Ribal Al-Assad, Director of the ODFS, and a delegation of the National Democratic Council of Syria (NDCS) had a lunch meeting with Ms Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou MEP, senior Member of the European Parliament, Ms Aydan Bahadir, EP staff administrator on the Mashreq delegation and Mr Jeroen Lenaers, assistant to Ria Oomen-Ruijten MEP (Netherlands). They had a wide ranging discussion about ending the violence and bringing peaceful change in Syria.

The meeting was a part of a series of meetings that Ribal and the delegation had with senior members of the European Parliament from across the political spectrum.

Commenting on the meeting, Ribal, said:

“We were delighted and honoured to meet Ms Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, Ms Bahidir, and Mr Lenaers. We had an excellent discussion with them. We stressed the need for both sides in the Syrian conflict to halt the violence and give diplomacy a chance so that an all out civil war can be avoided.

“The only way forward is for dialogue leading to a peaceful, inclusive, and democratic political transition in Syria. A prerequisite to this is for all the Syrian opposition to unite and speak with one voice. It is imperative that the international community including the EU facilitates this process. We look forward to working with Ms Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou and the European Parliament to achieve this.”