Damascus asks UNSC to help stop Turkish campaign in Afrin
MOSCOW. April 4 (Interfax) - The Syrian Defense Ministry has urged the UN Security Council to help stop the 'Turkish aggression' and operations of the U.S.-led coalition, Syrian Deputy Defense Minister Mahmoud Shawa said at the Moscow Conference on International Security on Wednesday.
"We are asking the UN Security Council to take responsibility to maintain world peace and security by putting an end to the crimes of the U.S. alliance, the Turkish aggression against Syrian civilians and infrastructure, as well as Israeli aggression, and to hold them liable," Shawa said.
"We also demand that all international and regional parties, which continue to support terrorism and allow the opening of terrorist training camps on their territory in the interests of their agenda and selfish aspirations of the colonial policy, be held liable," Shawa said.
"The presence of any foreign military contingents in the Syrian territory without the Syrian government's consent is viewed as aggression and occupation," he said.
"While the Syrian army is fighting terrorism together with friendly forces, we carry on the open Syrian dialogue, national reconciliation, and restoration of the country," Shawa said.
Syrian government forces are set to eliminate terrorists from the republic's territory and to reconstruct, he said.
Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin on January 20. The operation targeted Kurdish militia and the remaining fighters of the ISIL terrorist group (banned in Russia).