The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) on Thursday held a consultative meeting with activists in Dara’a to discuss the latest developments in the province, especially the blockade recently imposed by the Assad regime on civilians.
The meeting brought together SOC’s President Nasr al-Hariri, Vice-president, Ruba Habboush, Secretary-General Abdelbaset Abdullatif, Head of the National Commission for the Missing Persons and Detainees Yasser Al-Farhan, Coordinator of the Documents and Studies Office Riyad Al-Hassan, media professionals and researchers.
Al-Hariri stressed the importance of communicating with international actors to lift the blockade on the people of Dara’a. He called on the guarantor states to honor their commitments to the existing agreements, calling on friendly states and the international community to take real steps to end Assad’s tyranny.
Participants emphasized that the Assad regime is not seeking to seize two hundred small arms as it claims, but rather to displace the youth of Dara’a from their land and replace them with sectarian loyalist militias. They stressed the refusal of the youth of Dara’a to negotiate with the regime before the blockade is lifted. They pointed to the Russian role in violating existing agreements and encouraging the regime to impose the blockade, citing Russia’s sending of a new military commander to the region. They said that the commander has recently supervised the displacement of hundreds of people from the town of Umm Batinah in Quneitra province.
The Assad regime forces, especially the Iranian-affiliated Fourth Division, the Air Force Intelligence, and Al-Areen Militia imposed a blockade on towns and villages in Dara’a province nine days ago. The blockaded has caused deterioration in the humanitarian situation of nearly 11,000 households, causing severe shortages in basic foodstuffs and medical supplies. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
