The political committee of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) convened a regular meeting on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the latest political and field developments in Syria. The committee focused on the recent violations committed by the Lebanese authorities against Syrian refugees, which involved the forced return of dozens of families who were beaten, humiliated, and left in the open at the Lebanese-Syrian border.
During the meeting, the committee emphasized the urgent need for the United Nations to take serious action to stop the forced deportation campaigns of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The committee highlighted the previous experiences of deportations, where the Syrian regime arrested and killed the refugees in its detention centers. Therefore, the committee urged the UN to prevent any such crimes from occurring if the refugees are deported.
The committee stressed that the return of refugees is linked to the implementation of UN resolutions on Syria, specifically the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Resolutions 2118 and 2254. These resolutions require the achievement of a full political transition in the country to create a safe and independent environment that paves the way for the voluntary and safe return of refugees.
The committee also discussed the current situation in Sudan and the need to continue communication with countries capable of assisting in the evacuation of Syrian nationals trapped there. These individuals are currently trapped in Khartoum which is experiencing intense infighting.
During the meeting, SOC’s Vice-President Abdulahad Astepho provided a briefing on the activities of the Department of Foreign Relations. He discussed ongoing preparations for several visits to European capitals and meetings with decision-makers. Astepho also submitted a report on the recent SOC delegation visits to Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn, where they identified problems and difficulties facing the people in those towns.
SOC’s Secretary-General Haytham Rahmeh discussed the progress of the work in the General Secretariat and provided an overview of the conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, where a racist campaign against them is escalating, and forced deportation campaigns to the areas of the Assad regime are occurring.
Additionally, committee member and Coordinator of the Office of Strategic Studies, Ahmed Tomeh, presented a political evaluation of the restoration of the Saudi-Iranian relations and the upcoming quartet meeting in Moscow.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
