President of the Syrian Coalition Anas Abdah called upon Russia to agree to the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to hold to account violators of the truce agreement and refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court. In a speech delivered by head of the Syrian Coalition’s Department of Information Ahmed Ramadan during the opening of the 5th Manzumat Watan (project of a homeland) conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Abdah said: “The Syrian Coalition is committed to a political solution in Syria as it is making every effort possible to consolidate the truce and to hold accountable those who violate it.”
Russia can signal a sign of good faith if it agrees to the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution under Chapter VII to hold accountable those who violate the cease-fire and bring war criminals to trial before the International Criminal Court, Abdah said. He added that this move would represent a crucial step on the road to ending the tragedy unfolding in Syria.
“Achieving a political transition in Syria, one of the Syrian people’s central demands, will require genuine efforts by the international community to stop the killing and destruction through the enforcement of international resolutions on Syria,” Abdah stressed. He highlighted the need for greater diplomatic moves to push for the delivery of aid to civilians in the besieged and hard-to-reach areas and to prevent the Assad regime from seizing humanitarian aid and distribute it to its corrupt entourage and the allied foreign militias.
From the very outset, Abdah said, the Syrian Coalition has been committed to the political process in accordance with the Geneva Communiqué of 2012 and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions; most notably resolution 2254. He pointed out that these are essential prerequisite to pave the way for reconstruction and the establishment of a civil state that meets the aspirations of all its people.
Abdah concluded his remarks by stressing “the importance of continued cooperation, dialogue, consultation, reform, and doing everything possible to improve performance and achieve a balance between creativity and commitment, rights and duties, and between hope and hard work.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)