Syrian Coalition: Turkey’s Proposal to Impose a Buffer Zone is a Glimmer of Hope for Syrian civilians

Salem al-Meslet, spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, praises the efforts of the Turkish leadership to establish a buffer zone along the Syrian-Turkish borders, a proposal that is supported by France, saying that this move would give the Syrian people a glimmer of hope. “We do not see any another option able to protect civilians in Syria from Assad’s barrel bombs that continue to kill them en masse. Nasr al-Hariri, Secretary General of the Syrian Coalition, criticizes the hesitation of world decision-makers to establish a buffer zone in northern Syria, saying that “even in the case of the materialization of this proposal, it would still fall short of the demands and the needs of the Syrian people. It is strange how such demand, aimed at protecting the Syrian refugees, and simple as it is, is still a topic of discussion at the table of justice and international law. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have taken to the streets since the early months of the Syrian revolution demanding the imposition of a buffer zone and a no-fly zone over parts of Syria to protect the Syrian people from Assad’s indiscriminate aerial shelling and barrel bombs.” Hariri concluded his remarks saying that “both the buffer zone and the no-fly zone, if they materialized, would set the stage for toppling the Assad regime and the creation of the state of justice and law.” Hariri’s remarks were made amid mixed signals by the international community towards Turkey’s calls for establishing a buffer zone and a no-fly zone to protect civilians inside Syria and as a prerequisite to join the anti-ISIS coalition. Britain and France declared their support for this move. (Source: Syrian Coalition)