Secretary of the Syrian Coalition’s political committee, Riyad al-Hassan, slammed remarks made by spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova who said that the issue of the departure of the head of the regime, Bashar al-Assad, is a “closed door and that everyone has already turned the page on the issue” which she said “must not be subjected to negotiations on Syria.”
Al-Hassan said that Zakharova’s statement represented a blatant defiance to the Syrian people who have sacrificed thousands of lives and have demanded the departure of the regime since the beginning of the revolution. He said that Assad inherited the throne of the Assad family which has ruled the country for five decades.
Moreover, Al-Hassan said that Zakharova’s remarks risk undermining efforts to achieve progress in the political processes, whether the one being sponsored by Moscow in the Sochi Conference or the UN-led process in Geneva.
The Assad regime is responsible for the killing and the forced disappearance of hundreds of thousands of Syrians, torture, war crimes and widespread violations, and the forced displacement of millions of Syrians to neighboring countries and the rest of the world.
Al-Hassan went on to say that Russian’s support for the Assad regime makes Russia a party to the conflict, which violate the decisions of the Geneva conference aimed at ending the regime’s war against the Syrian people. He pointed out that Assad’s survival eliminates the possibility of forming a transitional government with full powers in Syria in line with the Geneva Communique of 2012.
Al-Hassan called for respect for UN Resolution 2254, which states that there is no lasting solution to the current crisis in Syria except through an inclusive political process in accordance with the Geneva Communique of 2012. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
