Louay Safi, spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, ruled out participation in the third round of Geneva II talks due to Russia’s letting go of Geneva I declarations and it is cover up of the Assad regime’s practices. Safi also denied the Assad regime claims that the battles near the Syrian coast affected the handover of Assad’s chemical weapons cache. “There is no link between the battle for Kassab and Assad regime’s delay in carrying out the obligations made to the international community and relinquishing the stockpiles of chemical weapons. The town of Kassab lies 80 km away from the ports of Banyas and Tartous; therefore Assad regime’s claims that the battle for Kassab delayed the transfer of chemical weapons cache are mere maneuvers and part of the disinformation campaign followed by the Assad regime since the beginning of the revolution.” Moreover, Safi stresses that the Assad regime seeks to defeat the Syrian people through signing local truces with rebels in some districts of Damascus. “If regime’s intentions were honest with regard to these truces, it would agree to a political solution and negotiate on the Syrian situation as a whole and not on specific areas. The regime’s main goal is moving its forces to attack other areas in Syria after signing these truces with rebels in return for the entry of food and medical supplies. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
