Syrian Coalition: International Parties Fail to Pressure Assad to Stop Civilian Bombings

During a meeting at the headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva today, the Syrian Coalition’s delegation discussed developments of the Syrian file with UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. Abdul Ahad Steifo, a member of the National Coalition, confirmed that the delegation of the Syrian Coalition “informed Brahimi that the atmosphere is still not positive for holding Geneva II, especially since the international parties, including Russia, are not putting pressure on the Assad regime to stop the killings of civilians, to release the detainees, and to allow open crossings for humanitarian aid to areas under siege. The delegation also agreed to meet with international officials for relief organizations such as the Red Cross and the World Food Program and also UNICEF to request increased support, especially for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and also for civilians trapped in Homs, Kalamoon and Ghouta. Steifo added that “the delegation criticized Brahimi’s recent remarks as negative, but Brahimi denied making statements that were attributed to him.” Steifo pointed out that “the delegation also met today with U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford and discussed the possibility of increased support for the FSA, especially for those on the Kalamoon front, and increased humanitarian support. The delegation also demanded clarifications on the last agreement concerning Iran and whether it was reached at the expense of the Syrian file. Ford responded on this proposal saying that “this is not true and that it is not possible that America would compromise on the Syrian file.” Ford asked the delegation to meet with Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Ms. Chirman tomorrow, who was part of the negotiation delegation for the Iranian file so that she could have an opportunity to explain the case. The delegation is to meet tomorrow with Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Bgdanov to discern Russia’s position regarding Geneva I and the extent to which their position matches with the position of the Syrian Coalition and Syria’s friends. The delegation intends to hold Russia responsible for not putting pressure on the regime to help the trapped civilians in Homs and Ghouta, and to assure Russian officials that the revolution will continue until its objectives are achieved and results in the demise of Assad and his regime no matter how long it will take and that Russia will have to bear the burden of supporting the Assad regime and protecting it as long as the blood continues to flow . The delegation will stress that the Russians must be on the side of the Syrian people, not the side of the criminal Bashar. This came at a time when UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said during a press conference today that it is necessary to form two delegations of the Assad regime and what he called “the opposition” in order to meet with them before Geneva II, explaining that the names of the participants in Geneva II are under study. Brahimi appealed to the warring parties to call a cease-fire, calling for the release of all detainees. Brahimi said that Geneva II would begin without preconditions and will address all of the files, and that the powers of the transitional governing body would be discussed during the conference. (Source: Syrian Coalition)