Damascus pledges to preserve Syria’s territoral integrity

Syrian government has dismissed recent remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry on the possibility of partitioning of Syria, voicing its determination to preserve the country’s integrity and defeat terrorism.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday that his country has a slew of “Plan B” options if the proposed cessation of hostilities in Syria fails to uphold. He stressed that partitioning of Syria was part of the Plan B.

The US and Russia reached a draft deal on Monday, detailing a ceasefire to start in war-torn Syria on Saturday.

Commenting on Kerry’s statements, a source within the Syrian Foreign Ministry told Syria’s official news agency (SANA) on Wednesday that Syria condemns these statements that contradict reality and truth.

The source added that Syria and its people are looking forward to ending ongoing crisis as soon as possible and are determined more than ever to uproot terrorism, preserve Syria’s unity and safeguard its sovereignty.

The source also described Kerry’s remarks as part of the US policy of diverting attention from crimes terrorists are committing in the Arab country.

Syria also held the US responsible for the crisis in Syria through its continuous support for terrorists and its failure to fulfill its obligation as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in implementing the council’s counter-terrorism measures.

Kerry’s statement echoed earlier remarks made by the director general of Israel’s Intelligence Ministry, Ram Ben-Barak, and Israel’s minister of military affairs, Moshe Ya’alon, who have called for the partitioning of Syria.

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared up in March 2011, has killed some 470,000 people and left 1.9 million injured, according to the so-called Syrian Center for Policy Research.