Today at the Farnesina the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Vincenzo Amendola met Nasr al-Hariri, chief negotiator of the opposition “Syrian Negotiating Commission” (SNC) and members of the delegation: Mohamad Jamal Soliman, Hanadi Abou Arab, Hind Kabawat, Abdulahad Astepho.
After discussing the current critical situation in Syria, Amendola thanked Hariri and the SNC for the efforts made to find a political solution to the major crisis that has been severely affecting Syria for the past seven years.
Undersecretary Amendola reaffirmed that the the US, Britain and France carried out ” a limited and targeted strike” on Saturday morning in response to the Douma chemical arrack.
Amendola said to his interlocutors that Italy has always strongly condemned the use of chemical weapons, which represents a war crime and a very serious breach of international law. He then went on to add: “the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime can no longer be tolerated”.
The Undersecretary also expressed Italy’s support for the UN-led negotiations coordinated by Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura, and the efforts made to find a diplomatic solution according to UN resolution 2254. In this respect Undesecretary Amendola said that the position taken by the SNC, which never vetoed the implementation of the resolution, deserved appreciation.
Amendola said that there could be no long-term solution without a political process, and highlighted the role played by Europe’s role, also in view of the second EU/UN conference “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region” to be co-chaired by the UN and the EU. The event will take place in Brussels on 24 and 25 April next.
