The delegation of the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) headed by General Coordinator Riad Hijab met with French President Emmanuel Macaron and British Middle East minister Alistair Burt on Monday evening in New York. Hijab stressed the need to hold accountable all perpetrators of crimes in Syria, chief among them is Bashar Al-Assad as he reaffirmed the Syrian opposition’s commitment to a political solution and a real, full political transition.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Hijab commended the French president’s recent proposal to form a contact group from the five UN Security Council permanent members plus active regional players. “This initiative will hopefully end the Assad regime allies’ monopoly of efforts to reach a political solution and thwart their attempts to work out a solution serving their expansionist ambitions and agendas to extend their cross-border influence.”
The most feasible way to end the Syrian crisis and bring about a political transition is to “hold Bashar Al-Assad accountable as he killed more than half a million people, displaced millions more, destroyed Syria’s infrastructure, tore the Syrian social fabric, and allowed terrorism to thrive,” Hijab said.
Hijab stressed that the departure of Bashar al-Assad and his clique who were proven responsible for crimes against the Syrian people is on top of the demands of the Syrian people who demand an end to dictatorship and oppression and the establishment of a state that is based on the rule of law.
Hejab maintained that a political solution is the only way to restoring stability in Syria and the region as well as to the elimination of terrorism everywhere in the world.
The Syrian opposition is not “authorized to give up” the demands of the Syrian people, Hijab stressed. He added that the world must realize that what is happening in Syria is not a struggle for power, but a popular revolution against an oppressive regime. (Source: Syrian Coalition Media Department)
