November 14, 2024

The delegation of the Syrian Negotiating Commission, headed by Dr. Bader Jamous, met yesterday, Wednesday, in the Belgian capital, Brussels, with the Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the European External Action Service, Ms. Helen Le Gal, and discussed with her a number of issues related to the political solution and European strategies, and the conditions of Syrians inside the country and in countries of asylum.

The head of the commission spoke about the necessity of a unified European position in supporting the implementation of international resolution 2254 firmly and comprehensively, and stressed, saying: The crisis in Syria is political before it is humanitarian, and international resolutions are the only means capable of restoring sustainable security and peace in Syria, and ensuring the safe and dignified return of refugees to their areas and homes.

He pointed to the important and supportive European role for the Syrian people’s cause, and the necessity for the European Union to exert maximum pressure on the regime and its allies in order to proceed with the political solution and implement Security Council Resolution No. 2254 in a full and strict manner, and to exert pressure at the European and international levels, especially at the Security Council level, in order to find mechanisms that oblige the Syrian regime to proceed with the political process.

During the meeting, which was attended by the members of the Commission, Mr. Anas Al-Abdah and Mr. Ibrahim Brou, and the head of the Geneva office of the Commission, Mr. Hussein Sabbagh, it was emphasized that the basic fixed objectives of the European strategy towards the Syrian issue.

The discussion touched on the affairs of Syrian refugees, and the necessity of urging the High Commissioner for Refugees to provide assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon and those fleeing it, increasing European support in the humanitarian and relief fields, especially in infrastructure, education, and projects for youth and women in northwestern Syria, with the necessity of monitoring any aid that reaches Syrians through the regime, and ensuring that it is not used to suppress Syrians and impose more restrictions on them, with the necessity of focusing on mitigating the potential negative effects on civilians as a result of sanctions.

The head of the SNC pointed out the necessity of maintaining sanctions on the Syrian regime and its entourage, as long as it refuses to pursue a political solution, with the necessity of focusing on mitigating the potential negative effects on Syrian civilians, in addition to his demand for increasing support for youth and women’s programs, and expanding humanitarian support to Syrian regions, especially northwestern Syria, which hosts millions of displaced persons.