Abdul Ahad Astifo, vice president of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, said that the U.S. administration needs to give the Syrian issue the importance it deserves.
He said that the failure of the United States of America to assume the responsibility imposed on it, due to its international position regarding the Syrian issue, makes its positions seem less clear than they should be.
His remarks came in a statement to the Anadolu Agency, during which he commented on the recent U.S. positions in Syria, and their lack of clarity.
“The current U.S. approach doesn’t leave the Joe Biden administration with reasonable options,” Astifo said.
“This issue cannot be resolved without a serious American and international position that builds a political, human rights, and economic escalation against the regime. In addition to forcing the regime to complete the political transition,” he added.
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“Change in Syria is now a comprehensive popular demand, everyone is waiting for change and an end to the current tragic reality, be it rebels and non-rebels, displaced persons, or those who are trapped under the criminality of the regime. Change today is in the interest of all Syrians, this situation must be ended in a way consistent with international resolutions,” he said.
“America has passed the Caesar Act to punish the regime’s criminals, its security services, and all those who support it. The U.S. continues to impose these sanctions,” Astifo noted.
“The United States supports a political transition in accordance with international resolutions. The U.S. cannot take part in any attempt to frustrate this law and remove these sanctions, which would be a contradiction,” he said.
“The U.S. administration is politically clear in its rejection of any normalization with the regime. America stands against the regime and its crimes and is on the side of international resolutions in this regard. However, its lack of initiative to assume the responsibility imposed on it by its international status makes its positions seem less clear than they should be,” Astifo said.
Regarding the opposition’s positions and hopes for the U.S. role, Astifo said, “On every occasion, we meet with Washington representatives and other international envoys on Syrian affairs, we stress the threat of leaving the Syrian issue in its current form, and what this could entail in Syria and the region.”
“We affirm that the legal framework based on international resolutions is available to intervene in Syria in accordance with Article VII. The results of international investigations confirmed the regime’s responsibility for the usage of chemical weapons, and the violation of Resolution 2118,” he said.
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.
