Brussels, 07/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Sunday 6 and Monday 7 January, European leaders criticised the speech made by the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The spokesman for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton told Europe on Monday 7 January that the EU regretted that the regime “is not willing to commit to a credible political solution to the Syrian crisis… We reiterate our call to the National Coalition for the Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces to engage with Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi and his mission”. The spokesman also noted that the EU reiterated its full support for Brahimi in finding a peaceful solution through inclusive and democratic transition. On 6 January, another spokesman for Catherine Ashton explained that “we are going to be looking closely to see whether there is anything new in the speech but we are sticking to our position whereby Assad must resign and allow political transition to take place”.
On the social network, Twitter, the British Foreign Minister, William Hague, said that Assad's speech went “beyond hypocrisy” and that the “deaths, violence and oppression engulfing Syria” were “his own making” and “his empty promises of reform fool no one”. The Bulgarian minister also said on Twitter, that the speech by the Syrian president was hypocritical and morbid, “typical of a dictator who refuses responsibility for his actions and plunges Syria into more violence”. He also said that “everyone seems to be responsible for the crisis in Syria… except Assad and his thugs who are destroying their proud nation”.
Their Swedish counterpart, Carl Bildt also said on Twitter that the speech “paves the way for intensification of fighting and killing in Syria” and added that al-Assad “is destroying his nation and his people”. The Swedish minister also described the tough response by the Syrian National Coalition as being as firm as it was logical. France repeated its call for the Syrian president to step down and a French Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that “this is an key condition for political transition as pointed out by the National Syrian Coalition”. He added that “the comments made by Bashar al-Assad once again illustrate the refusal to accept reality and the isolation he has created to justify the repression of the Syrian people”.
Speaking for the first time in public for seven months, the Syrian president proposed a “political plan” that would see him holding onto power but this was immediately rejected by the coalition. Assad also called for “national dialogue” subject to conditions but said that he had not identified any “partners” in this connection, in a reference to the opposition in the country.
According to the United Nations, more than 60,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in March 2011. (CG/transl.fl)