President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Salem Al-Meslet, received the Swedish special envoy to Syria, Per Örnéus, and discussed with him the latest field and political developments, as well as the situation of Syrian refugees in Sweden and the rest of the host countries.
The meeting brough together SOC’s Vice President for Foreign Affairs Abdulahad Astepho, Vice President Ruba Habboush, Secretary General Haytham Rahmeh, and member of the political committee Zuhair Muhammad.
Al-Meslet reaffirmed the SOC’s commitment to a political solution in accordance with the Geneva Communique of 2012 and the full implementation of UN resolutions on Syria, especially UN Resolutions 2118 and 2254.
He expressed his hope for support by the friends of the Syrian people to expedite the search for a real political solution that would end the suffering of the Syrian people and contribute to ensuring the security and stability of the entire region.
Al-Meslet pointed out that the struggle today is no longer against the Assad regime only, but also against Iran and Russia, which support the regime with everything and are using it as a tool in their regional and international conflicts, such as participating in the war on Ukraine and recognizing the occupied territories.
Al-Meslet spoke about the results of the work of the Constitutional Committee, which is yet to make a tangible progress. He stressed that in light of this work mechanism, and allowing the regime to procrastinate, the Committee will not be able to draft a new constitution for the country even if it continues to work for another 20 years.
Moreover, Al-Meslet stressed that Syria is still not safe, and that forcing Syrian refugees to return to Syria is tantamount to sending them to their deaths. He cited the Guardian newspaper’s revelation of the horrible massacre that took place in Al-Tadamon neighborhood.
He indicated that he had sensed real seriousness on the part of the Swedish side in pushing the political process forward more than ever, by putting forward ideas to get the Syrian file out of the current impasse. He pointed out that Sweden had shown greater interest in holding more meetings with the SOC in the future.
Astepho spoke about the need to think in a new way in order to implement UN resolutions and achieve a political transition that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people for freedom, dignity and democracy.
He stressed that following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Syrian file became even more complex, stressing the need to exert more pressure by imposing more sanctions on Bashar al-Assad and the regime’s symbols, in addition to activating the accountability process.
Astepho made it clear that the SOC aspires to see a greater role by the European Union in reaching a political solution in Syria.
For his part, the Swedish envoy reaffirmed that his country’s supports for revitalizing the political process in Syria and implementing UN Resolution 2254.
He pointed out that his country is in agreement with the European Union on refusing to normalize relations with the Assad regime or lift sanctions against it, and not to participate in any reconstruction process for Syria until a political transition is achieved.
He lauded the achievements of the Syrian refugees and their activities in the host countries, stressing that they work hard and excel in their work as doctors and engineers. He said that his country has no problem with the presence of refugees on its land.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
