The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) held a meeting with the political bureau in Raqqa province and discussed with them the situation in the province, the living conditions, and the PYD militia’s crimes against people of the region.
The meeting brought together SOC’s President Nasr Al-Hariri, Vice-president Oqab Yahya, Secretary-General Abdelbaset Abdullatif, Secretary of the political committee Riyad Al-Hassan, member of the committee Yasser Al-Farhan, and members of the General Assembly Muhammad Ali Issa and Abdullah Al-Faraj.
Members of the bureau gave an overview on the formation of the bureau and the steps taken in this regard, starting with the holding of a preparatory conference bringing together about 370 people from the province, 266 of whom represent all walks of life, such as teachers, engineers, doctors, lawyers, dentists and so on. Elections were then held and an bureau was formed, which consists of 15 members distributed over the administrative regions and representing various social strata.
Al-Hariri praised the bureau’s efforts as he reiterated the SOC’s support for the formation of political offices that represent the demands of the people of all Syrian provinces, consult with SOC on the revolutionary decision, and ensure the participation of all Syrians in making this decision.
Al-Hariri also stressed that the sacrifices of the Syrian people must not be ignored, which must prompt everyone to work on organizing and framing the institutional revolutionary work by creating selection mechanisms that have legitimacy to overcome the challenges facing the revolution.
He held the international community primarily responsible for the ongoing suffering in Syria as he reiterated the SOC’s commitment to reaching a political solution resulting from a political process in accordance with the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Resolution 2254. He also stressed that the establishment of a transitional governing body without Bashar al-Assad and the pillars of his regime is the number one pillar of that solution.
Moreover, Al-Hariri said that the SOC stands ready to coordinate with the Raqqa political bureau in order to participate in the decision-making and exchange ideas and proposals.
Yahya talked about the importance of the eastern Euphrates region and its role in the future of Syria, pointing out that the Jazira and Euphrates Committee is seeking to contribute to the formation of political bureaus similar to those in the provinces of Deir Ezzor and Hasaka as a gateway for reaching a body representing the three provinces.
Abdullatif reaffirmed the SOC’s commitment to reaching out to the popular base in the liberated areas, indicating that it has opened two offices in each of Azaz and Al-Rai, and is preparing to open a third one in the liberated areas east of the Euphrates.
For his part, Al-Farhan stressed the importance of communication between the Raqqa political bureau and the National Commission for the Affairs of the Detainees and Missing in order to monitor and document the PYD’s violations against the people of the region.
It was agreed to continue communication and coordination between the SOC and the bureau in order to highlight demands and needs of the people of the province. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
