Washington DC, April 26, 2005/RPS/ -- The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime headed by Dr. Antonio Maria Costa announced in Bangkok on Sunday that Syria is willing to sign an anti-terror treaty. Such move is positive; however, the U.N. must impose on Syria to sign a domestic anti-terror commitment as well.

 

Terror, in all its forms, whether directed against a foreign nation or the people of Syria must stop. The U.N. must impose on Syria the lifting of the domestic Emergency Laws and the freeing of all prisoners of conscience before accepting the signing of any treaty. The people of Syria believe that if the U.N. accepts to sign such a treaty before the Syrian government respects its people and provide them with the freedom to express themselves, then it will simply become a tool in the Syrian regime arsenal to perpetuate its cruel autocracy at the expense of its domestic policies.

 

The Syrian people must not allow such a treaty to be signed before domestic terror is eradicated.

 

We ask all the Syrian Human Rights organizations, intellectuals, political parties, writers, and Syrians in general to write Dr. Antonio Maria Costa to ask him to use the goodwill of his office, during these trying times, to seek to impose on Syria a domestic anti-terror agenda that would see Syrians take control of their lives and regain their dignity. RPS proposes the letter below to be emailed to: antonio.maria.costa@unvienna.org or mailed to United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) - Vienna International Centre - Wagramer Strasse 5 - A 1400 Vienna - Austria

 

Dear Dr. Costa,

 

We, [name of organization], are encouraged by the announcement of your office that Syria is willing to sign an anti-terror treaty with the United Nations and congratulate you on helping curb violence around the world.

 

 

In addition to a general anti-terror treaty, the United Nations must focus on Syria's domestic terrorism in particular. The Syrian government still maintains Emergency Laws that have been in effect since 1963 and a prison system that still tortures and kill people randomly. Such terrorism against the people of Syria perpetrated by few power-hungry men is leading Syrians to commit terrorism against nations if one witnesses the 9/11 trials going on in Spain today with the top two involved of Syrian origins.

 

If the United Nations signs a treaty with Syria without consideration for the domestic terror perpetrated by the Syrian government against its own people, then the United Nations would simply become a tool to encourage violence against the Syrian people. We believe that all forms of terror must be eradicated be it international or domestic.