President al Bahra Concludes Brussels Visit

Press Release

Syrian Coalition

December 17, 2014

President of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, Hadi al Bahra, concluded yesterday Tuesday his visit to Brussels where he met with the European Union’s European External Action Service, including officials from the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), to discuss the political and humanitarian situation in Syria and present the Syrian National Coalition’s solution to the Syria crisis.

In a meeting with the Security Task Force of the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), chaired by former NATO Security General and EU Foreign Policy Chief, Javier Solano, President al Bahra outlined the comprehensive approach necessary to end the Syria crisis: defeat ISIL militarily; remove the root cause of extremism - the Assad regime; and establish moderate governance structures on the ground to ensure that there can be no resurgence of ISIL’s terror or Assad’s tyranny.

This comprehensive approach, President al Bahra outlined, would include removing the Assad regime through a political process based on the Geneva Communiqué. President al Bahra highlighted the crucial role of effective targeted sanctions in creating pressure on the regime that was required to get it to negotiate.

President al Bahra set out his approach to UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura emerging plan. Any process needed to have strict parameters, an effective monitoring process, and clear understanding that Assad has no role in a future Syria. This was met with broad agreement throughout President al Bahra's discussions.

President al Bahra thanked European Union Member States for their support in alleviating the suffering in Syria through humanitarian relief and for supporting a political solution to the crisis.