President of the Syrian Coalition Anas Alabdah said that “the Syrian armed opposition is fighting both the ISIS group and the Assad regime that created an enabling environment for the emergence of terrorism in Syria.” He stressed that “the FSA and rebel groups have been the first to fight ISIS which would not have surged in the region had it not been for the policies of the Assad regime.”
Alabdah stressed that “the Assad regime and the ISIS terrorist organization are two sides of the same coin as they wage war on civilians and the armed opposition groups.”
“Negotiations have stalled because of the lack of real will on the part of the international community to find a solution in Syria and also because of Russia’s reluctance to put pressure on the Assad regime in order to show seriousness about reaching a political solution in Syria,” Alabdah said.
Regarding the possibility of resuming the Geneva negotiations, Alabdah pointed out that “negotiations have reached an impasse because of violations of the truce by the Assad regime and its allies; lack of progress in the humanitarian track; and lack of seriousness in discussing ways to bring about political transition, which represents the core of the political process.”
Alabdah called upon the EU countries to “take more serious positions to initiate political transition in Syria,” warning of grave consequences of continued war in Syria, including a worsening refugee crisis and widespread terrorism.
Alabdah described the Assad regime’s recent granting of access to humanitarian aid in some areas, including Daraya and Alhula, as too little, too late. “Little has recently been allowed into besieged Alhula since 2012. Regime forces pounded the area with over 50 barrel bombs immediately after the entry of the aid convoy, which further proves the lack of seriousness on the part of the Assad regime in both the humanitarian and political tracks.”
Not a single blockade has been lifted since the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution 2254 (December 2015), which called for lifting sieges on besieged areas.
Alabdah called on the international community to show genuine will to achieve a successful political transition in Syria. Failure to achieve that, Alabdah warned, will have dire consequence not only in Syria, but throughout the entire Middle East, Europe and the world. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Anadolu Agency)
