Vice-president of the Syrian Coalition Abdul Ahad Steifo criticized the exclusion of Syrians from the upcoming meeting on Syria to be held in the Swiss city of Lausanne later on Saturday. He said that the “common denominator when it comes to meetings held on Syria since the Geneva meeting in 2012 has been the exclusion of Syrians from these meetings and the fact they were all dominated by the United States and Russia.”
Steifo described these meetings as “a waste of time,” adding that they will only “prolong the conflict and cause more bloodshed in Syria.”
“The exclusion of Syrians from the preparatory meetings will only serve to further complicate the situation and Syria,” Steifo added.
Steifo went on: “Since February, there has been much talk about reaching a sustainable cessation of hostilities agreement, but what is happening on the ground is quite the opposite. Regime forces are now besieging more areas and forcing more civilians out of their homes. The responsibility for this situation lies mainly with the Americans and the Russians.” (Source: Syrian Coalition + AFP)