Head of the opposition’s negotiating delegation Asaad al-Zoabi said that all the pillars of Assad regime would eventually be transitioned out, stressing that the formation of a transitional governing body is the only way to restore freedom and dignity the Syrian people deserve. He said that that a political solution would be meaningless unless these prerequisites were met.
During the second meeting between the opposition’s negotiating delegation and the UN envoy Staffan de Mistura on Friday, Zoabi reiterated calls for the release of detainees from Assad’s prisons, particularly children and women. He also said that the opposition’s delegation demanded pressure to be exerted on the Assad regime to abide by the truce agreement, which regime forces violate on a daily basis.
Zoabi welcomed calls issued after a meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the Assad regime to stop breaches of the truce.
“The Assad regime is sending a strong message that it doesn’t want a political solution, but a military solution that will bring destruction to the whole country,” Zoabi added.
During the meeting with De Mistura, the opposition delegation raised the Assad regime’s crackdown on peaceful demonstrations in Syria, especially in the city of Swaidaa on Thursday. Regime forces detained a number of dissidents and activists in the city.
Zoabi pointed out that the regime’s statements demonstrate it is not serious about the political solution and divorced from reality, adding that regime’s negotiating delegation must implement UN Security Council resolutions that call for forming a transitional governing body that does not include Assad and his inner circle.
Zoabi reassured the Syrian people that the opposition delegation would continue to press for reaching a real political solution and bring about a transition to build a state of justice, dignity and freedom for all Syrians. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
