Follow for live UN General Assembly coverage
Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who represents the regime of Bashar Al Assad, used his time at the UN General Assembly on Monday to demand that foreign forces be expelled from his country, taking a special aim at Turkey and the US.
“The Turkish regime has perpetrated and continues to perpetrate war crimes and crimes against humanity in the territories of Syria that it occupies,” he said.
This comes after Turkey sent reinforcements to rebel-held Afrin in north-west Syria following an increase in Russian air strikes in the area.
Turkey has conducted several operations inside Syria since 2016, which have altered the course of the decade-long conflict.
Mr Mekdad accused Turkey of pursuing the “Turkification” of north-west Syria.
The foreign minister also called for the full withdrawal of US troops from the country.
“Turkish and US forces continue to occupy Syrian territories under false pretexts and they're looting the natural resources of the Syrian people. [This] should end immediately without any preconditions,” he said.
Mr Mekdad told the UN that Syria always drives out occupiers “sooner or later".
He said going forward, solutions to the conflict and to issues within the country must be led by Syrians.
He also said that sanctions have exacerbated the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in his and other heavily sanctioned countries.
“If Covid-19 would claim one life in the absence of so-called sanctions, it would claim so many more when they are in place,” said Mr Mekdad in his address to the assembly in New York.
Mr Mekdad cited Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Sudan, along with Syria, as having been adversely affected by the combination of Covid-19 and sanctions.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
Start times
5.55am: Wheelchair Marathon Elites
6am: Marathon Elites
7am: Marathon Masses
9am: 10Km Road Race
11am: 4Km Fun Run
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
More on Coronavirus in France
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
