The Syrian Coalition called on Russia to compel regime forces and the Iranian militias to commit to the cease-fire agreement and prevent any attempts to undermine it.
Member of the Coalition’s political committee Yasser Farhan said that Russia bears responsibility to prevent violations of the ceasefire agreement as it is one of the guarantors of the agreement. He pointed out that regime forces and the Iranian-backed militias continue to violate the agreement, especially in the Wadi Barada valley.
The Assad regime and its allies have been desperately trying to sabotage the ceasefire agreement out of determination to pursue a military solution to the conflict, Farhan stressed.
Farhan said that the armed opposition provided maps detailing its positions as part of the agreement, which refutes the regime and allies’ claims about the presence of extremist groups in Wadi Barada valley. He stressed the need to urgently stop any such violations of the agreement.
The UN Security Council endorsed the cease-fire agreement and called for the adoption of mechanisms for monitoring and accountability for the violations, Farhan added.
Farhan went on to say that the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee is the only body authorized to choose the opposition’s negotiating delegation. He pointed out that the Coalition’s political committee held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the developments on the ground, including the regime and allies’ violations of the ceasefire in Wadi Barada valley.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted resolution 2336 supporting the Russian-Turkish brokered ceasefire in Syria and pointing out the importance of the forthcoming talks that will be held in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana.
The Council “looks forward to” that meeting in Astana, viewing it as “an important part of the Syrian-led political process” and “an important step ahead of the resumption of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva on 8 February 2017.”
The 15-member Council reiterated its call on parties to allow humanitarian agencies “rapid, safe and unhindered” access throughout Syria, reiterating that the only sustainable solution to the crisis was an inclusive, Syrian-led political process, based on the 2012 Geneva communiqué. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)
