Syrian Coalition: Iran is occupying force, not guarantor

CAIRO – 11 November 2017: Instead of carrying out the so-called role of a guarantor of the ‘de-escalation zones agreement’, Iran is behaving just like an occupying force pursuing a policy of murder, displacement, ethnic and sectarian cleansing,” said the Syrian National Coalition (SNC).

The coalition condemned the latest remarks made by Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the threats he issued against the Syrian people.

In a press release issued on Thursday, the coalition said that Velayati’s provocative remarks “have once again exposed the real role Iran is playing in Syria.”

The coalition stressed that these remarks and explicit threats “blatantly contravene Iran’s so-called role in the ‘de-escalation zones’ agreement, and violate the agreement itself and are no less heinous than the litany of crimes being committed by the Iranian militias against civilians in Syria on a daily basis.”

“Iran is also seeking to spread extremism and terror, with the sole aim of serving its plans for changing the demographic landscape in Syria,” the coalition added.

“There is no denying the fact that Iran plays a pivotal role in disrupting all efforts to put an end to the bloodshed in Syria and cannot be a guarantor of any agreement,” the SNC continued.

The coalition also condemned the entry of the militias of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) into the town of Al-Bukamal and any other part of the Syrian territory as a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty, especially as the PMF militias are part of the military establishment of the Iraqi government and have previously committed war crimes in Syria.

The coalition underscored that the Assad regime is primarily responsible for the current situation in Syria and for exposing the country to various forms of foreign hegemony, occupation, and violation of sovereignty. The coalition renewed calls on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to stop the ongoing crimes against civilians in Syria.