Syrian Coalition Demands Guarantees on Assad’s Departure

Nizar Al Hiraki, member of the Syrian Coalition, said that “a cease-fire in all parts of Syria, the delivery of relief aid, the release of women and children from Assad’s jails and the departure of Bashar al-Assad are conditions that can not be waived.” Hiraki, commenting on the ceasefire plan put forward by the UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, told Al Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper that “we need guarantees that pressure would be put on Assad to implement any future agreements so as not to repeat the scenario of the Geneva II talks that failed to yield any positive results.” His remarks coincide with the Russian envoy Mikhail Bogdanov’s meeting with Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. Bogdanov had earlier held meetings with the Syrian Coalition in Istanbul and with a number of rebel commanders in the Turkish city of Gaziantep. (Source: Syrian Coalition)