President of the Syrian Coalition Abdurrahman Mustafa and Head of the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) Jawad Abu Hatab met with representatives of a group of friendly countries of the Syrian people. Both sides discussed the latest developments on the ground in Syria and the fresh military attacks being launched by the Assad regime and Iranian terrorist militias against civilians in southern Syria.
Participants in the meeting, which was also attended by members of the Coalition’s political committee, discussed the mass forced displacement operations being carried out by the Assad regime against civilians in different areas across Syria. They also discussed Law No. 10 and its possible implications for countries hosting Syrian refugees. The discussions also included ways to support the Syrian Interim Government and its projects to provide basic service for the civilian population in the liberated areas.
President Mustafa said that the regime’s escalating attacks have caused mass displacement of civilians in southern Syria, stressing that attacks against civilians constituted war crimes requiring urgent international action to stop them.
President Mustafa pointed out that the Coalition utterly rejects the implementation of Law No. 10 as it is aimed at the consolidation of mass forced displacement and demographic change.
The Coalition is continuing to implement its plan to strengthen its presence in the liberated areas and activate the work of the institutions of the Syrian Interim Government to provide services to the civilian population, President Mustafa said. The Coalition is also seeking to form local councils of the local population to manage the affairs of people in the liberated towns and villages.
For his part, Jawad Abu Hatab said that after two years of work in the liberated areas, the Syrian Interim Government has become a reality. “Our top priority was to provide services in the areas of education, health and local councils. We also sought to achieve stability and prepare the population for a political process.”
The Syrian Interim Government is now focusing on seven key issues, namely the police, the judiciary and the adoption of a Syrian law, the Free Syrian Army, the civil prison administration, the national statistical office, the expansion of vocational and higher education, and the provision of essential services, especially in construction and the rehabilitation of roads, Abu Hatab said.
Bashar al-Zoabi, representative of the Southern Front in the Syrian Coalition, stressed that the Assad regime and Russia are committing widespread war crimes in the province of Dara’a. “The situation in Dara’a province is dangerous. We contacted most of the friendly countries and sent them letters via the Coalition and the Syrian Negotiations Commission, but unfortunately the regime continues with its military campaign against civilians in the region. There is a large wave of mass displacement of civilians, with numbers that may reach unprecedented levels in the coming few days should violations of the regime continue.”
For her part, Vice-president of the Syrian Coalition, Dima Moussa, warned that the mass forced displacement and demographic change operations as well as the regime’s issuance of Law No. 10 will have a direct impact on the political process and political transition, especially with the regime’s confiscation of civilian property. She underscored that Law No. 10 risks discouraging the return of displaced persons and refugees to their homes, adding that the issuance of the law “proved that the Assad regime is not serious about engaging in the political process.”
Hadi al-Bahra, member of the political committee, said: “We are focusing not only on forming the Constitutional Committee, but also on its work. This Committee should be part of the Geneva process and under the auspices of the United Nations.”
Bahra stressed that the Constitutional Committee “must be a step towards the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2254 and not an attempt to circumvent the resolution. The Committee must also be a step towards real political transition.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
