Assad: Latest events pave way for Western states to transfer terrorists into Syria

Syrian President Bashar Assad made his first public appearance in months on Sunday, where he announced what he described as a peace plan, calling for a reconciliation conference with "those who have not betrayed Syria", to be followed by the formation of a new government and an amnesty.                

"The first stage of a political solution would require that regional powers stop funding and arming (the opposition), an end to the military operations carried out by the army, while preserving the right to reply to any offensive," he said. Assad stressed the need to find a mechanism to control the borders, and prepare for a comprehensive national dialogue which leads to a National Charter that respects Syria’s sovereignty and will be tested through popular referendum.            

On the other hand, Assad noted that the solution to the crisis has political and social dimensions and includes an anti-terrorism process, declaring that any transitional phase must take place in accordance with constitutional means.          

However, the Syrian president called for a "full national mobilization" to fight against rebels he described as al-Qaeda terrorists, stating: “whoever speaks of a sole political solution either ignores the facts or is weak and ready to offer the nation for the criminals and sells the people.”              

Accordingly, Assad noted that the events in Syria paved the way for the western states to transfer the terrorists into Syria, stressing that the Syrian government and people will never forget what the neighboring countries did. However, he expressed gratitude to the states which refused any intervention in the Syrian internal affairs, mainly Russia, China and Iran. “Regional countries’ officials are well aware of the fact that when the Syrian crisis ends, their political future will fade away,” he declared.               

On the issue of the Palestinians, Assad warned against any attempt to drag the Palestinians into the Syrian conflict, noting that such attempt will fail for sure. 

The Syrian opposition quickly rejected Syria's the proposed peace initiative, saying it was aimed at wrecking diplomatic efforts to end the civil war.   

"Assad simply wanted, with the initiative he proposed, to cut the road to reaching a political solution that may result from the forthcoming American-Russian meeting with (U.N. mediator Lakhdar) Brahimi, which the opposition would not accept unless he and his regime leave," National Coalition spokesman Walid Bunni told Reuters. 


International Positions:

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must step down in order to bring about a political solution to the war in his country, the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Sunday.

"We will look carefully if there is anything new in the speech but we maintain our position that Assad has to step aside and allow for a political transition." a spokesman for EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said.

For his part, British Foreign Secretary William Hague accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of hypocrisy and said his call for a peace initiative to end the civil war would fool no one.   

"Assad speech beyond hypocritical. Deaths, violence and oppression engulfing Syria are his own making, empty promises of reform fool no one," he said in a message on Twitter.

This as, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had simply repeated empty promises in his speech and called for a swift transition in the war-torn country.   

"His remarks are just repetitions of what he's said all along. They are the same promises he made to us," Davutoglu said. "As Assad no longer has the representative authority over the Syrian people, his words have lost persuasiveness ... A transition period needs to be completed swiftly through talks with representatives of the Syrian nation."

Davutoglu added that the United Nations needed to take a clear stance on Syria and send a message to President Bashar al-Assad not to prevent the distribution of aid. "If it is clear now that Assad will not do anything new, then the U.N. Security Council must decide on a stance on the situation in Syria," he stated.


REUTERS/LBCI