The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) met with the British team for Syria and discussed with it the latest on the ground and political developments.
The meeting brought together SOC’s President Nasr Al-Hariri, Coordinator of the Department of Foreign Relations, Abdulahad Asteifo, the British Special Envoy for Syria Jonathan Hargreaves, and political officer at the British Embassy in Beirut Sophie Newman.
The meeting focused on the situation in Syria in light of the latest international changes and developments, as the two sides agreed on the importance of renewing the authorization for the cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need in Syria.
The two sides also discussed the escalation in southern Syria and the blockade that the Assad regime forces and Iranian militias under Russian supervision have recently imposed on Dara’a. The blockade caused the deterioration of the humanitarian situation for nearly 11,000 households in Dara’a al-Balad.
They also discussed the SOC’s activities in the liberated areas, and the violations of the PYD militia in northeastern Syria.
Al-Hariri stressed the importance of the SOC’s work in the liberated areas where a new office is being set up. He pointed out that the SOC is directly communicating with the people, which strengthens the credibility of the SOC’s work. He stressed the importance of returning to the liberated areas and working directly from there, and focusing on executive issues alongside the Syrian Interim Government.
“We are keen on serving the population and organizing their lives in the liberated areas, in addition to our cooperation with the international community and friends,” al-Hariri said.
Al-Hariri pointed out that United Nations resolutions, especially the Geneva Communique of 2012, UN Resolution 2254 and the resolutions for the delivery of humanitarian aid are political pillars that should not be touched. He added that Russia is trying, through the issue of humanitarian crossings, to pressure the international community to re-engage the Assad regime and restore relations with it.
He stressed that reducing the Syrian crisis to the humanitarian issue risks freezing the political process. He said that the issue of border crossings is as important as revitalizing the political process and proceeding with it to implement UN resolutions and the formation of a transitional governing body with full executive powers. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
