Syrian Coalition: We Will Protect Syria from Falling into the Hands of Extremists

Ahmad Jarba, president of the Syrian Coalition, said that “we are committed to preventing preventing Syria from falling into the hands of Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda extremists. We will also continue to work with the international community to put an end to violence, and to push the Geneva framework forward to reach a political solution. Our foremost goal is building democratic and pluralistic Syria, where all Syrians form all backgrounds live side by side in peace and harmony.” Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi welcomed the delegation of the Syrian Coalition, saying that “it was a privilege to receive President Jarba of the Syrian Opposition Coalition earlier today during his first official visit to the United States. We had a wide ranging discussion on the situation on the ground in Syria, and the need to end the horrific conflict that has claimed thousands of lives, and displaced millions of Syrians. We agreed that a negotiated political solution is the only way to end this conflict, and he (Jarba) reiterated the opposition’s willingness to engage in meaningful dialogue. Jarba said earlier that “there will be hardly any chances of reaching a political solution as long as Syrian rebels are under-equipped and outgunned,” during a speech he made in Washington yesterday. “We have never asked for the aid of foreign fighters, nor have we pleaded for the United States to send warships. What we badly need are the weapons that enable us to deter Assad’s air force that is raining death and destruction on Syrian cities and towns. We need effective weapons which we promise will be handed to the professional hands that we know well.” Jarba also stated that “the United States should press toward the formation of a transitional governing body to ensure stability of Syria after Assad’s departure. Syrian rebels are the only force that protect minorities and that will clear Syria of the terrorist groups. In fact, Al Qaeda emerged in Syria after Assad had released many of its members from his prisons, and we have since December declared war on this terrorist organization and have driven it out of Hama, Idlib and parts of Aleppo and Deir Ezzor.” Jarba pointed out that “the Syrian Coalition has repeatedly called on the UN Security Council to issue a binding resolution to force all sectarian militias out of Syria, most notably Hezbollah’s militias that have been killing the Syrian people according to orders from Iran.” Furthermore, Jarba criticized the international community’s silence on the farcical elections the Assad regime is going to hold in “blatant defiance to the international efforts to bring about a political solution. We all have seen how Assad acquiesced and relinquished his chemical weapons cache when the United States threatened to use force against his regime, which clearly show that the only language Assad understands is the language of force.” Jarba concluded his remarks stressing that “we want to build a modern and civil state, and we want to open the door to political solution in which Assad will not have a role to play. To achieve this, a transitional governing body must be put in place to lead the country for two years and then oversees the elections. Once the Assad regime is deposed, 75% of Syria’s problems will have been solved. (Source: Syrian Coalition)