Syrian Coalition Calls on UN Security Council to Take Meaningful Action on Syria

Press Statement

Syrian Coalition

Istanbul, Turkey

December 19, 2013

For the past five days, the Assad regime has intensified its policy of brutality against the Syrian people, dropping barrel-bombs stuffed with crude shrapnel against civilian inhabitants of Aleppo. This is the latest act of terror in a long succession of atrocious acts and war crimes that have killed in excess of 125,000 Syrians and forced millions more to flee their homes.

In response, the UN Security Council has convened only to negotiate a mere press statement on the issue. This is an inadequate response to the situation in Syria, which is a clear threat to international peace and security. In September, the UN Security Council proved itself capable of reaching agreement on eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal – a weapon of mass destruction. Yet it has repeatedly failed to take any steps to eliminate the use of conventional weapons that are being used as weapons of mass destruction on a much larger scale.

The Syrian Coalition therefore respectfully submits that the Security Council abandon its efforts to negotiate its press statement, and instead take concrete action to end the conflict in Syria.

“The Syrian Coalition calls on the UN Security Council to stop wasting its time and the resources of the taxpayers that fund it. Rather than negotiating a weak press statement, it should instead focus on taking concrete measures to address the humanitarian crisis, stop the indiscriminate use of conventional weapons, and prevent extremist groups from co-opting our revolution,” said Dr. Najib Ghadbian, Special Representative of the Syrian Coalition to the UN.

The humanitarian situation in Syria has been repeatedly described by senior UN officials as the greatest humanitarian tragedy of our times. As the date for proposed peace talks in January approaches, the Security Council must be prepared to take strong and concrete measures to prevent any intensification of violence and aggression. Such measures are necessary to create the conditions for negotiations to succeed.

We ask for Mercy for our martyrs, health for our wounded, and freedom for our detainees.

Long live Syria and its people, free and with honor.