The Syrian National Coalition on Wednesday received a delegation of the US State Department’s Syria Transition Assistance Response Team (START) and discussed with it the grave situation in Idlib and the Assad regime and its backers’ ongoing atrocities against civilians. The Coalition stressed the importance of activating the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ principle the UN adopted in 2005.
For its part, the US delegation reiterated its condemnation of the brutal onslaught the Assad regime has launched in northwestern Syria with Russian and Iranian support as endangering the lives of millions, including children and women.
The Coalition emphasized the US role in reining in Russia’s arrogance, calling for ratcheting up pressure on Moscow it to force it to stop its military operations in northwestern Syria. It also stressed the need to take action at the United Nations to classify Russia as a major party to the conflict and prevent it from voting on draft resolutions at the UN Security Council.
Moreover, the Coalition highlighted the urgent need to raise the level of rapid response in order to alleviate the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Idlib province and to provide urgent assistance to the internally displaced people.
The two sides stressed the need for all parties to return to the ceasefire lines in accordance with the ‘de-escalation zones’ agreement reached by Turkey and Russia. They also called for the revitalization of the political process to achieve a political solution as the only solution in Syria through the implementation of UN resolutions, most importantly UN Security Council resolution 2254 and the Geneva Communique of 2012.
The two sides also discussed the work of the committee the Coalition and the Syrian Interim Government formed to prevent abuses as they stressed the importance of the voluntary, dignified return of IDPs to their areas of origin in all parts of Syria. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)
