Baladi News – Istanbul (Private)
Syrian opposition refuses Macron’s statements and consider them an argument to flatter Russia (Private)
The former Secretary-General of the Syrian National Coalition, Abdel-Ilah Fahad, said that the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron are irresponsible and inconsistent with the stance of France on the Syrian issue. "The information we received from Western officials and diplomats about the French initiative indicate that it aims at resolving the bottleneck of the international community rather than the Syrian opposition."
Fahd pointed out that the Syrian opposition agrees with France and all countries that the Russian role is essential in the political solution, and emphasized that this solution should not be at the expense of the sacrifices of the Syrian people.
"My new perspective on this issue is that I did not say that Bashar Assad's departure is a prerequisite for everything because I have not seen a legitimate alternative," Macron said in an interview with eight European newspapers published on Thursday. He added that Assad is "an enemy of the Syrian people, but not an enemy of France" and that the priority of Paris is "an obligation to fight terrorist groups and ensure that Syria does not become a failed state."
Observers believe that these comments are closer to the position of Russia that always repeats that "there is no suitable alternative for Assad, despite his several mistakes," as described by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"After a number of meetings in Paris last week, there was a discrepancy between what they heard from diplomats in the French Foreign Ministry and the statements of Elysee officials," a Syrian opposition source said in an exclusive interview with Baladi News.
The source described the comments in the Elysee as "being somewhat similar to those of Obama’s administration officials that lack a clear vision, and that are focused on fighting terrorism and addressing the humanitarian needs in the first place in the framework of offering approaches to the solution."
The source pointed out that this new position of France "dictates that the leadership of the opposition must work to try to dialogue with French officials as soon as possible to influence their views before they turn them into a firm policy."
"If there is someone who has the courage to find a solution in Syria, they have to come out and say, 'We cannot do anything,’ instead of making excuses,” Head of the Syrian opposition delegation to Geneva, Nasr Hariri, said, adding than Bashar al-Assad and his regime have committed crimes against hundreds of thousands of civilians.