Syrian opposition coalition keen on peaceful power transition

The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces' chief Ahmad Al-Jarba said the coalition was keen on success of a peaceful transition in Syria and that the Geneva II achieve its objectives. But "this requires the creation of a suitable atmosphere and forcing all parties to take serious and concrete steps to address the tragic humanitarian conditions which cannot be solved without any political progress," Al-Jarba said Sunday before an extraordinary meeting of the Arab foreign ministers over Syria. These steps, he added, would mean allowing humanitarian convoys to reach besieged areas all over Syria, and facilitating mission of workers of WHO or its representatives in areas of epidemics in Syria." He called for embarking on vaccination campaigns for children, releasing prisoners and stopping of random shelling against civilians. "The seriousness of negotiations and their success depends on many factors, " said Al-Jarba, foremost need that UN Secretary General, sponsor countries and parties concerned announced commitment to fully implementing the final statement of Geneva I. The Syrian regime, he added, should accept that the objective of the Geneva II conference aimed at transferring powers to an interim authority, which should be the legitimate and legal body in the country. Syrian President "Bashar Al-Assad cannot have a role in the transition or beyond, and all regime officials involved in war crimes and crime against humanity be referred to judicial authorities for prosecution," he said. Al-Jarba said the coalition was responsible for forming a delegation to the Geneva II because it was the "legitimate representative of the Syrian people." The coalition, he emphasized, was committed to achieving objectives of the Syrian revolution, and to achieving a political solution that would preserve democratic and legal rights of citizens. Libyan foreign minister Mohammad Abdulaziz, who chaired the meeting, commended His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for accepting to host the 2nd international donors conference on Syria next January. Abdulaziz, addressing the extraordinary ministerial meeting, also thanked Syria's neighboring countries for hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. He also commended Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz's campaign last year to collect donations for the Syrian people. He called for backing international efforts to reach a political solution for the conflict in Syria, with the objective of honoring aspirations of the Syrian people in democracy and freedom. Qatari foreign minister Khaled Al-Atiyya said Doha has always called for the immediate cessation of hostilities and violence against civilians, as well as supporting the will of the Syrian people. "If we welcome the Geneva II to reach a political solution to ending this crisis, there should be a strong and united Arab position regarding negotiations in this conference," he said. The Geneva II should not be a waste of time, he warned. Al-Atiyya called upon the Arab League to live up to its legal and moral obligations for the Syrian people. Following the speeches, the Arab foreign ministers held a closed-door session to discuss the developments in Syria and preparations for the Geneva II. Nasser Al-Qidwa, deputy UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, presented a report over Brahimi's recent regional tour.