A/HRC/24/46 9. Photographs, video recordings, satellite imagery and forensic and medical records were collected and analysed. Reports from Governments and non -governmental sources, academic analyses and United Nations reports formed part of the investigation. 10. The standard of proof used in previous reports remains. This standard is met when incidents are corroborated to a level where the commission has reasonable grounds to believe that incidents occurred as described. 11. The commission investigated a number of incidents that may be labelled as “terrorist attacks” or “terrorism”. Once the threshold of non-international armed conflict has been met, and the suspected perpetrators are parties to the conflict, the commission renders its assessment of an attack’s legality under the rubric of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Any attack the sole purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population is prohibited. II. Context A. Political context 12. The situation in the Syrian Arab Republic was discussed in a June meeting of the Friends of Syria group in Doha and at the margins of the Group of Eight summit on 17 and 18 June in Northern Ireland, with little apparent progress towards a solution to the conflict. As prospects for a political settlement stagnate, the warring parties’ willingness to negotiate has been affected by military developments on the ground. 13. Despite the efforts of the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria, agreement on a date for the proposed conference in Geneva remains elusive. The Government and the Kurdish Syrian forces have agreed, in principle, to send separate delegations to the conference. After making its participation conditional on a shift in military momentum, the Syrian National Coalition now appears to have agreed, in principle, to attend the conference. 14. Both the Government and anti-government armed groups believe that they can achieve a military victory. Their respective supporters afford them political coverage, financial assistance and military hardware, turning the Syrian conflict into a proxy war of regional and international interests. 1. The parties 15. The Government continues to struggle to provide security and basic services in areas under its control where living conditions have further deteriorated. 16. The Syrian opposition remains marred by internal strife. On 6 July 2013, the Syrian National Coalition voted in a new President, Ahmad Asi Al-Jarba, almost three months after the resignation of Moaz Al-Khateeb. Two days later, Prime Minister Ghassan Hitto resigned, citing the inability to form an interim Government to be entrusted with the administration of areas under opposition control. On the ground, the political vacuum has fed the ongoing fragmentation and disintegration of political authority, as signalled by recent infighting in Latakia governorate between some anti-government armed groups. 17. In the north-east, friction over power-sharing emerged within the Kurdish political leadership, formally united under the Kurdish Supreme Council. Despite tensions, recent statements made by representatives of the Kurdish parties indicate that parliamentary elections are being prepared in the areas under Kurdish control. Elections will be preceded by a referendum on an interim constitution currently being drafted. 4