President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Nasr Al-Hariri, held a virtual meeting with Canada’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Robert Ray, and discussed with him the latest developments in Syria on the sidelines of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.
The meeting brought together Coordinator of the SOC’s Department of Foreign Relations, Abdulahad Asteipho, member of the political committee, Dima Moussa, the SOC’s Representative to the United Nations, Maryam Jalabi, and the SOC’s Representative to the United States, Qutaiba Idilbi.
Al-Hariri gave an overview on the general situation in Syria, especially the situation on the ground and the Assad regime and its backers’ ongoing military build-up in northwestern Syria. He pointed out that the Assad regime is still insisting on pursuing a bloody military solution and continues to disrupt the work of political process and the work of the Constitutional Committee.
He stressed the need for increased efforts by the UN to reach a political solution in Syria through the full implementation of international resolutions, most importantly UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
Al-Hariri called for designating the Assad regime’s and Iranian militias as terrorist organizations and expanding the international coalition to confront these militias. He also called for using the Uniting for Peace principle to avoid the Russian veto at the UN Security Council.
Moreover, Al-Hariri talked about the situation of Syrian refugees in Iraq, Somalia and Greece, and Denmark, stressing the need to put an end to violations and abuses affecting Syrian asylum seekers.
He also talked about the dire humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in light of the coronavirus outbreak. He called for stepping up support for the Syrian Interim Government to help it improve the living conditions in the liberated areas as well as deliver humanitarian and relief aid to those in need.
For his part, the Canadian diplomat pointed out that his country is paying attention to the humanitarian situation in Syria, stressing that the UN Security Council is paralyzed because of the Russian veto. He also stressed the need to establish a democratic, free state and a stable government in Syria as key to addressing the humanitarian disaster affecting the country. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
