A delegation from the Syrian Coalition’s political committee, headed by Coalition President Abdul Rahman Mustafa, held an emergency meeting in the Turkish city of Gaziantep to discuss the situation in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta as well as the latest developments in the newly liberated Afrin region.
The meeting was attended by head of the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) Jawad Abu Hatab, Head of the Coalition’s Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU) Mohammed Hassnu, the Coalition members in the eastern Ghouta’s crisis cell, and other concerned officials.
The meeting discussed the situation in eastern Ghouta as participants reaffirmed their support for the resilience of the residents of the town of Duma. They also stressed they are working on ensuring protection for civilians in Douma and stopping the brutal onslaught being launched by the Assad regime, Russia, and the Iranian militias on the Damascus suburb.
Tabled for discussion was also the status of the people who are being forcibly displaced from eastern Ghouta and who have arrived in Idlib and Hama provinces during the past few days. Abu Hatab submitted a report on the work of SIG’s emergency response committee headed by SIG’s Minister of Health Muhammad Firas Al-Jundi. The committee was formed to provide shelter for the people who are being forcibly displaced from eastern Ghouta by the Assad regime and Russia.
Abu Hatab pointed out that 7,000 people have already arrived in Idlib and Hama provinces coming from eastern Ghouta as he expected the figure to reach about 20,000 in the coming few days.
Abu Hatab stressed that SIG and ACU are gathering information concerning the needs of the new arrivals. He noted that the Coalition was communicating with the European Union, the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar to secure urgent relief aid for the displaced people.
For his part, President Mustafa stressed the importance of expediting the assessment of the needs of the displaced people and providing them with adequate relief aid. Participants in the meeting spoke to Minister of Health Firas Al-Jundi via a video link to check up on the work of the emergency response committee.
Mustafa thanked the Turkish relief aid organizations for urgently responding to the needs of the people who are being displaced from eastern Ghouta.
The Coalition also held a separate meeting that was attended by the FSA’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Colonel Haitham Affisi, members of the Coalition’s political committee, and representatives of the civic and political bodies in Afrin. The meeting discussed the formation of local administration councils in Afrin comprising representatives of all the newly liberated towns and villages.
Member of the political committee Oqab Yahya said that these provincial councils would be tasked with the restoration of security and stability, the return of the displaced persons to their homes, and the laying out of the groundwork for the holding of elections of local councils under SIG’s supervision.
President Mustafa underscored that the Coalition is seeking to make Afrin an example of coexistence and security and stability. He reaffirmed the Coalition’s support for all efforts to enable the displaced people to safely return to their towns and villages. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
