On Tuesday, the leadership of the opposition Syrian National Coalition in Istanbul began meetings with a delegation from the National Coordination Committee with the aim of bringing the views of the Syrian opposition closer together and “discussing the political process, evaluating it, and the options available.”
The head of the National Coalition, Salem al-Meslet, received a delegation from the National Coordination Committee, headed by the General Coordinator of the Commission, Hassan Abdel Azim, at the headquarters of the National Coalition in Istanbul. The Media Department of the coalition confirmed that “these meetings come at the invitation of the National Coalition to the National Coordination Committee in order to emphasize the unity of the Syrian revolution and opposition forces and to activate the paths towards a political solution, in a manner that serves the interests of the Syrian people and their just cause. This comes especially in light of the challenges facing the Syrian issue locally and internationally.”
“During the meeting, the two sides stressed that the Syrian national opposition forces must work together to achieve the political transition that the Syrian people are seeking, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions,” the coalition website said.
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The coalition stressed, “the duty of the international community and the United Nations to implement Security Council resolutions and to activate the principle of humanitarian intervention in order to prevent Russia from vetoing humanitarian assistance, as well as to apply the principle of responsibility for protection to save Syrian lives in liberated areas. In addition to other important humanitarian issues that will be present, such as the release of detainees, the disclosure of the fate of those forcibly disappeared, and the protection of refugees from a forcible return. International reports continue to indicate the great danger that threatens forcibly returned to Syria.”
“The Syrian issue faces many challenges that must be addressed, including attempts to normalize the regime and unify the visions of the opposition. All of these require us to work and to come up with a common understanding that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people,” according to the General Coordinator of the Coordination Body.
In turn, Meslet considered in a tweet that the coalition and the coordination body “are on one side, and we have many commonalities,” adding, “We aspire to a unity of vision, word, and efforts, and we have a political path that we are committed to. We are keen to make these meetings a success and to come out with a unified message for the Syrian people.”
“There are some differences in the organizational and structural matters of the opposition, and this is currently a course of discussion between the coordinating committee and the coalition. We are determined, as parties, that these meetings will succeed, and come up with a consensus that is satisfactory to all Syrian national parties with which we share the visions, positions, and official opposition institutions,” said Abdul Majeed Barakat, secretary-general of the Political Body of the Syrian National Coalition.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
