NEW YORK
President of Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces (SNC) Ahmed al-Jarba has said they demanded at UN Security Council that Ruıssia should stop backing Assad regime politicaly and militarily.
SNC committee under Jarba's leadership held a press conference after their informal meeting with members of UN Security Council in New York on Friday.
Expressing that a unity was provided among opposition groups, Jarba said all groups in Syria could be represented under the name of SNC. Jarba also stated Free Syrian Army developed new strategies and made new amendments, which was a positive change.
Jarba pointed out that Assad regime attacked Damascus, Hama and Idlib provinces of Syria with heavy weapons, saying, "We demanded at UN Security Council that Russia should end giving Assad regime political and military support."
Najib Ghadbian, SNC's ambassador to the US and the UN, said all members of UN Security Council attended the meeting despite it was informal, stating that the meeting legitimated SNC more. Ghadbian evaluated the claims of use of chemical weapons in Syria, adding "We are open to all investigations. We demand whoever uses chemical weapons must be punished. According to our findings, the regime carried out 12 separate uses of chemical weapons."
SNC committee met with Turkey's permanent representative to the UN Halit Cevik.
SNC president Ahmed al-Jarba and Michel Kilo, Burhan Ghalioun and SNC's ambassador to the US and the UN Najib Ghadbian visited Turkey's permanent representation to the UN within the communications in New York. During the visit closed to press, it was learnt that SNC committee informed the ambassador Cevik about UN Security Council and New York talks.
Meanwhile, a consensus was reported to have been reached between a committee charged with investigating claims of use of chemical weapons and Syrian regime.
In common statement released by UN committee and Syrian government, it was recorded that the head of the UN fact-finding mission on allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria Ake Sellstrom and UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane had a two-day visit in Syria.
In the statement, the UN committee was reported to have met with Syrian Deputy PM, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs about the mission's duties. The parties were expressed to have had detailed and constructive negotiations and reached an consensus on the prospective procedure which would be followed.
Syrian government claimed the opposition groups used chemical weapons and applied to UN. Then, England, France and US after Damascus applied UN, asserting Syrian regime used chemical weapons many times.
Russia also presented the claims of opposition groups' use of nerve gas in Han Al-Assal region on March 19, 2013 to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. However, the mission charged by the Secretary General to investigate the claims could not hold an investigation on site as Damascus government did not give permission.
