|
Syrian opposition urges regime's ouster
6.6.2006
|
|
|
|
LONDON - Key
Syrian opposition figures on Monday urged Syrians to
work to oust President Bashar Assad by using acts of
civil disobedience reminiscent to the upheaval that
freed nations behind the Iron Curtain.
Describing Assad's regime as oppressive and corrupt,
the leaders pledged to bring democracy to Syria,
which has been ruled by Assad since the death of his
father, Hafez, in 2000.
"The people are fed up with the government," former
Vice President Abdul-Halim Khaddam told The
Associated Press after a conference uniting forces
against Assad. "Of course they are scared. Our plan
is to encourage them to get rid of this fear. ...
The military is not going to get involved."
Two of the group's most prominent members are
Khaddam and Ali Sadr el-Din Bayanouni, head of the
banned Muslim Brotherhood. Both exiled leaders
forged an alliance in March after long being at
odds, forming the National Salvation Front for Syria
and urging the government's ouster and formation of
a transitional government.
The two leaders stood shoulder to shoulder following
a news conference, insisting that working together
was in the best interest of Syria - whatever their
past disagreements might have been.
"This is also a response to the accusations, the
exaggerations of the regime, when it says that the
alternative to it is chaos," Bayanouni said.
Diverse groups are represented in the front,
including former members of the ruling Baath party
and the outlawed Brotherhood, a fundamentalist Sunni
Muslim group blamed for a campaign of assassinations
and bombings in Syria in the early 1980s that was
brutally crushed by authorities in 1982.
A member of Syria's ruling elite for three decades,
Khaddam broke with Assad last year and fled to Paris
with his family. He said he was certain the Syrian
people would support a peaceful change of
government.
"We want a change of government and a democratic
Syria ... like what happened in Eastern Europe
through the people's will," he said, speaking
through an interpreter. At one point he corrected an
interpretation to insist that he wasn't advocating
revolution.
Amnesty International claims that 10,000-25,000
people were killed at Hama in 1982 to put down a
revolt by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood,
though conflicting figures exist and the number
could be considerably smaller or larger than this.
The Syrian government has made no official claim
about the number killed.
A representative from the Kurdish minority as well
as liberal and democratic groups also attended the
London meeting.
The alliance has pledged that the proposed
transitional government would abolish Syria's 1963
state of emergency and release all political
prisoners.
AP
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 