Many Countries ‘Under US Pressure’ Not to Help Quake-hit Syria - Assad

By Staff, Agencies

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has expressed his appreciation of help from world countries to the Syrian nation and government in the recent devastating earthquake, stressing, however, that many countries are "under pressure from the United States" not to help the Arab country.

Assad made the remarks in a meeting with a Lebanese delegation headed by caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib who traveled to the country to follow up on the latest status of the deadly earthquake in Syria.

The Lebanese delegation emphasized that their trip to Damascus was aimed at expressing solidarity and sympathy with the Syrians as “the Lebanese people consider themselves partners in this grief with the Syrian nation and government, and feel obliged to be with their Syrian brothers in this situation.”

The Lebanese delegation also reviewed measures taken by the country’s caretaker government to help the Syrian institutions working in the field of relief and rescue of the earthquake victims.

“Lebanon is ready to serve the Syrian people and that it has opened its airfields and ports to dispatch aid to the country from all directions,” Bou Habib said.

Assad, for his part, expressed his gratitude to the Lebanese government and people for the practical measures taken to provide the necessary facilities and aid to the victims of the Syrian earthquake and said such aids were very effective and boosted the morale of the Syrian people.

The Syrian president also underlined the significance of cooperation between Beirut and Damascus in all fields based on the capacities of the two countries and their shared interests.

Appreciating Lebanon and all the countries that rushed to help Syria in the critical situation, Assad said, “We know that many countries are under pressure from the United States not to help Syria.”

The disastrous earthquake hit Turkey and neighboring Syria in the wee hours of Monday. The 7.8-magnitude temblor has so far killed close to 20,000 people in total in the two countries.

As rescue efforts continue in Syria following massive earthquakes there, calls are growing for the US and its allies to remove their sanctions, which are said to be hampering international aid efforts in the country.

In an interview with Lebanon's al-Mayadeen television network on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad highlighted Syria’s need for humanitarian assistance after the recent deadly earthquake, warning that the US sanctions have worsened the circumstances as the illegal bans have prevented the delivery of everything to the country.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent [SARC] called on the United States and the European Union to lift the siege and economic sanctions imposed on Syria that are severely hampering relief work in quake-stricken areas of the country.

Syria has been in the throes of foreign-backed militancy since March 2011.

The US government has over the past years imposed sweeping economic sanctions against Syria amid the Arab nation’s uphill battle for reconstruction and recovery.

The controversial Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, signed into law by former President Donald Trump, targeted individuals and businesses anywhere in the world that participated either directly or indirectly in Syria’s economy.

The restrictive measures have blocked imports of essential goods, affecting the Syrian people’s access to medical equipment, food, heating, gas, and electricity.