A/HRC/34/5 58. The Sudan considered that the coercive unilateral measures exacerbated the bad situation and impeded the enjoyment of fundamental rights. It urged all parties to end the violence and find a peaceful solution to the humanitarian crisis. 59. Sweden noted that the humanitarian situation in the Syrian Arab Republic continued to deteriorate in besieged areas and that the delivery of humanitarian assistance continued to be severely hampered by a number of factors. 60. Norway was concerned about reports of systematic violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by the authorities. It noted reports that the Government had carried out attacks and bombardments against civilians. 61. Thailand remained concerned about the deteriorating situation and violations of human rights owing to the intensification of attacks, particularly against civilians and medical facilities. Thailand called upon all parties to exert every effort to end the destruction and violence and to achieve peace. 62. The Syrian delegation deplored the allegations of war crimes made by France and called upon the French delegation to convey its recommendations to its own authorities, especially since French warplanes, acting as part of the illegal United States-led alliance, had killed 120 civilians in the Syrian Arab Republic in May 2016. 63. Despite exceptional circumstances and challenges, the Syrian Arab Republic had fully implemented the majority of the recommendations accepted during the first cycle of the universal periodic review. 64. The Government was preparing a national strategy for women and a programme to respond to gender-based violence. Access to education had been secured for more than 4 million children every year. 65. The State had accepted the Security Council resolutions mentioned by Sweden but also underlined the importance of the following Council resolutions concerning terrorism: 2170 (2014), 2178 (2014) and 2253 (2015). 66. The delegation said that secret detention centres did not exist in the Syrian Arab Republic, rejecting allegations of torture and arbitrary detention made by certain delegations. The Government cooperated voluntarily with ICRC, allowing it to visit prisons. 67. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia condemned the use by the Syrian authorities of barrel bombs, cluster munitions and weapons causing atrocities among civilians, and urged the Government to lift the blockade on the besieged areas most affected by the conflict. 68. Turkey categorically rejected the baseless allegations made in the national report and noted that the suffering experienced by the Syrian people had reached unimaginable levels. The Syrian authorities had to be held accountable for their crimes against humanity. 69. Ukraine stated that the Government had not taken appropriate measures to protect human rights and ensure their application in practice, and urged the Syrian authorities and all parties to the conflict to allow immediate and sustained humanitarian access throughout the Syrian Arab Republic. 70. The United Kingdom condemned the constant and appalling abuse of human rights, the killing of civilians and the arbitrary arrests involving hundreds of thousands of people. It noted that the Syrian Arab Republic was rightly subject to the most stringent mechanisms of the Human Rights Council. 71. The United States stated that, since the 2011 uprising, the Government had continued to engage in flagrant violations, atrocities and abuses, all of which had been 9