Syria's representative at UN reacts to US and British statements on Iraq border controls

Syria supports all efforts to combat terrorism, Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations stressed Thursday.

"Iraq is a brotherly country, and what is going on there has hurt the Syrian people because victims of such terrorist acts are the Iraqi civilians," Faisal al-Meqdad said in statement broadcast by UN media.

Reacting to statements by his US and British counterparts who demanded Syria and Iran to control the borders with Iraq, Meqdad said that Syria took many procedures to control borders with Iraq.

"Those who are demanding Syria to control borders with Iraq did not take into consideration that Syria sent about 10,000 soldiers and established about 300 watchtowers for that purpose," he asserted.

Meqdad underlined that Syria has asked both USA and Britain to provide her with technical equipments in order to enhance its ability for controlling the borders with Iraq "but they did not respond."

He wondered "had Syria made all these efforts, what would others on the opposite sides of borders have done?" adding "nothing."

The envoy clarified that Syria captured many persons who had tried to infiltrate through her borders and delivered them to their mother countries, indicating "so they should appreciate what Syria has been doing to control the borders."

In response to a question about resolution 1618 by the UN Security Council related to terrorism in Iraq, he stressed that Syria has supported every resolution that serves the Iraqi people and works against terrorism.

"Lots of this resolution's items has been mentioned in documents adopted by the council during the period of Syria's membership in the Council the years 2002, 2003," he noted