Syrian Opposition Delegation in US, Calls Against Normalizing Ties with Regime

The Syrian delegation meets with American officials in Washington. (National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces of Syria)
The Syrian delegation meets with American officials in Washington. (National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces of Syria)
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Syrian Opposition Delegation in US, Calls Against Normalizing Ties with Regime

The Syrian delegation meets with American officials in Washington. (National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces of Syria)
The Syrian delegation meets with American officials in Washington. (National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces of Syria)

A delegation from the National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces of Syria and the Syrian Negotiations Commission held talks with Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations Richard Mills in Washington on Tuesday.

Discussions touched on the latest developments in the political process in Syria.

The delegation included Coalition President Salem al-Meslet, head of the Syrian Negotiations Commission Badr Jamous, co-chair of the Constitutional Committee Hadi al-Bahra, head of the Syrian interim government Abdurrahman Mustafa, and members of the Negotiations Commission Ibrahim Berro and Fadwa al-Ujaili.

In a statement, the Coalition said the meeting focused on the need to revive the political process, implement UN Security Council Resolution 2254 to reach a real political transition in Syria, and pressure Bashar al-Assad's regime to seriously engage in the political process.

The delegation underscored the importance of maintaining the sanctions imposed on the regime under the Caesar Act and preventing any attempt to normalize ties with it.

Moreover, it stressed that the tepid response to the regime’s crimes encouraged Iran to intervene in the region and Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine.

The delegation also underlined the need to ensure accountability, seek the release of detainees and the forcibly disappeared in regime prisons, and ensure humanitarian access to Syrians in need.



Report: US Embassy in Iraq Preparing for Ordered Evacuation Due to ‘Heightened Security Risks’

The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
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Report: US Embassy in Iraq Preparing for Ordered Evacuation Due to ‘Heightened Security Risks’

The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)

The US embassy in Iraq is preparing for an ordered evacuation due to heightened security risks in the region, an Iraqi security official and a US source said on Wednesday.

Iran's Minister of Defense Aziz Nasirzadeh said earlier in the day that Tehran will strike US bases in the region if nuclear talks and conflict arise with Washington.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) US embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the US military is standing by if help is requested," another US official said.

US President Donald Trump said he was less confident that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an interview released on Wednesday.

Another US official said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had been issued for employees or families linked to the US Embassy in Qatar, which was operating as usual.

Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombing if it does not reach a new nuclear deal.