Member of the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) George Sabra said that at least 70 countries have so far announced support for the initiative led by the Syrian Coalition and the HNC as well as the friendly countries to stop the bloodshed in Syria and avoid the veto Russia repeatedly used to block any action on Syria in the UN Security Council.
Sabra said that the Syrian Coalition and HNC and several friendly countries are mobilizing support for a European initiative submitted to the UN General Assembly on Saturday to reach a ceasefire in Aleppo and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians trapped inside the rebel-held areas.
Hundreds of French and Syrian citizens on Sunday organized a sit-in in The Place de la République Square in central Paris to protest against the brutal aerial bombing on Aleppo by the Assad regime and Russian forces as well as the crimes being committed by Iraqi Popular Mobilization militias in the city.
Protesters held placards denouncing the war crimes being carried out by the Assad regime and Russia and condemning the mass forced displacement policy being pursued by the Assad regime in Syria. Protestors also called for taking action to save Syrian civilians and stressed the Syrians in the diaspora will not abandon their homeland.
The French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Sunday urged the international community to “do everything” to end the “massacre” in Aleppo.
Speaking in the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep, Ayrault said: “We’re 150 km (93 miles) — perhaps no further — from Aleppo. And right now bombing, artillery continue to destroy this city and massacre the population.”
For Syrian refugees to have the chance to return to their country, “we must do everything to stop this massacre” and resume negotiations to reach a political agreement, he said.
“We cannot come to a negotiation under the bombs… The total war solution is not a solution,” Ayrault added. He said the urgency must be to stop the bombing and provide access to humanitarian aid for the first time since July 7.
The French foreign minister also reiterated a demand for a UN Security Council resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria and “sanctions” against the perpetrators.
“We hope that this resolution is not hampered by the use of the veto. If that were the case, it would be a form of complicity with what is happening … in Syria,” Ayrault said, indirectly addressing Russia. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Asharq Al-Awsat + Agencies)
