Member of the delegation of the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) to Geneva talks Colonel Mohammed Shamali warned of plans by the Assad regime to displace the local population in the areas stretching from northern rural Homs to southern rural Hama.
“The Assad regime continues with its tactic of forcing so-called reconciliation agreements on residents of the liberated areas to force the FSA fighters and their families out of these areas, which means the forced evacuation of the majority of residents of the liberated areas. This is a forced displacement aimed at bringing about a demographic change,” Shamali said.
Shamali pointed out that the Syrian opposition submitted an official memorandum in this regard to the UN envoy Staffan de Mistura during the latest round of talks in Geneva last month. He called on Russia to pressure the Assad regime to abide by the ceasefire agreement.
Shamali said that the towns controlled by the opposition in the areas targeted by displacement are Rastan, Talbeesa, Houla, and other villages geographically connected to northern rural Homs but are part of Hama province, including Tallaf, Akrab, Harbnafsa, and Khirbet Al-Jamie, Shamalai added.
The priority in the Geneva negotiations “is to achieve political transition through the establishment of a transitional governing body with full executive powers,” Shamali said. “We’re carrying on with these negotiations because they represent legitimacy conferred by the United Nations.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Arabic 21 Newspaper)
