Syrian opposition seeking new options to end deadlock

The opposition Syrian Coalition says it is pursuing alternative options to break the deadlock in Syria following repeated failures by the UN Security Council to end the conflict.

At a meeting of the coalition’s political committee yesterday, Vice President Abdul Ahad Steifo said that his team will be working with allied countries at the UN General Assembly to press for action under the “Uniting for Peace” resolution to bypass the Russian veto at the UN Security Council.

Steifo, who will visit a number to European countries in the next few days to meet with officials, said that the repeated failure of the UN Security Council to put an end to the bloodshed in Syria threatens world peace and security.

UN Resolution 377, also called the “Uniting for Peace Resolution”, states that “in any cases where the Security Council, because of a lack of unanimity amongst its five permanent members, fails to act as required to maintain international peace and security, the General Assembly shall consider the matter immediately and may issue any recommendations it deems necessary in order to restore international peace and security.”

Steifo stressed that the international community’s failure to put an end to crimes committed by the Assad regime and its allies against the Syrian people, especially in Aleppo, has caused them to take this action. The coalition will also reach out to peoples across Europe and the Syrian communities in Europe to mobilise support for its upcoming move at the United Nations.