement said.

Gonsalves explained that this country was guided by three principles in seeking an end to the conflict, including the commencement of a political process geared towards a locally crafted and negotiated solution to the conflict and that the international community should not take action that would potentially escalate the violence and make the negotiated solution more difficult.

“As such as in the case of Syria, the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines remains committed to the application of peaceful diplomatic and political solutions to the root causes of the ongoing civil war,” Gonsalves said.

He added that this country was fully supportive of Kofi Anan’s (former UN Secretary General) six-point plan which, according to Gonsalves, should also be supported by all peace loving states.

“Threats of intervention or efforts to further militarize the conflict only undermine the effort of the special envoy and a delegitimizing of the six-point peace plan,” the statement said.

The killing of innocent women and children in Houla, according to Gonsalves, was an example of the deteriorating situation in Syria.

“Our country proudly counts among the citizens, and we reiterate the many individuals and families to have been born in Syria and Lebanon, and who make myriad contributions to the vibrant tapestry of a modern and cosmopolitan Vincentian society.

“We weep with our Syrian brothers and sisters at the deepening spiral of violence, unrest and loss of life in this recurring civil war, by steadfastly advocating a course for peaceful diplomacy and a strong commitment for sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria,” the statement said. (DD)