Secretary-General of the Syrian Coalition Abdul Ilah Fahd held two separate meetings with US and British officials on Wednesday. The meetings condemned the chemical attack committed by the Assad regime against civilians in the town of Khan Sheikhan in rural Idlib on Tuesday.
Fahd met with Hugh Cleary, Head of Syria Internal Team at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and with Jill E. Hutchings, Political Officer in the Syrian Transition Assistance Team of the US State Department.
Fahad said the crime the Assad regime committed in Khan Sheikhoun must not be allowed to go unpunished, stressing the need for political transition in Syria. Fahad pointed that such appalling crimes continue to be committed in Syria as result of the failure of the international community to push for a genuine political solution to the conflict.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said it has so far documented at least nine chemical weapons attacks by regime forces in 2017, including the attack in Khan Sheikhoun where at least 100 civilians were killed and 400 more injured.
Fahd called on the US administration and the British Government to step up support for the political process in order to force the Assad regime to implement international resolutions, most importantly the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Security Council resolution 2254.
In the meetings, Fahd also called for increased support for the projects the Syrian interim government is implementing in the liberated areas to enable it to provide basic services to the population and to restore security and stability in these areas.
Fahd also told the US and British diplomats that the Turkish-backed Shield of the Euphrates Operation was at the heart of the fight against terrorism. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
