President of the Syrian Coalition Anas Abdah discussed the latest military escalation by the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian allies on various areas across Syria in a meeting with the EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in the Belgian capital Brussels on Friday.
Over 200 civilians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in airstrikes and artillery bombardment on Aleppo, Homs, Idlib, and Eastern Ghouta in the past 72 hours. Abdah stressed that that these acts represent war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Abdah called upon the EU to take concrete steps in support of the Syrian people and their revolution during the meeting which was attended by representatives from the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) and the opposition body the National Coordination Commission.
The Assad regime and Russia are undermining the political process through the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian facilities, Abdah said. He also pointed to the dire humanitarian situation in the besieged areas, warning of the grave consequences of the so-called local truces which end in evacuation deals through which the Assad regime seeks to force residents of the besieged areas out of their homes in order to demographically change these areas.
Abdah stressed the need for EU support for the projects and programs being implemented by the Syrian interim government, especially in the areas of education, health, and basic services.
For her part, Mogherini briefed the Syrian opposition’s delegation on the results of meetings she has recently held with officials in Middle Eastern countries, adding that the meetings discussed the reconstruction of Syria as part of the transitional process. Mogherini reiterated the EU support for the efforts aimed at reaching a political transition in accordance with the relevant international resolutions. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)
