Foreign Office Minister meets members of Syrian Opposition
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt says UK committed to intensifying engagement with the Syrian political opposition.
Today Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt met Louay Hussain, President of the Syrian opposition movement “Building The Syrian State Current” (BSS), who is on a visit to London to discuss further how the international community can support a Syrian-led political transition. Speaking after the meeting, Mr Burt said:
“I was delighted to welcome Louay Hussain and his team from ‘Building the Syrian State current’ to the UK. We are committed to intensifying our engagement with the Syrian political opposition and engaging with civil society groups from across the political spectrum.
“I made clear that the UK will stand by the Syrian people in their peaceful struggle for greater freedom and welcomed BSS’ desire to create a democratic Syria. I urged them to work with other opposition groups to build a shared strategy and vision for Syria which has at its heart an inclusive and representative political system that adheres to international human rights standards and guarantees minority rights.
“We discussed ways to support the Arab League’s proposals to bring the Syrian opposition together and ensure a Syrian-led solution to the crisis. I underlined that the UK supports a peaceful political transition. It is therefore more important than ever that political groups put aside their differences in the interests of a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Syria.”