The President of the Syrian Coalition, Abdurrahman Mustafa, received the French President’s Personal Representative for Syria François Sénémaud and an accompanying delegation to discuss the latest developments in Syria and the war crimes the Russian-backed Assad forces are committing against Syrian civilians in the ‘de-escalation zone’ in northwestern Syria.
President Mustafa called on France to take serious action outside the UN Security Council with the active countries to put an end to the military attacks on civilians and medical centers. He stressed the importance of maintaining the international will to hold war criminals accountable and prevent more atrocities.
President Mustafa also underscored the need to support the Idlib agreement and recommit to the ceasefire agreement. He called on “our friends in the French government to increase the international momentum on Syria to pave the way for a comprehensive political transition and full implementation of international resolutions on political transition.” He also called for increased pressure on the Assad regime to implement UN resolutions, most importantly the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Security Council resolution 2254.
Moreover, President Mustafa said that the implementation of regional agreements and international resolutions would restore stability to Syria and the region. It would also curb terrorism being fueled by the Assad regime, Iran and the other terrorist organizations, adding that this would prevent new waves of refugees.
President Mustafa thanked France for its participation in the imposition of economic sanctions on the Assad regime. He called for the ratcheting up of economic pressure on the regime and more economic sanctions, especially on the foreign companies that support the regime and violate the sanctions imposed on it.
President Mustafa talked about the PYD militias’ violations against civilians east of the Euphrates River, which he said amounted to war crimes. The PYD militias are rounding up the young people for recruitment into its ranks, he said, adding that this militia is involved in the burning of agricultural land in the region, which led to the loss of tens of thousands of vital wheat and barley crops.
For his part, the French envoy stressed the importance of reaching a ceasefire as it would “help reach a political solution.” He said that the regime’s ongoing military campaign is “malignantly executed’ as it targets civilians, hospitals, schools and markets.
Sénémaud also said that his country strongly condemns these attacks. He noted that France is prioritizing the humanitarian situation of civilians and the displaced persons and are working on new ideas that will help improve their conditions and enable them cope with the crisis. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)