President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Nasr Al-Hariri, held a virtual meeting with the French envoy to Syria, François Sénémaud, and discussed with him the latest on the ground and political developments in Syria.
Sénémaud reaffirmed his country’s support for the issue of accountability in Syria through Paris’s continued efforts within the OPCW, especially following the adoption of a resolution by OPCW’s Executive Council condemning the Assad regime for using chemical weapons.
The two sides said that this resolution will help hold the Assad regime accountable for its use of chemical weapons, especially following the latest report which was issued by OPCW investigation team on April 8, 2020.
Sénémaud said that his country welcomed the report of the fact-finding committee on the Assad regime’s violations of rights in Idlib as the two sides stressed the need for accountability.
Sénémaud also reaffirmed France’s support for the efforts to revitalize the political process. The two parties stressed that the only way to put an end to the suffering of the Syrian people is through a credible political process in accordance with UN Resolution 2254 and the Geneva Communique of 2012.
The two sides also discussed the travesty of the parliamentary elections the Assad regime has recently held in the areas under its control. They agreed that these so-called elections reflected the Assad regime’s intransigence and its refusal to engage seriously in the UN-sponsored political process in accordance with UN Resolution 2254, which clearly calls for free and fair elections with the participation of all Syrians, including Syrian refugees and under the auspices of the United Nations based on a new constitution.
Moreover, the two sides discussed the issue of humanitarian aid. Al-Hariri pointed out that the recent UN Security Council resolution on the extension of an authorization for the delivery of humanitarian aid through Bab al-Hawa border crossing only would deprive millions of this aid. He stressed the need to form a group to work outside the UN Security Council to ensure sustained humanitarian access for all those in need.
Al-Hariri reaffirmed the SOC’s support for the efforts of the Syrian Negotiations Commission and the Constitutional Committee to complete its mission within the limits of its mandate without further delay.
Moreover, Al-Hariri stressed the importance of continued cooperation and coordination between the SOC and the French government and the need to provide support to the liberated areas to help confront the coronavirus pandemic through the Ministry of Health of the Syrian Interim Government.
He also underscored the urgent need to exert international pressure on the Assad regime to release detainees from its prisons as they are the most vulnerable group to coronavirus due to the lack of medical care and the inhumane conditions in the Assad regime’s prisons. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
