President of the Syrian Coalition Anas Abdah urged the new US administration to take action in Syria in light of the escalating onslaught by the Assad regime and Russian forces on Aleppo, Idlib and Homs.
In a press conference held on Thursday on the latest developments on the ground in Aleppo, Idlib, and Homs, Abdah called on the Lebanese government to withdraw all Lebanese militant fighting in Syria. He also called upon the international community to adopt a new approach to protect civilians in Syria.
Abdah called upon the US President-elect Donald Trump to declare the Assad regime illegitimate and to press for a similar move by the Britain, France and other countries. Abdah also called for designating the Iranian-backed foreign sectarian militias coming from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon as terrorist groups.
Moreover, Abdah called for the establishment of a no-fly zone or no-bombing zone in the areas that have been recently captured from the ISIS extremist group to protect civilians from the Assad regime and Russian aerial attacks.
Abdah called upon the US president-elect to adopt a balanced approach with regards to the conflict in Syria, stressing the need to condemn the intervention of foreign sectarian militias in Syria as well as to hold accountable all war criminals through all legal means at the national and international levels.
Speaking about the detainees in Assad’s prisons, Abdah said that UN Security Council resolution 2254, which formed the cornerstone of the political process, focused on three main points, namely the cessation of hostilities, the lifting of blockades on the besieged areas, and the file of detainees. He noted that no progress has yet been made with regards the issue of detainees in Assad’s prisons, urging sponsors of this resolution to bring this issue to the forefront of any future talks.
Abdah pointed to the visits he made to a number of countries in the past ten days, including Jordan, Germany, Canada, and Switzerland where he met with the UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. He added that he would meet with the UN foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to highlight the tragedy unfolding in Syria and to demand the adoption of a new strategy that prioritizes the protection of civilians as well as to secure support for the Syrian interim government’s projects in the areas of education, health and basic services.
Abda urged the Arab League and the United Nations to condemn the military parade held by the Hezbollah militia in the Qusair area in rural Homs a few days ago as blatant military aggression on Syria. He urged the Lebanese government to withdraw all Lebanese militias engaged in the war against the Syrian people, adding that that the Syrian opposition has previously stood with the Lebanese people when they demanded the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)
