President of the Syrian Coalition Anas Abdah stressed the need to exert pressure on the Assad regime and its allies to stop their barbaric attacks on civilians across Syria, especially in Aleppo. Abdah said the Coalition does not recognize the so-called local truces and evacuation deals the Assad regime forced residents of rebel-held areas to agree to by the force of arms. He said that these truces and deals have become the basis for the mass forced displacement and demographic change operations carried out the Assad regime in the Damascus suburbs and other areas across Syria.
In a letter to foreign ministers of friendly countries who will be participating in the Lausanne meeting on Syria to be held later on Saturday, Abdah called for lifting the siege on Syrian cities and towns; ensuring unfettered and immediate humanitarian access and medical aid to civilians in need; and the withdrawal of the sectarian militias, mainly the militias of Hezbollah and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization forces from all Syrian territory.
The Coalition president also called for designating the use by Russia and the Assad regime of lethal internationally banned weapons, including bunker buster bombs, cluster bombs, thermobaric missiles, and napalm as war crimes and crimes against humanity. He also called for a similar designation for the mass forced displacement and demographic change operations carried out by the Assad regime and its allies through forcing civilians in rebel-held areas to agree on so-called local truces and evacuation deals.
The Syrian Coalition also sent letters to 27 countries and international organizations, including China, Australia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates, stressing the need to stop the killings in Syria through action outside the UN Security Council under the “Uniting for Peace” resolution.
For over three weeks, the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo have been subjected to a brutal onslaught by regime forces and their allied foreign militias backed by Russian aerial cover. Russian and Assad regime air forces have significantly escalated airstrikes on the rebel-held parts of the city in the past four days, targeting mainly residential areas and leaving hundreds of civilians killed. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
