The general coordinator for the High Negotiations Committee Riyad Hijab warned against an escalation by the Assad regime of hostile operations against the city of Aleppo in northern Syria, saying that the regime intends to mobilize its military to prepare for an attack on the city.
The comments came in a statement issued by the Committee on Wednesday, April 27, which said that during his communications over the past days with the foreign ministers of a number of nations, Hijab cautioned about the dangerous humanitarian situation in several of Syria’s provinces, especially Aleppo, “where the regime and its allies have carried out a number of terrible massacres in recent days.”
The statement said there was “a willful attempt (by the regime) to escalate hostile operations by mobilizing more sectarian militias and groups of mercenaries to support regime forces in its planned campaign against the city (Aleppo),” adding that “the severe breaches by the regime and its allies of the truce confirm their desire to derail the political process and evade its obligations.”
The general coordinator called on the international community to “work toward stopping the suffering of the Syrian people by: ending the blockade of besieged cities and areas, empowering humanitarian agencies to deliver aid to all those in need, releasing all prisoners, stopping air and artillery bombardment and attacks against civilians and civilian targets, stopping forced displacement, and ending death sentences, according to articles 12, 13 and 14 of Security Council Resolution 2254/2015.”
Hijab warned that “any military escalation by the regime will have severe practical and humanitarian consequences. It is expected that the hostile operations will push hundreds of thousands of Syrians to flee to neighboring countries, or head toward the sea, searching for safety after the abilities of the neighboring countries to absorb more refugees has narrowed.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
