By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 25 -- When the Syrian National Coalition's Hadi al Bahra belatedly held an open press conference at the UN on September 24, Inner City Press asked him about the place of the Kurds of Rojava in the SNC, and about the deadly measles vaccination campaign undertaken in territory ostensibly controlled by the opposition. See below.
Hours after this press conference, the Syrian Coalition issued this:
Syrian Coalition Calls on the International Coalition to Neutralize Civilian Targets
The Syrian Coalition’s delegation, headed by Hadi al Bahra, met with the US special envoy to Syria Daniel Rubenstein and officials of the US State Department in New York yesterday. The meetings discussed the situation in Syria, especially the US-led international campaign against ISIS and Khorasan, a terrorist organization that is regarded the biggest threat to the United States and Europe, and also the Assad regime’s ongoing war on the Syrian people. The American officials strongly denied the Assad regime’s claims that the United States is coordinating with it with regard to the anti-ISIS campaign or that the United States asked for the Assad regime’s approval to carry out the strikes against ISIS positions in Syria.
On the contrary, the United States Obama had publicly warned the Assad regime in advance not to interfere with any U.S. operations against ISIS, saying the Pentagon would respond forcefully. The meeting also discussed the Obama administration’s plan to arm and train the Free Syrian Army, and the situation in the town of Ayn al-Arab (Kobanî) northeast of Aleppo. During a meeting with representatives of the Friends of Syria group, Bahra called on the representatives of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, and Qatar to step up humanitarian aid to the Syrian people and to take tangible steps to stop Assad’s crimes against the Syrian people. "terrorist, after he threw light on the events in Syria and Kobanî on in particular. Moreover, the Syrian Coalition’s delegation held meetings with Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, and with French President Francois Hollande and his Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
The French president expressed France's willingness to train and equip the Free Syrian Army. Bahra is going to deliver a speech in New York this evening to explain the position of the Syrian Coalition towards the US-led international coalition’s military strikes against ISIS in Syria and to reiterate the Syrian Coalition’s calls for giving support for the FSA that has been battling both ISIS and the Assad regime. Bahra will also call upon the international; coalition to neutralize the civilians areas and will express regret at the death of civilians during the anti-ISIS campaign. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
What does it mean to "neutralize the civilian areas" then express regret? And are those al Bahra met with the ones to choose Syria's leaders?
At his September 24 press conference, Hadi al Bahra said that Kurds “in the KNC” are in the Coalition, and claimed that they don't want their own territory, only federalism. “Kurds are in the coalition itself. Our vice president represents Kurdish National Council, they do not look for separate government or piece of land.” That might be some Kurds -- but not all. We'll have more on this.
On the deadly “vaccination” campaign, Hadi al Bahra precisely like Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Stephane Dujarric called it only human error, “not correct labeling, having two types of medicine in the same cabinet.” That would be, muscle relaxes injected into children. What does this portend? This is a test case.
Hadi al Bahra said that the US is in consultation with the SNC as it conducts airstrikes. Inner City Press understands that the US only told Syria's government once, the first time -- and did not tell Russia at all.
Footnote: The first two questions to Hadi al Bahra were from US state owned media, and France 24. Then later came RFI. This is part of why the Free UN Coalition for Access complained about Hadi al Bahra initially, and Ahmad Jarba throughout his tenure, only taking questions in these media's clubhouse of UNCA, the UN's Censorship Alliance. They only publicize the events to those who paid them money; the UNCA Executive Committee tried to get the investigative Press thrown out fo the UN. It is good that Hadi al Bahra, hosted by the UK, held an open briefing. But what about the answers? We'll have more on these.
