Brussels, 21/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 20 November, the leader of the ALDE Group in the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt, called on the international community to be more proactive towards the Syrian National Coalition. “The international community still lags behind despite one or two countries now recognising the legitimacy of the new coalition”, he said. He also said that “if the rebellion does not have international recognition or benefit from outside help - including military equipment - desperation could push the insurgents into the arms of Islamic extremism”.
Several Jihadist groups have decided to install a caliphate in Aleppo, which - in Verhofstadt's view - should be the opportunity for clarification of the international community's support for the rebellion. And he stated that the end of the al-Assad regime must not be seen as encouraging the emergence of an Islamist state. “The future of Syria should be democratic and multi-confessional, not theocratic and in the hands of a religious majority”, he added.
On Monday 19 November, the European foreign affairs ministers recognised the coalition as the “legitimate representative of Syrian aspirations”. France, Italy and the United Kingdom recognised it as the “only” legitimate representative (see EUROPE 10734). (CG/transl.fl)