Riyad Hijab, general coordinator of the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavusoglu in the Turkish capital Ankara on Wednesday to discuss ways to stop the onslaught carried out by the Assad regime and its Iranian and Russian allies on Aleppo.
The two sides stressed the need to lift the siege on the city and deliver urgent humanitarian aid to civilians trapped inside. They also discussed ways to increase support for the Free Syrian Army.
Hijab praised diplomatic efforts by Turkey to end the onslaught on Aleppo as well as the Euphrates Shield operation, which has played a key role in preserving the unity of Syria and in the fight against the Islamic State group. The operation also foiled separatist plans by Kurdish groups in northern Syria.
“[Operation Euphrates Shield] revived hope among Syrians of the possibility of the establishment of a safe zone to protect them from indiscriminate bombardment,” Hijab said.
He added: “We were talking about the failure of the international community in Syria, but today this failure has turned into complete paralysis in front of the horrific massacres being committed by regime forces as well as their allied Russian and Iranian troops in Syria.”
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
