President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Nasr al-Hariri, held a virtual meeting with Turkey’s representative to the United Nations, Feridun Sinirlioğlu and discussed with him the latest developments in Syria on the sidelines of the 75th session UN General Assembly.
The meeting brought together Coordinator of the SOC’s Department of Foreign Relations, Abdulahad Asteipho, the SOC’s Representative to Turkey, Nazir al-Hakim, the SOC’s Representative to the United Nations, Maryam Jalabi, the SOC’s Representative to the United States, Qutaiba Idilbi, and member of the Syrian Negotiations Commission, Yahya Al-Aridi.
Al-Hariri gave an overview on the general situation in the liberated areas in northwestern Syria as he said that the situation has never been calmer in the past ten years thanks to the important Turkish role in reaching a ceasefire agreement last March.
He pointed out that the Assad regime and its backers are amassing their forces in northwestern Syria and seeking to make up excuses to launch a new onslaught in the region in pursuit of a military solution.
He expressed disappointment at the results of the latest round of the work of the Constitutional Committee, stressing that the Assad regime still refuses to seriously engage in the political process. He said that an agreement is yet to be reached with regards to the agenda of the next round of talks in Geneva.
He called for using the Uniting for Peace principle to avoid the Russian veto and prevent Russia from blocking action at the UN Security Council. He stressed the need to expel the Assad regime’s representative, Bashar al-Jaafari, from the UN Security Council as the regime is responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and the displacement of millions more.
Moreover, Al-Hariri talked about the situation in northeastern Syria and the PYD militia’s continued violations as he stressed that any dialogue process must lead to an end to of the presence of the PKK terrorist organization in Syria; ensure the return of the displaced people to their areas of origin; and preserve the unity of Syria.
He also talked about the situation of Syrian refugees in Iraq, Somalia and Greece, noting that Syrian asylum seekers in Greece are being subjected to racist attacks that left thousands without shelter. He called for assisting them to reach the countries they want.
Al-Aridi talked about the situation in southern Syria and the Assad regime’s continuous attempts to sow discord amongst the people of the region.
For his part, Sinirlioğlu expressed his support for the SOC’s demands to expel the Assad regime’s representative from the United Nations. He pointed out that the Assad regime does not have the legitimacy to represent the Syrian people in international forums, reiterating his country’s support for the Syrian people and their rightful demands for freedom and dignity. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
