International community declares its firm commitment to continuing the pressure on the Assad regime
26 February 2013 News
“All of us here are united in our concern over the crisis in Syria. We must direct our efforts to stopping the violence in the country as soon as possible, to putting an end to the tragedy of the Syrian people. The international community has sent a strong political message, stating their firm determination to continue to put pressure on the Assad regime.” This was said by Minister Nickolay Mladenov at the opening of the sixth meeting of the International Working Group on sanctions against Syria, being hosted by Bulgaria. The co-chairs of the meeting are Jenny Bloomfield, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Australia, and Khalid Al Ghaith, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates.
Representatives of 56 countries and three organisations, also including the Working Group on Economic Reconstruction and Development in Syria, along with the united Syrian opposition, have gathered in Sofia. The purpose of the meeting is to co-ordinate international efforts to put pressure on Assad’s regime, with sanctions against those responsible for the violence, and restricting opportunities for further repression.
“I am proud of the recently held debate in the EU, which enables us not only to expand the arms embargo, but also to work more closely with the Syrian opposition forces,” Mladenov said. He called for full support for the new initiative by the Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, Lakhdar Brahimi, to stop the violence and to start a political transition towards the building of a democratic Syria.
The Syrian people need our help, support and determination. The opposition has made tangible progress in the consolidation process after the formation of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces in November last year, the Foreign Minister said. “The sanctions are an effective mechanism for pressure and we will be persistent in maintaining them until the withdrawal of the regime,” Mladenov underlined.
In his speech, he welcomed the efforts by Syria’s neighbours in dealing with the refugee problem. Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq are working very closely with the international community to address the serious humanitarian situation in Syria. “The success of the donor conference in Kuwait, at which more than $ 1.5 billion was raised for humanitarian aid, is an expression of solidarity too of the Arab States with the people of Syria,” the Foreign Minister said.
The co-chairs of the meeting, from the UAE and Australia, thanked Bulgaria for hosting this timely meeting and expressed agreement with the need for sanctions against the Assad regime to continue. The two countries emphasised the importance of practical measures, the achievement of peace and the beginning of a political transition to democracy in the country.
The meeting of the Working Group will conclude later today with a joint communique by all participants.
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