The President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Salem Al-Meslet, and President of the Syrian Negotiations Commission, Badr Jamous, held a virtual meeting with the British Minister of State for Foreign Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Lord Tariq Ahmad, to discuss the necessary needs to mitigate the damage resulting from the devastating earthquake and the Assad regime’s attempts to use the disaster for political gains. Also in attendance was SOC’s Vice President Abdul Ahad Astepho.
During the meeting, Al-Meslet highlighted the dire humanitarian conditions in northwestern Syria, specifically the shortage of heavy equipment needed to rescue victims trapped under the rubble and the severe shortages in medical supplies due to the large number of wounded.
He also denounced the United Nations’ failure to provide relief to the affected people in northwestern Syria and delay in sending humanitarian aid to the affected areas. Al-Meslet stressed that the United Nations submitted to Russia, which prevented the opening of border crossings, and insisted on entering aid through one crossing, and sending the largest share of humanitarian aid to the Assad regime.
Meanwhile, Astepho called on the United Kingdom to provide rapid support to northwestern Syria and to help facilitate the passage of humanitarian aid across the border to reach the affected people who are in dire need of assistance in these circumstances.
Jamous expressed gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar for their humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria, pointing out the dire conditions in the town of Jinderes in the Afrin region.
Lord Tariq Ahmed made it clear that the UK is following the statements of the Assad regime about opening the border crossings and emphasized the need not to politicize the disaster, and to focus on the humanitarian situation.
He stressed that the sanctions imposed on the Assad regime do not affect humanitarian aid and that the statements of the Assad regime and Russia about the impact of sanctions are incorrect.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
