Syrian Negotiations Committee calls European Council to pressure Assad
ISTANBUL, Syria (North Press) – On Friday,Anas al-Abdah, the president of the Syrian Negotiations Committee, called on European Council to pressure the Syrian government to become involved in the political process, warning that “wasting time causes Syrians to shed blood, be hungry, and poor.”
This statement was made during a meeting between the Syrian Negotiations Committee and the European Council delegation for discussing the Syrian political process on Friday.
“During the meeting with the European Council delegation, I stressed that the regime crimes against Syrians must be punished, so accountability should be made operational,” al-Abdah said in a statement.
“As such, there is an urgent necessity to implement UN Resolution 2254 with all its entitlements, because waiting costs Syrians blood, hunger, and poverty,” he added.
Al-Abdah stressed the importance of activating the European Council’s role in pressuring Syrian government and its alleys “pushing the political solution to fulfill Syrians and their revolution’s demands.”
“All these attempts are void, as long as the Syrian regime continues its obstinacy and ignores the importance of the Constitutional Committee’s work,” an opposition source who preferred to be unnamed told North Press in a phone call.
Meanwhile, the latest statement by Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Faisal Mekdad that they have been unconcerned about setting a timetable for the Constitutional Committee’s work “is clear evidence of that,” according to the source.
“However, the Syrian opposition should suspend all its participation in any set meeting or work regarding the political process in order to deliver a message that matters have reached a stage where no political breach regarding the Syrians’ interests and demands can be made,” he stated, adding that “there is no international will to develop the political issue or pressure Assad to be involved in the political process.”
“It is clear that the Syrian issue is no longer among the priorities of international community or the United Nations and the matters will not change; as for Assad, he will run the elections and will win because Russia decided that previously while the American Administration was busy tackling the Iranian issue and other issues.”
On February 19, Syrian Negotiation Committee held a meeting with the American Special Representative for Syria Engagement Aimee Cutrona focusing on the need to put pressure on the Syrian President Bashar Assad to engage seriously in the political process.
“I made it clear during my meeting with Cutrona that a mechanism should be put in place for the implementation of UN Resolution 2254 and driving the work of the Constitutional Committee, according to the requests contained in our letter to the Security Council,” al-Abdah said in a statement.
On February 10, the Syrian Negotiations Committee sent a letter to the presidency of the UN Security Council to distribute to the 15 members of the council before its closed session on Syria.
The letter stressed that the regime is the main and the only obstacle to the political process, and asked the Security Council to push for the implementation of the Resolution 2254 with all its entitlements.
On February 22, Faisal Mekdad asked UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen not to set a timetable for the work of the Constitutional Committee.
According to observers, this comes within the framework of imposing impossible conditions in accordance with the Russian vision for a political solution.
On September 9, Russia stressed though its Foreign Affairs Minister during a press conference that “it is impossible to set a timetable for the Constitutional Committee’s work.”