Spokesman for the Syrian Coalition Anas al-Abdah on Thursday said that the interest the Coalition is showing in the implementation of the Idlib agreement stems from the keenness on the safety of civilians and protecting them from any potential military operations by the Assad regime and its allies and the widespread war crimes that accompanied them.
Al-Abdah said that the Syrian Coalition considers “the safety and protection of civilians a top priority,” adding that the Assad regime’s plans to recapture Idlib “failed drastically and irreversibly.”
Moreover, Al-Abdah pointed out that a delegation from the Syrian Coalition toured the buffer zone which was established under the agreement. He said: “As we do not trust the regime, we toured the area and ascertained the readiness of our fighters on the fronts and their preparedness to confront any possible move by regime forces.”
Al-Abdah explained that only heavy weapon were pulled out of the buffer zone as the FSA fighters retained their medium and light arms.
The Coalition is seeking to work with the Turkish authorities, the Syrian Interim Government, and local councils to develop a plan for the establishment of a civil administration and provide better services in the region,” Al-Abdeh said. He added: “We want to address the tragic situation in the region following years of bombardment by the Assad regime which destroyed everything.”
Al-Abdah stressed that the plan will involve the rebuilding of state institutions and putting them under the management of the local population. The plan will also make use of the expertise of the forcibly displaced civilians who constitute a sizeable proportion of the population in view of the large-scale demographic changes operations which were carried out by the Assad regime in different areas across Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)