Members of the Syrian Coalition’s political committee met with officials of the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) and the newly formed FSA General Staff in the Turkish city of Gaziantep on Friday.
The meeting, which was chaired by the Coalition president Riad Seif and SIG’s Head Jawad Abu Hatab, discussed the projects being implemented and developed by SIG in the liberated areas.
Seif reaffirmed the Coalition’s support for SIG’s work as the legitimate administration in the liberated areas as he rejected alternative formations aimed at “undermining the national unity.”
Seif pointed out that SIG’s presence in the four areas covered by the “de-escalation zones agreement” would help preserve the unity of Syria and thwart attempts to divide the country. By setting up administration in the liberated areas, SIG will be able to unify the law courts, education curricula and achieve sectoral unity, Seif added.
The Coalition has already held several meetings in Gaziantep with the staff of SIG and the Coalition’s Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU) to reach a unified vision and unify efforts in all areas, Seif said. He stressed that civilians in the liberated areas who are being subjected to systematic bombing “do not need those who awaken them but need their will to be unified and to be well catered for.”
With regards to the situation in Idlib, Seif noted that the Coalition is closely watching the situation in the province. “Our priority has always been to protect civilians from the crimes of the Assad regime,” he stressed.
Seif stressed that the Coalition is a key partner in the efforts aimed at bringing Idlib back to the “revolution’s social base” through assigning SIG the task of administering the province in cooperation with the Free Syrian Army.
Seif hailed the support being provided by Turkey, expressing “confidence that Ankara’s efforts in all areas are aimed at protecting Idlib from any possible aggression and protect the lives of its people.”
For his part, Abu Hatab said that they had come a long way on the road to build a national army and stamp out factionalism, adding that this step will support SIG’s position and contribute to the protection of the liberated areas from any possible aggression.
Abu Hatab also said that SIG works tirelessly to improve the reality of services being offered to the civilian population and to provide better living conditions for those who were displaced from their homes by the Assad regime. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
