HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani affirmed that ending impunity through achieving justice and accountability is an essential part of sustainable peace in Syria and a guarantee for the protection of human rights.

In a statement on the sidelines of the Brussels III Conference "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region" organized by the Principality of Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom and sponsored by the State of Qatar and a number of other countries, His Excellency said since 2011, a serious case of impunity has been witnessed because of the failure of the Security Council to refer Syria's file to the International Criminal Court, a matter which led to an escalation and intensification of violations and contributed to the loss of the rights of victims and the lack of criminal justice.

His Excellency pointed out that there is an international will to deal with impunity, praising judicial proceedings by some countries such as France and Germany against members of the Syrian regime.

The State of Qatar, he said, appreciates the efforts of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism on Syria to assist in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the most serious crimes committed in Syria, particularly in cooperation with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria and civil society organizations to exchange information and evidence to document violations.

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs urged the member states of the mechanism to cooperate and provide information and evidence collection, preservation and analysis, pointing out that this will undoubtedly contribute to ensuring justice for the victims of war crimes and holding them accountable.

His Excellency thanked all the countries that provided financial support to the mechanism, hoping that all countries will fulfill their pledges and support in the future to enable the mechanism and guarantee its independence.

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed Qatar's aspiration to activate the role of the international mechanism, achieve tangible results, complete the next report and discuss it in the General Assembly and thus contribute to justice, accountability and sustainable peace in Syria.

HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Principality of Liechtenstein Aurelia Frick thanked the State of Qatar and expressed her country's pride in leading the efforts of the Mechanism alongside Qatar.

She noted that all those present at this side event had pledged justice through the establishment of an international impartial and independent mechanism on Syria at the United Nations General Assembly in December 2016 and by helping finance its important work.

At a donor conference last November, the State of Qatar pledged to donate $ 1 million to the international impartial and independent mechanism on Syria to enable it to carry out its mandate to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the most serious crimes committed in Syria since 2011.