General Coordinator of the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC), Riad Hijab, and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed the latest attempts by the opposition to press the UN to take action outside the Security Council in order to put an end to the onslaught on Aleppo by the Assad regime and its allies.
In a telephone conversation on Friday, Hijab and Steinmeier also discussed the mass forced displacement and demographic change operations carried out by the regime in the Damascus suburbs and other areas across Syria.
Hijab stressed the need to press the United Nations General Assembly towards issuing a resolution in order to bypass the Russian veto. He also stressed the need to find new solutions in order to save Syrian civilians; bring about a political transition in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions; and refer Assad and his inner circle to the International Criminal Court.
Hijab emphasized that the Assad regime lost all legitimacy after it has killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians; displaced half of the population; and given the Russian and Iranian invaders as well as the foreign militias a free hand in Syria. He reiterated calls to expel the Assad regime’s ambassador to the United Nations.
The two sides also discussed the latest political developments on Syria, especially the Lausanne and London meetings to be held on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
For his part, the German foreign minister pointed to his country’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people and deliver humanitarian aid to civilians trapped in the besieged areas. He said he expected a breakthrough in the diplomatic efforts on Syria in the coming few days, praising the HNC’s positive efforts to bring about a lasting peace in Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
