London- The head of the National Syrian Coalition, Riad Seif, has sent a letter to 30 countries backing the opposition, asking them to “remove” Iran’s militias from Syria, and urging the international community to designate the Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist organization.
In the letter that Seif also sent to international organizations, mainly the United Nations, he explained “the disastrous consequences of Iranian interference in Syria,” the coalition said in a statement.
Seif emphasized that “no political solution in Syria can be reached as long as the Iranian intervention continues,” it said.
He stressed that “Syria and the region will see no peace or stability so long as the Iranian militias are operating in Syria unchecked.”
“It is no longer a secret the extent of Iran’s meddling in Syria and its disruption of all efforts to stop the bloodshed, meet the aspirations of the Syrian people; and ensure their legitimate rights.”
Seif went on: “It is indisputable that Iran’s intervention in Syria is illegitimate particularly that it is aimed at propping up a murderous regime that is responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and that continues to target them with all means at its disposal, including chemical weapons.”
He said that Tehran’s meddling is a direct result of a strategic political decision being funded by the Iranian government and supervised by the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Basij forces, and the Iranian military.
The IRGC has formed several militias, bringing in militants from Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, and other countries, he said, adding these militias form the bulk of pro-regime forces and are deployed in many key areas across Syria.
Seif accused the militias of seeking to implement Iran’s ideological project in Syria by pursuing policies involving “ethnic and sectarian cleansing.”
These militias fighting alongside Bashar Assad regime’s forces were involved in at least 10 massacres against civilians, he said.
“All efforts to combat terrorism will go in vain as long as Iran is in Syria and continues to pursue its provocative ideological discourse accompanied by the promotion of a culture of incitement of violence and hatred,” Seif stressed.
He held the international community, especially the permanent members of the UN Security Council, responsible for swiftly addressing this issue.
Seif called for the designation by the UN, the US and the EU of the IRGC, the Iranian army, the Hezbollah militias in Lebanon and Iraq and all other Iranian-backed sectarian militias as terrorist organizations.