Secretary of the Syrian Coalition’s political committee Yahya Maktabi said that the international community risks undermining the principles of democracy, dignity and human rights in Syria, pointing to attempts to rehabilitate the Assad regime.
“We are trying to clarify the issue of the Syrian people, which requires the unification of the efforts of everyone. We are also seeking to restore confidence between us and the Syrian people,” Maktabi told Elaph newspaper. “This will hopefully be achieved through close cooperation between members of the Coalition and civil society organizations and organizations working on the ground in Syria.”
Maktabi pointed to an “ambitious project” to reform the Syrian Coalition at the level of organization and performance, noting that the project was adopted by president of the Coalition, Riad Seif and the majority in the Coalition members. At the organizational level, the Coalition will seek to incorporate more national figures and improve the representation of the FSA groups in the Coalition.
The Coalition will discuss the situation of the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) working in the liberated areas and the difficulties and challenges it faces, Maktabi said. He added that one of the Coalition’s priorities is to encourage friendly and sisterly countries to support SIG and enable it carry out its tasks.
Maktabi concluded his remarks by stressing that in order not to lose credibility and to avoid political posturing within the context of the Geneva talks, the Coalition will not set unrealistic high expectations. Maktabi reiterated that the Coalition’s primary mission remains to defend the Syrian people and the Syrian revolution and represent them at the political level and to spare no effort to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
