President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Nasr Al-Hariri, met the US special envoy to Syria, Joel Rayburn, and discussed with him the latest on the ground and political developments in Syria.
In attendance were also Coordinator of the SOC’s Department of Foreign Relations Abdulahad Asteipho, Coordinator of the Caesar Act Follow-up Team Abd al-Majid Barakat, and member of the political committee Abdullah Kaddo.
Al-Hariri talked about the fourth round of the work of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva and the Assad regime’s continued attempts to buy time and deviate from the agreed upon agenda. He stressed that the Assad regime continues to procrastinate and refuses to engage in a genuine, ongoing political process aimed at fully implementing UN Security Council resolution 2254.
Al-Hariri called on the United States and the United Nations to ratchet up pressure on the Assad regime’s allies to force it to seriously engage in the work of the Constitutional Committee. He stressed the need to discuss the rest of the baskets laid out in UN Resolution 2254 and to work on them in parallel.
Asteipho gave an overview on the situation inside Al-Rukban refugee camp and the suffering of civilians residing in it as a result of the severe shortages of the necessities of life, especially amidst the coronavirus outbreak. He called for stepping up international aid to residents of the camp, especially medical and food aid.
Barakat talked about the latest issues being worked on within the Caesar Act as he highlighted the Assad regime’s continuing beaches of the Act. He said that Russian companies are providing support to the regime to help it circumvent the sanctions.
Kaddo said that violations east of the Euphrates River are continuing, most notably kidnappings of children and intimidation of the families of the Peshmerga fighters who are affiliated with the Kurdish National Council. He called for dissociation from the PKK group and the withdrawal of all foreign militants form Syria, including those affiliated with the PKK.
For his part, the US envoy reaffirmed the US’s commitment to supporting the SOC and the Syrian people in their struggle to achieve their aspirations for freedom, dignity and democratic transition through the full implementation of UN Resolution 2254. He also reaffirmed the that the US will continue to impose sanctions on the regime and its backers under the Caesar Act.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
