President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Nasr al-Hariri, sent a legal memorandum to the UN Security Council regarding the hostilities that Russia and the Assad regime are carrying out in Jarablus, Duwailah and Ariha in northwestern Syria.
Al-Hariri said that this week, the forces of Russia and the Assad regime carried out hostile actions in three regions in northern Syria, committing massacres among civilians and military personnel committed to the signed de-escalation agreements and international ceasefire resolutions.
“The hostilities carried out by Russia and the Assad regime on these three sites constitute a flagrant violation of the March 5, 2020 agreement between the Turkish Republic and the Russian Federation to stop military activities in a de-escalation area, which is welcomed by the Security Council,” the memo said.
“With reference to the report of the inquiry committee formed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to investigate incidents of targeting hospitals, schools and protection centers in northwestern Syria, and its confirmed results that the centers targeted by air strikes are free of any militants or terrorists, and this proves the falsehood of Russia and the Assad regime’s allegations that these attacks are meant to combat terrorism.”
Al-Hariri stressed “the blatant contradiction between Russia’s call for the return of refugees, and its continuing behavior in targeting residents and displaced people, and displacing them continuously to other regions.”
He called for “condemning the Russian aggression, working hard to stop it, and announcing effective measures that oblige the regime and its supporters to comply with international resolutions, ensure the protection of civilians in Syria, and ensure that the necessary accountability measures are taken to prevent the impunity of those involved.”
Moreover, the memo called for “demanding that Russia compensate the Syrian people for the material and moral damage it caused in Syria.”
It also called for “submitting draft resolutions facing Russia as a party to the conflict, in implementation of the provisions of Chapter VI and Paragraph 3 of Article 52, and implementing the text of the third paragraph of Article 27 of the United Nations Charter, which requires the state party to the conflict to abstain from voting.”
Furthermore, the memo called for “working to de-represent the Assad regime in international forums due to its violations of the principles and charter of the United Nations, or at least work to stop the Assad regime from exercising membership rights and benefits in accordance with Articles 5 and 6 of the Charter.”
The memo also called for “supporting the efforts of the political process towards achieving a political transition and not allowing the regime to foil it again, given that a comprehensive solution to the humanitarian crisis in Syria requires reaching a political solution with the full implementation of the Geneva Communique and Security Council resolutions, especially 2118 (2013) and 2254 (2015) and the General Assembly resolutions, including 262/67.” (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
