UN envoy: Syrian media targeted by terrorists

Syria's Permanent representative to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari said that his country's medias are targeted by terrorists and the states which sponsor and support them. Addressing the UN Security Council's session on the situation of civilians and journalists in armed conflicts on Wednesday, al-Jaafari added that the Ministry of Information has granted, since the beginning of 2013 till date, access to more than 300 reporters from different media outlets from various world countries into Syria and gave them the opportunity to work freely. "We lost journalist Mohammad Derar Jammo who was assassinated by armed terrorist groups which receive weapons and money from the same sides which are supporting the armed terrorist groups in Syria," al-Jaafari said. Al-Jaafari pointed out that some journalists are still illegally infiltrating into the Syrian territories through the borders with the neighboring countries with the help of the armed groups, adding that some of them were arrested and then they were released to leave the Syrian territories. Al-Jaafari explained that the Syrian government was committed to cooperation with former UN Envoy Kofi Annan to implement his six-point plan, including the fifth article of the plan concerning the entry of journalists, adding that the government submitted the names of the journalists who entered Syria from March 25th to May 21st, 2012 who represented more than 166 Arab and foreign media outlets. He added that the government exerted enormous efforts with the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to liberate the kidnapped journalists and evacuate the injured and bodies of the killed journalists from the areas where the armed terrorist groups are present. Al-Jaafari pointed out that recently the Pakistani Taliban movement has announced its involvement in confrontations against the government forces in Syria in response to a request from so-called "Arab friends" who had already helped them in Afghanistan.