Member of the Syrian Coalition’s political committee Hadi al-Bahra stressed the need for the UN Security Council’s member states to take measures to force the Assad regime to abide by Resolution 2401. He said that such measures are likely to push ahead the political process and negotiations.
“Stopping violence and making the peace process workable requires deliberate action by those who have the capability to do so,” Bahra told a meeting of the Security Council on Monday.
Bahra urged the UN Security Council member states to threaten and if necessary take military action to deter all violations of the ceasefire demanded by the UN Security Council throughout Syria — not only for using chemical weapons.
“It is feasible. It is necessary. And it is overdue,” Bahra stressed.
Bahra pointed out that if Russia is not willing to allow the UN Security Council to be effective, then there is no clearer example of the need for action outside the Council to force the implementation of its resolutions. He underscored that the Security Council member states’ progressive approach and their watching idly by mean that they will have to deal with the consequences in other countries.
Bahra stressed that relying on Russia to rein in the Assad regime is not a strategic option, but a tactic based on wishful thinking. He pointed out that over the past few years, Moscow has not been able to control its agent, the Assad regime. “Even the Assad regime repelled Russia when it rejected the outcome of the Sochi conference.”
Bahra, who is also member of the Syrian Negotiations Commission and former president of the Coalition, reaffirmed commitment to the political process, noting that negotiations are the only way to achieve sustainable peace in Syria. He stressed that the political process will go nowhere as long as the Assad regime is not forced to sit at the negotiating table. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
