Equipo Nizkor - Letter from Syria on Turkey's acts of aggression against Syria.

United Nations
Security Council

S/2016/45

Distr.: General
22 January 2016
English
Original: Arabic

Identical letters dated 18 January 2016 from the Chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council

On instructions from my Government, and in response to the allegations made in the letter dated 24 December 2015 from the Permanent Representative of Turkey (S/2015/1029), I should like to inform you of Turkey's repeated acts of aggression and violations of the integrity of the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.

In December 2015, motorized armed Turkish forces infiltrated the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, heading for the village of Dayr Ghusn, locality of Jawadiyah; the village of Bustan, district of Malikiyah; the locality of Abu Rasin, district of Ra's al-Ayn; and the area to the north of the villages of Amanah and Shaykh Mansur, locality of Dirbasiyah. They carried out various construction projects at those locations.

A motorized armed Turkish force accompanied by workers and various vehicles infiltrated Syrian territory and razed the land between the villages of Tall al-Diyab and Kasrah in the locality of Dirbasiyah, district of Ra's al-Ayn.

Motorized armed Turkish forces also infiltrated Syrian territory in the town of Harim, in the northern countryside of Idlib governorate, where they razed land, carried out construction work and dug trenches 4 metres wide and 8 metres deep in the following places: east of Fawwar district, Shaykh Ubayd district, Wazwazah area, Kafr Hum area, Fawziyah police station, Hamdash farm and Tulul district.

Armed Turkish forces took up positions on land adjacent to the town of Harim, where they began building cement walls in the following places: Halabiyah fisheries at the Fawwar spring, shrine of Abu Ubaydah near the Harim bakery, Harim border post, Kafrinnah, Hayr Jamus, Tulul and Khirbat al-Husn.

The Turkish Government has, moreover, continued to provide various forms of military, logistical and financial support to the Turkmen terrorist groups that act as its proxies. A number of Turkish Army and intelligence officers regularly visit the training camps that the groups have established on Syrian territory, in order to train the terrorists in the use of various types of weapons and assassination techniques, particularly in I'zaz district.

The Turkish Army and intelligence services have dug tunnels and passages for terrorists around the village of Atimah.

A Turkish force infiltrated the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic and began building cement walls near the seedlings facility in the town of Ra's al-Ayn, Hasakah governorate. It also built a wall 6 metres tall on Syrian territory in the area east of the village of Aradah, district of Ra's al-Ayn.

The Turkish Army and its engineering units continued to violate the integrity of the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic on numerous dates. The following are some examples:

On 5 December 2015, Turkish Army tanks and artillery on Turkish territory opened fire for over two hours in order to provide cover for Turkish forces that had infiltrated Syrian territory to support their armed terrorist proxies that go by the names of Conqueror Brigade and Sultan Murad Brigade in the villages of Harhalah, Dahlah and Qarah Mazra'ah in the locality of Akhtarin, district of I'zaz, in the direction of the petrol station in the town of Qarah Mazra'ah. The Turkish combat forces left on the following day, while the fighters belonging to the two terrorist organizations stayed on location.
On 6 December 2015, a group of terrorists of various nationalities illegally entered Syrian territory with support and protection from Turkish forces. They arrived from Turkey across the border crossing of Bab al-Salamah on cars with mounted machine guns. They then took up positions in the villages of Kishta'ar, the area around Minnagh military airport, Tatumrash (Tanab), Dayr Jamal and the area around the Faysal flour mill.
On 22 December 2015, a Turkish military force infiltrated Syrian territory and took up positions on the Afrit hill between the villages of Qalqaliyah and Bustan, district of Malikiyah. The Turkish Army deployed a number of military vehicles and some 150 soldiers to the hill. On 23 December, after the inhabitants of the Syrian villages had protested and gathered opposite the infiltrated area, the Turkish Army withdrew into Turkish territory. There are reports suggesting that, while it was present on Syrian territory, the Turkish Army may have installed a monitoring device on Afrit hill, which is high and looks over the surrounding land.
On 23 December 2015, a Turkish Army contingent entered Syrian territory around the village of Asadiyah, locality of Dirbasiyah, district of Ra's al-Ayn, where engineering units accompanying the contingent razed farmland.
On 24 December 2015, an armed Turkish force infiltrated the area near the village of Latifiyah, district of Qamishli.
On 27 December 2015, a Turkish armed force infiltrated Syrian territory in the area opposite the village of Tall Jahan, locality of Qahtaniyah, in Hasakah governorate, and built a cement wall 3 metres tall.
On 30 December 2015, a Turkish engineering unit infiltrated Syrian territory near the village of Ayn Diwar, west of the Roman bridge in Malikiyah district, and began various digging projects.

The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic condemns the Turkish military forces' repeated acts of aggression and violations of the integrity of Syrian territory. Those actions are a glaring attack on all of the principles of international law and neighbourly policies. They also blatantly violate Syrian sovereignty, the Charter of the United Nations and its purposes and principles, and the norms of neighbourly relations.

The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic reserves the right to respond to those repeated violations and acts of encroachment on the integrity of Syrian territory. It asserts its right to request compensation for all of the damage caused by such actions.

Turkey's violations and acts of aggression, some of which are described above, follow in a series of crimes against the territory and people of Syria committed by the Erdogan regime for almost five years. The Turkish regime has helped foreign terrorists to infiltrate Syria. It has offered them safe haven and health care on Turkish territory, where it has established terrorist training camps. It has also funded armed terrorist groups and provided them with weapons, ammunition and intelligence, both covertly and overtly.

The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic requests that the Turkish Government bring an immediate end to all of its acts of aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and the safety and security of the Syrian people. It also requests that the Security Council assume its responsibility by curbing those aggressive acts in order to maintain international peace and security.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter issued as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Mondher Mondher
Minister Counsellor
Chargé d'affaires a.i.

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22Jan16

Letter from Syria on Turkey's acts of aggression against Syria