President of the Syrian Coalition Abdurrahman Mustafa met with a delegation from the Chinese foreign ministry and discussed with them the latest field and political developments in the Syrian crisis. A delegation from the Coalition’s presidential and political bodies took part in the meeting.
President Mustafa stressed that the Assad regime bears full responsibility for the worsening situation in Syria, pointing out that the Assad regime destroyed the country and allowed the entry of the Iranian terrorist militias with the sole aim of clinging to power.
President Mustafa underscored the need to hold accountable perpetrators of war crimes in Syria, especially the use of chemical weapons and the continued mass forced displacement of the civilian population as well as the crimes of barrel bombings and the use of internationally prohibited weapons, such as the white phosphorous and incendiary napalm in attacks on residential areas.
Moreover, President Mustafa pointed out that Iran has further aggravated the crisis in Syria and the region by penetrating the local communities, establishing relations with political, religious and sectarian organizations, and trying to support them outside the framework of international legitimacy.
Tehran is seeking to impose its hegemony on Syria and is pressuring the Assad regime to refuse to engage in the political process, President Mustafa said, adding that Iran is encouraging the Assad regime to carry on with pursuing a military solution and impose a political solution in accordance with Iranian conditions.
President Mustafa called on the Chinese side to play a balanced, positive role in pressuring Iran and the Assad regime to accept a political solution in accordance with the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Security Council Resolution 2254 calling for the formation of a Transitional Governing Body (TGB) with full executive powers.
For her part, Vice-president of the Syrian Coalition, Dima Moussa, said that the current practices of the Assad regime are causing further instability and complicating efforts to combat terrorism. She pointed out that Syrian civilians are being forced out of their homes as in the case in rural Homs and rural Hama. She also cited the Assad regime’s adoption of legalizations and laws, the most recent of which is Law No. 10 aimed at legitimizing demographic change and preventing the return of IDPs and refugees to their homes.
Moussa stressed that there are hundreds of thousands of civilians who were detained or forcibly disappeared by the Assad regime, calling for taking concrete steps to disclose their fate or whereabouts. (Source: Syrian Coalitions’ Media Department)