President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Salem al-Meslet, gave a speech on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the eastern Ghouta chemical attack, in which the Assad regime released the sarin nerve agent on civilians, killing more than 1,400 people in one of the most brutal crimes in modern history.
Al-Meslet said that the children’s last gasps fell on the deaf ears of the world’s decision-makers, which allowed the murderous regime to continue to rule Syria, eleven years after it committed the most horrible massacres against the Syrian people.
Al-Meslet added that the surprisingly lukewarm international response to the Ghouta chemical attack encouraged Assad to commit more massacres in various Syrian cities and towns, using internationally prohibited weapons against defenseless civilians. He added: “To this day, the Assad regime and its allied terrorist militias are still killing, besieging and destroying the Syrian people.”
Al-Meslet slammed the international community’s failure to hold the Assad regime accountable after it violated UN resolution 2118 and used chemical weapons several times. He said that accountability has not been achieved yet although the Independent International Commission of Inquiry has long established the responsibility of the Assad regime for the chemical attacks.
He pointed out that the Commission proved the Assad regime’s responsibility for 32 chemical attacks, which requires international action under Chapter VII according to Article 21 of UN resolution 2118.
Al-Meslet stressed that the approach of the Assad regime, Iran and Russia is unambiguous: a bloody, criminal one that is based on murder, terrorism, arrest and enforced disappearance. He said that betting on changing its behavior is a waste of time, as its crimes and those of its supporters are being repeated in Ukraine.
He called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities, and hold the Assad regime accountable for its countless crimes, in order to bring justice to the Syrian people, and to the people who are experiencing a human tragedy because of this regime.
Al-Meslet also called for taking effective action within a clear timetable to ensure the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, the achievement of political transition in Syria, and the abandonment of the deadly procrastination that deepens the tragedy.
(Source: SOC’s media department)
