UN calls for end to destruction of Syria's cultural heritage

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and UN and League of Arab States Joint Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi called on Wednesday in a joint statement for a halt to the destruction of Syria's cultural heritage. Cultural heritage in the war-torn Syria was being ripped to shreds amid the ongoing violence which has caused innumerable human suffering and loss, they said in a statement. The statement said that world heritage sites there were severely,sometimes irreversibly, damaged, with four of which being used for military purposes or transformed into battlefields. Moreover, it was pointed out that archaeological sites in Syria were being systematically looted and the illicit trafficking of cultural objects has reached unprecedented levels. The three senior officials also warned that Syrian heritages reportedly have been deliberately targeted for ideological reasons, and all layers of Syrian culture were under attack. "The destruction of such precious heritage gravely affects the identity and history of the Syrian people and all humanity, damaging the foundations of society for many years to come," they said. They called on all parties to immediately stop all destruction of Syrian heritage and to save and protect the country's rich social mosaic and cultural heritage, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2139.