US committed to finding just end to Syrian conflict; Syrian rights groups urge UN to investigate Tadamon massacre

NEW YORK — In recent comments, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that the U.S. is committed to finding a just and peaceful end to the Syrian conflict in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254 and pursuing accountability for members of the Assad regime and others who have committed atrocities During the decade-long civil war.

During a meeting with representatives of Syrian civil society and humanitarian organizations operating inside Syria or assisting Syrian refugees and the communities hosting them, Thomas-Greenfield stated that the return of refugees to Syria should be safe, dignified, and voluntary. Such conditions do not currently exist, she added.

“Syria is still a top priority for the U.S. Administration,” said Thomas-Greenfield, indicating that she plans to visit the border areas between Turkey and Syria for the third time to meet Syrian refugees and organizations there.

The U.S. position on the return of refugees sits in stark contrast to that of Turkey which announced plans to return 1 million Syrian refugees.

In related news, a dozen Syrian human rights groups demanded in a letter to the U.S. envoy to Thomas-Greenfield that an investigation be launched into the mass killing of civilians in the Tadamon neighborhood of Daramsuq (Damascus) in 2013.

The groups called on the U.S. to hold a meeting in the U.N. Security Council during its presidency in May and to open an independent investigation into this incident.

“There is no peace in Syria without accountability,” read the letter.