President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Salem al-Meslet, met with the US special envoy to Syria, Ethan Goldrich, and discussed with him the latest field and political developments in Syria. The two sides also discussed the importance of revitalizing the political process and reaching a political solution that meets the Syrian people’s aspirations for freedom, dignity and democracy.
In attendance were also SOC’s Secretary-General Haytham Rahmeh, Vice-President Abdulahad Astepho, and Secretary of the political committee Abdel-Majid Barakat.
Al-Meslet stressed the need to seek accountability for the Assad regime’s criminals, highlighting the importance of the US role in supporting and pushing for political transition, which is the essence of a political solution in Syria in accordance with UN resolutions. He also stressed that the SOC is dealing positively with all UN resolutions that genuinely seek to reach a political solution that would restore security and stability to the country and bring an end to the suffering of the Syrian people.
Al-Meslet stressed the importance of the US role in building effective international pressure to help release detainees from Assad’s prisons. He also stressed the importance of ratcheting up pressure on the Assad regime and its backers, preventing normalization of ties with it or trying to rehabilitate it, and imposing more sanctions on Bashar al-Assad and the symbols of his regime.
Moreover, Al-Meslet highlighted the dangers of the Assad regime and Iran, especially their involvement in illicit drug trade and their flooding of Syria and its neighboring with narcotics in order to feed their military machines. He expressed his support for all efforts to confront this trade which is threatening Syrians and the whole world, calling for international cooperation to rid Syria of terrorism, sectarian militias and drug lords, chief among them is the Assad regime.
Al-Meslet spoke about the terrorism being practiced by the mullahs’ regime of Iran, which is seeking to spread evil and terrorism in the region. He stressed that the Syrian people are suffering from sectarian and terrorist militias that are fighting alongside the regime, as he saluted the revolutionaries in Iran who continue to demonstrate against the Iranian regime in all Iranian cities.
The two sides also discussed the PYD militia’s violations against civilians in the areas under its control, especially the closure of Syriac schools and the imposition of ideology-based curricula on students.
Furthermore, the two sides talked about the meeting that has recently brought together commanders of the Syrian National Army, and the terms of an agreement that seeks to establish a unified army that unify all armed opposition groups into a single military structure.
For his part, Mr. Goldrich reiterated his country’s continued push to revitalize the political process and reach a political solution in accordance with UN Resolution 2254, as well as its rejection of attempts to rehabilitate the Assad regime regionally or internationally.
Mr. Goldrich stressed that Washington is working to ensure accountability in Syria, adding that accountability is an essential part of the political solution.
Mr. Goldrich also expressed his rejection of all attempts and plans to forcibly return Syrian refugees to Syria as he stressed that any return should be in accordance with UN Resolution 2254. (Source: SOC’s media department)
