Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar behind plight of Syrians: Envoy

The Syrian ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Bashar al-Ja’afari, says Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar are responsible for the plight of the Syrian people.

Speaking at a UN Security Council session on the humanitarian situation in Syria, Ja’afari called on Riyadh, Ankara and Doha to stop supporting the terrorist groups in his country.

He said there would be no end to the suffering of the Syrian people through “political blackmail,” asserting that the only way to bring an end to the war in the country is fighting “terrorism.”

Ja’afari further said some countries deliberately ignore the real reason behind the humanitarian crisis in the Arab country.

He also criticized Ankara for standing idly and allowing the entry of tens of thousands of terrorists into Syria.

“We appealed to the [UN Security] Council’s member states to help the Syrian government put pressure on the Turkish government to seal its borders… but nobody responded to that,” he said.

Turkey stands accused of being among the main supporters of the militant groups operating in Syria, with reports saying that Ankara actively trains and arms the militants there and facilitates their safe passage into the country.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to Syria Research Policy Center, the conflict has so far left more than 470,000 people dead and half of the country’s population of about 23 million displaced within or beyond its borders.