Hadi Al-Bahra, the President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), arrived in the French capital on Tuesday morning, leading a delegation that includes Vice-Presidents Abdel Majeed Barakat and Dima Moussa, the Coordinator of the Department of Foreign Relations, Abdulahad Astepho, political committee member Zuhair Muhammad, and SOC representative in France, Nour al-Din al-Labbad.
The delegation is scheduled to engage in a series of meetings with officials from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The primary focus of these discussions will be the latest developments surrounding the ongoing bombing campaigns in northwestern Syria by the Assad regime and its supporters, which have been causing harm to civilians, hospitals, and schools. As part of these discussions, President Al-Bahra will present an official letter to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the letter, he will request France’s assistance in convening a United Nations Security Council session to secure necessary decisions and actions to halt the regime’s attacks and military escalation in Idlib and the Aleppo countryside.
Additionally, the delegation will address the plight of Syrian refugees globally, particularly in Lebanon, and advocate for the United Nations and the international community to shoulder their responsibilities in safeguarding refugees against systematic discrimination, hate incitement, and persecution. The delegation will emphasize the risks posed by recent decisions by the Lebanese government, which endanger the lives of tens of thousands of Syrian refugees. They will request that France, as a friend to the Syrian people, leverage its influence to halt these violations and implement measures to protect refugees and prevent their involuntary repatriation.
Moreover, the delegation will explore the reasons behind the impasse in the United Nations-sponsored political process in Geneva and brainstorm strategies for its revival. Discussions will also center on the SOC’s action plan, which includes supporting the Syrian Interim Government in fostering security and stability, enhancing infrastructure in northwestern Syria, improving services, bolstering the education sector, especially at the university level, facilitating international recognition of degrees from these universities, establishing industrial zones and a free zone, and strengthening micro-loan programs to fund projects by youth and women. These efforts aim to create job opportunities and invigorate the local economy.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
