Turkish FM ‘disappointed’ at UN Syria resolution due to lack of humanitarian reference

GENEVA - Anadolu Agency

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addresses his statement, during the High Level Segment on the Syria Situation at the 64th annual meeting of UNHCR's Executive Committee, at the European headquarters of the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. AP Photo

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said he was disappointed about the lack of humanitarian context in the recent United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria. Davutoğlu was attending a U.N. Refugee Agency meeting in Geneva where he told reporters that he was “highly disappointed” when he noticed “the lack of any references to the humanitarian situation of refugees.”

“I have to express our disappointment here. I spoke to many of my counterparts from other countries and asked them to place references to the humanitarian situation. Not a precaution or anything, just a simple reference in the U.N. Security Council resolution. I was highly disappointed when I saw the text and saw that there wasn’t any reference to the humanitarian situation,” Davutoğlu said.

“Every single bullet, every single bomb not only echoes in our ears, but also in our hearts and minds,” the minister said, adding that the crisis in Syria was worsening every day, making it impossible for neighboring countries to deal with on their own.

Davutoğlu said those on the Turkish side of the border could see with their own eyes the horrors taking place on the other side.

The minister added that he spoke to many of his fellow diplomats with regard to the U.N. references.

“We hope they will do so. If not, the next generation will question how the U.N. and all its institutions remained quiet in the face of tragedy in Syria for over two and a half years.”