Syrian Arab Republic on item V 9th session of the Forum on Minority Issues - ohchr 24/25 November 2016 Unites Nations - Geneva Thank you Chair. At the outset we regret that the Forum is being used by some NGOs in order to propagate projects and plans that undermine the territorial integrity and unity of states, such as, two organisations that talked about my country in regards of human rights. These statements call for the change of names of villages and towns, and changing borders which is in violation of the rules in the UN. And those two statements thus have nothing to do with the topics on the debate here. As for the draft recommendations, we do not agree that states are equal to other non-state actors. Sometimes these parties may have control of territories and these organisations may be terrorist organisations so giving them a legal status and duties and obligations are in contradiction with international law. Prior marginalisation is not always the reason of suffering of minorities in humanitarian crises. In Syria, the attacks by terrorists have caused suffering for all communities in Syria. So the cause is not the inappropriate state policies but the challenge that is based on the Takfiri ideology that is why the attacks of terrorist organisations has focused on certain areas of minorities as well as states sponsor these organisations. We support recommendation 20, which call for measures to put an end to incitements, to hatred, discrimination, and violence especially when that is done through social media and through regular media and as an element of state policy against other states. I thank you Mr Chair, I know that my time is up and I was, unfortunately, unable to make all the comments I wanted to make on the recommendations but I the will give the secretariat our comments. Thank you.