Syrian Coalition: Assad Buys Time by Stalling Chemical Weapons Handover

Louay Safi, spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, is not surprised by the Assad regime’s stalling of the handover of chemical weapons. “We have expected this since the beginning, as Assad’s agreeing to hand over his chemical weapons is an interim step in order to absorb the international outrage after the Ghouta massacres. Safi also points out that the Assad regime’s initial acceptance to hand over his chemical weapons is nothing more than an attempt to avoid military strikes against its military positions. “The reason behind Assad’s stalling is that he seeks to keep the chemical weapons in his grip to ensure his hold on power, as all political realities suggest that it is not possible that the Assad regime has any role to play in the future of Syria. Moreover, Safi criticized the international community’s delay in holding Assad accountable for the crimes he committed against the Syrian people, and for his attempt to export terror and killing across the Syrian borders. When asked about Russia’s opposition of entering relief aid and lifting the siege on Syrian cities, Safi said that Russia blatantly evades taking the steps necessary to save the lives of the trapped civilians across Syria. “This is unacceptable and publicly violates all human rights charters, because the international organizations can search all convoys loaded with humanitarian aid before entering into the besieged areas,” he said. Moreover, Safi points out that the Assad regime still insists on using civilians as hostages in order to put pressure on the opposition and to make as much political and military headway as possible. “Assad follows a strategy of starving the trapped civilians as punishment for the armed uprising and for popular demands for freedom and justice,” Safi stresses. In a similar vein, Nora Al Ameer, vice president of the Syrian Coalition, criticizes the logic of force and Russia’s threat of vetoing a UN Security Council for the delivery of humanitarian aid and lifting the siege on Syrian cities. “When Russia decides to veto the entry of humanitarian aid and bread to trapped civilians, then the right to use the veto turns into to a weapon as deadly as Assad’s chemical weapons,” she said. Al Ameer also lashed out on “Russia’s stipulation that the Assad regime agrees first to the entry of humanitarian aid. It is strange how Russia still blocks the issuance of a UN Security Resolution that will punish the Assad regime in case they insisted on preventing the delivery of food and medical aid to trapped civilians.” Furthermore, Al Ameer stresses that “if the international community is serious about the delivery of aid to the besieged civilians in Syria, they should pass a binding resolution that force Assad to allow the entry of food and medical aid, as all the political realities since the beginning of the revolution indicate that the Assad regime responds only when it is faced by the strong will of the international community.” Al Ameer recalls when Assad agreed to give up his stockpiles of chemical weapons after it was faced with the threat of the use of force. “Forcing the Assad regime to lift the siege is as important as the removal of his chemical weapons,” she stresses. Moreover, Louay Safi, spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, disputes claims made by Russia that progress was made at Geneva II on the humanitarian situation is still the same, stressing that the Assad regime used the humanitarian crisis as a political card to put pressure on the opposition at Geneva II. Safi said that the Assad regime has been seeking to displace the people of Syrian cities in an effort to change the demographics in some areas, thus violating human rights conventions. He also warned of the regime’s attempts to sign a truce with opposition forces in some areas “to use it as an interim step in order to regroup his forces and deploy them to other areas within the country and to ease up pressure on the capital. (Source: Syrian Coalition)