Syrian Coalition: We Refuse to Negotiate with Foreign Militias in Syria

Louay Safi, spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, said that the Coalition refuses remarks by Robert Ford, former U.S. ambassador to Syria, who said that negotiating with the Hezbollah militia and sectarian factions imported by the Assad regime to kill the Syrian people is part of a political solution. “We adamantly refuse to negotiate with foreign militias, nor do we accept sitting at the negotiating table with the sectarian-driven militias who are involved in the atrocities committed against the Syrian people. Moreover, we reject considering engaging the foreign militias in the political process as part of the status quo.” In light of the many sacrifices made by the Syrian people over the past three years, it is impossible for us to surrender to the status quo, as we rose up to change it in the first place. The involvement of the sectarian foreign militias in the crimes against the Syrian people is happening under the eyes of the international community, thus violating all terms of the international law.” Furthermore, Safi stresses that part of the suffering of the Syrian people can be ascribed to the political complications which are in turn a result of the inaction of the international community towards the crimes of the Assad regime and its allies. The absence of an outright condemnation of the Russian support for the Assad regime and overlooking Assad’s importing of terrorism from neighboring countries are the direct reason of the militarization of the Syrian revolution, which could have been entirely avoided from the onset of the revolution.” Safi concluded his statement calling on the revolutionaries need to coordinate and unify, as it is the only way to avoid division, which was predicted by Robert Ford when he said: The most likely end game? De facto cantons, some of them controlled by local armed factions. (Source: Syrian Coalition)