President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Nasr Al-Hariri, lauded Canada’s taking of action to hold the Assad regime accountable for its crimes against the Syrian people as he received Canada’s Executive Coordinator for Syria on Monday.
The meeting brought together SOC’s Vice-president Ruba Habboush, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations Abdulahad Asteipho, members of the political committee Yasser Al-Farhan and Abdel-Majid Barakat.
Al-Hariri proposed working out a joint strategy with Canada on the issue of sanctions and the necessary procedures to file lawsuits before the competent courts then referring them to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
He said that Canada’s moving forward with its bid to hold the Assad regime accountable for its crimes is the best response to the farcical election that the regime intends to hold. He pointed out that such moves will prevent attempts to rehabilitate the regime.
The two sides discussed the latest on the ground and political developments as well as ways to revitalize the political process which has been stalled as a result of the Assad regime’s obstructionism. They also agreed on the need for support from Canada and the international community to push the political solution in Syria forward through effective mechanisms outside the UN Security Council in order to avoid Russia’s veto.
Al-Hariri called on Canada to step up support for the Syrian Interim Government and the IDPs in northwestern Syria as well as for development projects aimed at meeting the basic needs of the population.
For his part, the Canadian diplomat reaffirmed his country’s support for the Syrian people and their legitimate demands for freedom and dignity. He emphasized the Assad regime’s responsibility for crimes and human rights violations in Syria, stressing that they would not go unpunished. He pointed out that Canada would join the Dutch proposal to confront the Assad regime in the issue of accountability in accordance with the UN Convention against Torture. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
