A delegation of the Syrian opposition headed by General Coordinator of the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) Riad Hijab met French President Emmanuel Macron in the Elysee Palace and with the French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Odrian at the French Foreign Ministry on Tuesday morning.
In the meetings, Hijab reiterated the opposition’s commitment to the political process and any agreement contributing to the implementation of UN resolutions and improving the humanitarian situation for the Syrian people.
In a press statement following the meetings, the HNC said that Hijab expressed his gratitude for France’s support for the Syrian revolution and the rights of the Syrian people, adding that Hijab discussed the Assad regime’s “preparations for an escalatory military campaign.”
The HNC leader warned that “the Assad regime and its allies are preparing for military escalation in different parts of Syria, especially near the Syrian-Iraqi borders, in the southern region, and in the countryside of Aleppo and Hama as well as seeking to undermine international agreements to end the fighting.”
Hijab also called for an active European role in the political process aimed at resolving the conflict in Syria.
The meeting with the French president and the French FM also discussed cooperation in the fight against terrorism and ways to fight extremist groups that are threatening global security.
Hijab also expressed the need to lay out “a new strategy for the negotiating process, one which gives the Syrian people a glimmer of hope and alleviates their daily suffering,” said the HNC statement.
Macron’s office stated support for the UN-mediated Geneva peace talks to end the conflicts in Syria.
“The President of the Republic recalled his personal commitment to the Syrian situation and his support for the Syrian opposition for a political transition in Syria,” read an Elysee Palace statement. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
