Brussels, 09/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 8 November, opponents to the regime of Bachar al-Assad called for a united Syrian opposition, at a press conference on “Syria, the road to follow”. The MEP Sajjad Karim (ECR, UK) stressed that the opposition needs to be united “not in its ideas, but united with a single goal: real change in the regime which currently exists”. This unity is a “major challenge”, explained Mathieu Hermans of IKV Pax Christi. “There are still many questions about the degree of representativeness and openness of the Syrian National Council”, he said. He wants an inclusive, representative, open and democratic Council, “which is not the case at the moment”.
In the view of Ribal al-Assad, of the Organisation for Democracy and Liberty in Syria, the Council is not representative of the population, which has many different communities. “It was elected by 200 people and is 80 to 90% Muslim Brotherhood”, he explained. He stressed that the members of the Council do not recognise the other opposition parties. “They reject all other points of view”, he added. Kawa Yousef, a member of the Kurdish minority, stated that the Council refused to negotiate with his party. Al-Assad said that there was a risk of civil war, which may spill over into a regional war.
He argued that the new Syria needs national reconciliation and a government of unity with all minorities. “Under the new regime, all rights must be respected, we will never accept an Islamic regime”, he added. (CG/transl.fl)