Third Anniversary of the Geneva Communique

Press Statement

Salem Al Meslet

Syrian Coalition Spokesperson

June 30, 2015

On the third anniversary of the agreement on the ‘Geneva Communique’, Spokesperson of the Syrian Coalition said:

“Three years after the Action Group for Syria agreed the Geneva Communique to be the principal guidance for a transitional process to democracy in Syria, there is no sign that Assad’s patrons are serious about the implementation of that important document.

“The Syrian Coalition faithfully engaged in Geneva II (2014) to find a solution to end the conflict in Syria. The Assad regime, on the contrary, attended merely as diplomatic maneurvre under pressure from its main international backer Russia. It had no intention to negotiate seriously or make any concessions towards reaching a common ground. As a result, the former UN Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi had to bring an end to the negotiations.

“The latest efforts by the new UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura’s are commendable. We continue to engage constructively with him. However, there is a dilemma that lies at the heart of those efforts: de Mistura does not have a concrete mandate to carry out an effective brokering process as he does not have the full backing of the UN Security Council behind him, which remains divided and unwilling to use the necessary measures that will bring the Assad regime back to the negotiating table.

“Today, I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm the Syrian Coalition’s commitment to the Geneva Communique. I would also call on the international community to prioritise the protection of Syrians for a new comprehensive plan.

“Only a political solution offers a long-term sustainable route to end the violence and bring about a transition in Syria. The key principle of the Geneva process remains paramount to this effort: the creation of a transitional governing body with full executive powers as the first step to transition to a democratic and inclusive political system, which will ensure there can be no resurgence of tyranny and extremism in Syria.”