Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Syria (Extract 1)

First, the Government of my country completely rejects the allegations in the report that the Syrian Government practices sexual violence. We are surprised that the Special Representative would rely on fabricated reports prepared by the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Those Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011. The Mechanism relies on information gathered from open sources as well as armed and terrorist groups, notably the so-called White Helmets, and does not verify the sources of that information or its credibility.