Foreign Secretary statement on the importance of isolating the Assad regime and ending impunity
Foreign Secretary William Hague: "The Syrian people have lost enough in lives, blood and suffering. It is down to us not to let them lose all hope too."
Speaking after today’s meeting of the core group of the Friends of Syria, the Foreign Secretary William Hague said:
“The Syrian people have lost enough in lives, blood and suffering. It is down to us not to let them lose all hope too. They need to know that even when some countries still side with their oppressors, the vast majority of the world will stand with them and will support a peaceful and free future for the Syrian people”.
In his intervention, the Foreign Secretary emphasised the importance of the 30 June Geneva agreement on a political transition on the basis of mutual consent and the need to:
- continue to isolate the Assad regime, including by shutting off the supply of lethal arms to the Syrian regime from Iran;
- increase practical support to Syrian political opposition groups, particularly those who now need to provide services in areas freed from the regime’s control;
- help Syrian opposition groups inside and outside the country overcoming their divisions and setting out a coherent vision for their country’s future;
- provide urgent humanitarian assistance for the UN’s underfunded plans - reiterating that the UK would make a further contribution of £8 million on top of the £30.5 million it has already provided;
- continue to demolish the idea that the Assad regime can wage war against its people with impunity.