Syrian Coalition: We Expected London Meeting to Adopt Stronger Positions Regarding the Protection of Syrian People

Ahmed Ramadan, member of the political committee, said that “we expected that the statement issued by Friends of Syria after their meeting yesterday in London to be more specific and straightforward regarding the protection of the Syrian people and supporting the Syrian Coalition and the Syrian interim government, which is the executive branch as it provides services to more than half of the Syrian people.” He also stated that “the communique’s talk about the delivery of humanitarian aid to people inside Syria without waiting for the approval of the Assad regime is seen as a recognition by those countries that the aid provided by the United Nations and channeled through the Assad regime didn’t end in the hands of the people it was supposed it help.” With regard to the absence of the subject of a political solution from the statement, Ramadan said that “the priority now is not working to bring about a political solution while the Assad regime is using internationally banned weapons against the Syrian people. The Geneva II talks proved that the Assad regime will not agree to negotiate a political solution without military pressure, and when 11 countries convene without coming out with a clear vision or a strong position towards Assad’s crimes he will be emboldened even more to continue to commit these crimes. The promises made during the meeting to supply Syria’s rebels with advanced weapons are not new, and there is a pressing need that they finally materialize.” It is worth noting that the ministers of countries of the core group of the Friends of Syria convened in London yesterday and released a statement condemning the Assad regime’s unilateral decision to hold presidential elections. The communique also talked about a plan to increase support for the Syrian Coalition and for Syria’s “moderate” rebel factions. Ahmad Jarba, head of the Syrian Coalition, said after the meeting that ” Assad has eliminated all chances for reaching a political solution when he stated that he is militarily winning, so the international community must resort to the threat of force as it is the only language that the Assad regime understands.” Moreover, Jarba described the upcoming presidential elections the Assad regime intends to hold as a new license to kill more Syrians. He also reiterated the Syrian Coalition’s commitment to democracy and outright rejection of extremism, pointing out that his meetings in Washington with U.S. officials convinced the unenthusiastic members of the Obama administration of the need to stepping up support for the Syrian Coalition and the Free Syrian Army. However, the Syrian Coalition has not yet received a promise from the United States to demand that the Iraqi Prime Minister stop the flow of insurgents to fight in Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition)