Press release
Syrian National Coalition
General Assembly
May 11, 2020
President of the Syrian National Coalition, Anas Abdah, opened the 50th meeting of the Syrian National Coalition’s General Assembly which took place on May 9-10, 2020 by observing a minute of silence for the fallen heroes of the Syrian revolution. The meeting relied on video links in view of the measures taken with regards to the coronavirus pandemic.
President Abdah gave an overview of the most important activities, work and communications that the Coalition carried out during the past four months. He stressed that the Coalition went through difficult circumstances and faced great challenges, adding that the Coalition overcome all these thanks to its firm commitment to the principles of the revolution, the will and unity of its members, and its fulfillment of the tasks assigned to it at various levels.
President Abdah outlined the Coalition’s work and activities, the most important of which are:
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Continuing with the campaign the Coalition launched for Idlib, the refugees and internally displaced persons, consolidation of the ceasefire, and supporting the resilience of our people and the Syrian National Army.
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The launch of intensive, sustained campaigns to expose the Assad regime’s crimes, especially following the release of the latest report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons which proved the Assad regime’s responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in the town of Latamina and elsewhere. The Coalition also sent documented political memoranda to the Arab League, the Arab states, countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the United Nations, and more than 30 states. It followed up on the results, some of which appeared in positive positions of a number of European states.
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Continuing the campaign to press for the release of the detainees and the disclosure of the fate of the missing persons. The Coalition made extensive contacts with the United Nations and its relevant committees and with human rights organizations to provide lists of tens of thousands of detainees and missing persons and to know their fate.
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In view of the global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the fear of its spread in the liberated areas and all of Syria, the Coalition launched an international campaign that included the World Health Organization, United Nations relief agencies, European Union states, and the United States to secure the necessary support to the Ministry of Health in the Syrian Interim Government. These meetings resulted in the provision of some necessary equipment and aid, and promises to provide more to help stem a possible outbreak of the pandemic.
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President Abdah took note of the enormous efforts being made by the Syrian Interim Government in cooperation with the Coalition with regards to the necessary and precautionary steps to confront a possible spread of the virus in the liberated areas, including closure of the crossing points, switching to online education, the launch of awareness-raising campaigns to deal with the pandemic, and the conducting of daily tests of the suspected cases, all which tested negative for the virus and announced by the Minister of Health in his periodic reports.
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In view of the effects of the pandemic on the Syrian refugees residing in Turkey, most of whom were affected, and at the request of the brothers in the Turkish Ministry of Interior, the Joint Syrian-Turkish Committee put up online forms for those affected and in need of assistance to register their names. More than 285,000 households applied for assistance, and tables were arranged and organized by province which were later sent to the relevant Turkish authorities which will begin delivering the planned aid soon.
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As a result of the violations committed by the Greek authorities against the Syrian refugees, which led to the death and injury of many asylum seekers, the Coalition has contacted and agreed with the Guernica 37 organization to highlight to the United Nations and the European Union the way the Greek authorities dealt with the Syrian refugees, to file an official complaint against them, and to demand compensation for the affected Syrian refugees.
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Paying attention to the conditions inside Syrian was a cornerstone of the work and programs of the Coalition, which made many visits and held meetings over the past several months as well as activities by the Coalition’s office inside Syria, the most recent of which was the President’s members of the political committee’s visit to Afrin where they met with the National Liberation Front as part of the Syrian National Army and with important civil and political bodies from Idlib province. The Coalition also collected donations from its members and employees as well as contributed to the initiative that civil society organizations and important Syrian bodies launched to provide the necessary assistance to people in need in the liberated areas.
The Secretary General’s report gave an overview of the work of the Coalition during the past two months, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, and the measures taken by the General Secretariat to ensure the safety of everyone while maintaining high efficiency in the performance of work.
The situation on the ground came at the top of the details and assessments presented by the Military Liaison Office. The Coalition’s departments and offices presented their reports on the activities they carried out, the difficulties they are facing, and on the role of the Coalition in ending the strife in southern Syria as well as following the developments in Syria, the Syrian Negotiations Commission, and the Constitutional Committee.
The General Assembly approved the incorporation of five representatives of the Syrian Tribal Council into the Coalition, as well as a representative of the Association of Independent Syrian Kurds.
The Syrian Interim Government presented detailed reports on its work during the last period. The Minister of Education talked about the measures taken to continue distance education, while the Minister of Health presented a detailed report on the work of the ministry and the huge efforts it is making to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Director of the Assistance Coordination Unit presented a report on the activities of the Unit, while the representatives of the Coalition in Arab and foreign states submitted their work reports.
May our wounded recover, our detainees be free, and our fallen heroes rest in peace.
My our revolution emerge victorious.
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