Bahra: Tipping the Balance on the Ground is Essential to Reaching a Political Solution

Hadi al Bahra, President of the Syrian Coalition, said “to achieve a political solution to the crisis in Syria, the international community must create the conditions to change the dynamics on the ground,” during the meeting of the Council of the Socialist International in Geneva. “Unfortunately, right now, we are not achieving this. The current US-led campaign of airstrikes against extremist groups in Syria is part of the reason why,” he added. He also stressed that “to achieve the solution to the Syria crisis, airstrikes against ISIS are not enough. We must adopt a comprehensive approach that (1) defeats ISIS militarily; (2) removes the root cause of extremism – the Assad regime; and (3) puts in place the moderate governance that will ensure that there can be no resurgence of extremism.  Rather than pursue these elements in sequence, these elements must be pursued in parallel. Anything else will only worsen the situation in Syria and the threat it poses to international security. Our friends should increase practical support for Syria’s moderate opposition by supporting our forces on the ground and our interim government. Together we have worked to defend the Syrian people while also delivering moderate governance structures in opposition-held areas. The US-led strikes on ISIS are failing to have the required impact in part because they are not coordinating with forces on the ground. Syrians know the terrain. They know the communities. They are the front line against extremism and they need to be supported and utilized. And our forces and those trying to administer moderate government on the ground need to be protected from aerial attack by the regime – so we need some form of no-fly zone.” Moreover, Bahra calls for “isolating and weakening the Assad regime. Assad’s brutal dictatorship has no place in the international community. And a political solution will only be possible when the regime is under threat. We need more sanctions on sectors such as specialized fuels, and Russian funders and suppliers. The EU has an opportunity to adopt these measures on Monday in Brussels. There is a pressing need to address the humanitarian crisis. States are showing extraordinary generosity. But, unfortunately, many needs remain unmet. The World Food Program is struggling to keep its food voucher program going for refugees. States must meet the pledges that they have made.  The importance of these types of programs for displaced Syrians cannot be understated, and they are needed now more than ever. And, on the ground, cross-border delivery is key. The Security Council provided a mandate for such delivery so that 3.5 million Syrians could be reached. But UN agencies have not used the authorization. Where the UN can’t or won’t act, states must work with NGOs to deliver aid outside the UN framework.” Bahra concluded his speech pointing out that “many governments have tried to do some of what I have described, but not at the scale it needs to happen, and not in coordination. Tackling a problem as serious as the current crisis in Syria requires deliberate intent. It requires states to take meaningful, comprehensive action to stop this conflict and support our people. With the necessary will and resources, I believe we can still achieve this.” (Source: Syrian Coalition)