President of the Syrian Coalition Riad Seif said that the Syrian opposition will not accept any role for Bashar Al-Assad neither in the transitional period nor in the future of Syria. He stressed that achieving a political transition should be on top of the agenda of the current round of talks in Geneva as he considered transition to be key to restoring security and stability in Syria.
Seif made his remarks at a meeting with the UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday. The meeting was also attended by members of the Coalition’s political committee Hadi Bahra and Hawas Khalil.
Seif emphasized that the crimes by the Assad regime must be condemned by everyone, adding that the United Nations must stand up to these crimes. Otherwise, the regime will be encouraged to further ignore international resolutions on Syria.
Seif pointed out that mass forced displacement operations are taking place in Syria right under the nose of the entire world, stressing that these operations are illegal. Seif pointed out that the regime is forcing civilians out of their homes instead of implementing international resolutions calling for the introduction of relief aid to besieged towns and cities.
The political process in Geneva is the main path to reaching a political solution in line with the Geneva Communique of 2012 and the UN Security Council resolution 2254, Seif said.
Seif went on to say that Iran cannot proclaim itself a guarantor of any agreement on Syria in view of the war crimes its militias are committing in Syria, referring to the May 4 “de-escalation” agreement signed in Astana.
Seif noted that the Kurdish National Council is represented in the Geneva negotiations through the Coalition and under an agreement signed between the two parties.
The Coalition delegation handed a letter written by rights group and activists to de Mistura calling for the immediate release of all detainees in Syria, instead of prisoner swap deals.
The plight of detainees is one of the most important issues that needs to be resolved, Seif said. He added that any progress in this issue must not be linked to developments in the political process in Geneva. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
