The delegation of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) to Brussels met with a delegation from the British Foreign Office on the sidelines of the sixth annual Brussels conference.
The delegation was headed by President Salem al-Meslet, Vice President for Foreign Affairs Abdulahad Astepho, Vice President Ruba Habboush, members of the political committee Yahya Maktabi and Abdullah Kaddo, and Executive Director of the Assistance Coordination Unit Muhammad Hasno.
The British delegation was headed by Vijay Rangarajan, Director-General Americas and Overseas Territories of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British envoy to Syria Jonathan Hargreaves.
The two sides discussed the political process which has been stalled due to the Assad regime’s refusal to seriously engage and its insistence on pursuing a military solution with the support of Russia and Iran.
The SOC’s delegation reaffirmed its commitment to the political process and UN resolutions in Syria, especially the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Resolutions 2254 and 2118 which lead to a real political solution that fulfills the aspirations of the Syrian people for freedom, dignity and democracy.
The SOC’s delegation stressed the need to continue rejecting attempts to normalize relations with the Assad regime and to continue supporting accountability for war criminals as an essential part of the political solution.
The two sides also discussed the issue of Syrian refugees. The SOC’s delegation stressed that Syria is still not safe in the presence of the Assad regime and its continued crimes against civilians, citing Al-Tadamon Massacre whose details were revealed by the Guardian newspaper.
The two sides also talked about the Assad regime’s release of a limited number of detainees. The SOC’s delegation stressed the need to ratchet up pressure on the Assad regime to release all detainees and disclose the fate of the forcibly disappeared.
The SOC’s delegation also spoke about the importance of supporting Syrian women, empowering them in all fields, and ensuring their participation in decision-making positions and political action.
The British delegation expressed their understanding of the disappointment with the results of the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, stressing that the United Kingdom will continue to support the implementation of UN resolution 2254.
They pointed out that implementing the UN resolutions on Syria is not easy as a result of Russia’s intransigence, stressing their relentless efforts to extend the UN resolution related to the cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need in Syria.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
