Zurich: Ribal Al-Assad calls for reform in Syria in speech to leading Swiss think tank

Samstag, 22 Oktober 2011 5 Weitere Bilder

This week, Ribal Al-Assad, the Director of the ODFS, delivered a speech calling for reform in Syria at the internationally respected Swiss think tank, Avenir Suisse in Zurich, to an audience of CEOs from the world's leading companies. Ribal was invited and hosted at the seminar on the Arab Spring by Dr. Gerhard Schwarz, the Managing Director of Avenir Suisse. The other speakers were Mr Christian Koch (Gulf Research Center), Ms Leu Agosti Livia, (Switzerland's Ambassador to Iran) and Mr Naguib Sawiris (Orascom Telecom). Mr Amine Tazi-Riffi (McKinseys, Geneva) acted as moderator for the seminar. The event ended with a comprehensive Q & A session.

Ribal Al-Assad made the following speech:

Thank you. I am delighted to be here. Before I give you this brief overview of the situation in Syria today I just want to add to your kind words of introduction, and say a little about myself and ODFS.

I want to make this clear: My name is Assad but I am not part of the regime and nor do I share in the family fortune. In fact, I too am a victim of this brutal regime and have been in exile since 1984. I am in touch with hundreds, indeed thousands, of my fellow Syrians and it is their aspirations for freedom and dignity that I am promoting.

That is why I established my organisation two years ago - to promote democracy and freedom in Syria through peaceful means.

So that is where I come from. But far more important is the question: where is Syria going to? Can we build a clear picture of what is happening inside Syria today? And what of Syria’s relationship with its immediate neighbours and the broader international community?

To me Syria is a most wonderful country, rich with breathtaking, mountains, landscapes and home to some of the oldest civilisations in the world.

However the world today sees a very different image of Syria.

As we are all aware, sadly - tragically - in the last few months as many as three thousand - maybe more - Syrians have been killed in uprisings. This is a tragedy, especially for all the victims and their families: I want to add my voice to those who are calling for an urgent end to this violence.

But for the violence to end we have to understand how it began.

Syria is a part of the Arab Spring. What we saw in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya we now see in Syria: uprisings by the people in a common cause. It is a sadly familiar picture in each of these countries. People repressed for years, facing a future of continued coercion, against a backdrop of poverty and unemployment.

For forty years the people of Syria have suffered from a brutal dictatorship. Many have fled. Thousands still face censorship, imprisonment and torture. Increasingly, they face death.

The people are also suffering extreme economic difficulties, continued high unemployment, rising food prices, and endemic corruption.

The Syrians have had enough. They are calling for change. Their demands are clear.

First: the regime must stop the repression and killings immediately.

It must abolish article 8 of the Syrian constitution, which enshrines the Baath party at the centre of national life. The regime must allow all independent political parties who genuinely believe in democracy to be established.

Together they must set out a clear timetable for forming a national unity government – and a timetable for the release of all political prisoners.

Syria needs a new democratic constitution, which allows a multi-party system, guarantees the separation of powers, the independence of the judiciary and protects the rights of individuals, groups and minorities - regardless of religion, ethnic group or sex.

There must be peaceful freedom of expression and an end to media and internet censorship.

Economic reform is vital too. Long term stability comes from economic growth - providing jobs that produce the goods and services people want. It’s time to stop corruption and start transparency and accountability.

Religious pluralism as well as political pluralism is key to Syria's future. The appalling and mindless sectarian discrimination and violence against religious minorities such Christians in Egypt and Iraq is totally unacceptable and something that we do not want repeated in Syria.

Change is urgently needed. But can it be delivered?

The President of the regime has been talking about reform for 11 years. He cannot continue to prevaricate. He must act now or step aside.

For years opposition within Syria has been thoroughly repressed by the regime. Add to this the complex mix of religious sects, ethnicities and ideologies within Syria, and the fear that the Islamists are out to provoke a sectarian war. This leads many to say that a united front is doomed to failure. I am more optimistic.

I disagree with those who claim that democratic elections in Syria will inevitably lead to an Islamist government, or a government with Islamist sympathies. The Syrian people are not calling for theocracy. Their desire for democracy unites them.

Freedom and democracy will only happen if all voices of opposition are heard. The Syrian opposition is not truly united - and there in lies a major problem. All of them must put their differences aside. The future cannot be built on grudges and entrenched sectarian hatred. Only with reconciliation and mutual recognition will we build a future for Syria together. The opposition must unite.

Preserving peace is critical. This will be influenced to some extent by the actions of Syria’s neighbours and the wider international community. To this I now turn.

Syria sits at the centre of very significant geopolitical forces. To the east, we have Iran, with its anti-American, anti-Western rhetoric. Iran relies heavily on Syria to maintain prominence in the region and has a very strong say in foreign policy.

In Syria there is a real danger of civil war, which could lead to a wider regional war. On one side, we have a dictatorship which will do anything to stay in power and on the other side, there are Islamists who are trying to hijack the peaceful demonstrations and are calling for a sectarian war. My sources in Syria have informed me that the Islamists are very well armed. So there is a big danger of a Regional War . The Syrian regime is strongly backed by Iran and their proxies, Hezbollah, Hamas, Sadr militias in Iraq and other groups in the Gulf. So the Iranian regime will simply do everything it can to save the the Syrian regime.

The grip that Iran exercises over Syria will not be relinquished lightly and has recently been re-enforced by the fact Iran and Syria have chosen to "cooperate" on military exercises and have signed security and defence agreements. Syria cannot continue to be a vassal of Iran. When Syria re-asserts its identity and sovereignty by creating a national unity government, it will have a sound foundation for disengaging from Iran.

To the south, we have Saudi Arabia, with its long-term friendship with the US, inherent rivalry with Iran and, according to many commentators, its desire to lead the Arab world.

And to the north, we have Turkey - a country which too has great ambitions of regional influence. It has democratically elected Islamist government, which obviously favours Islamists and has tried many times in the last few years to broker a deal between the Islamists and the Syrian regime.

Success within Syria depends on it stopping its dependency on Iran and engaging constructively with its Arab neighbours.

Syria needs to manage its diverse ethnic and religious composition, and to decide its own position on the Arab-Israeli conflict. But that is more difficult when neighbouring countries are exploiting the country's heterogeneous makeup to pursue their own hegemonic agendas.

The broader international community has a part to play here. First it must continue to take a robust stance against the Syrian government, it must make it absolutely clear that the current situation is unacceptable.

A Libyan-style active intervention is not warranted, but diplomatic intervention is needed to allow Syria to determine its future.

The international community must persuade neighbouring countries to halt their brazen, attacks on parts of Syrian society. In particular, the US, must use its influence to stop attacks by Saudi extremists on Syria's religious minorities. The incitement promulgated by extremist TV stations in Saudi and Egypt must stop.

Efforts to weaken Iran's disruptive influence in the region must be maintained while Turkey's regional ambitions must be kept in mind.

As an exile my efforts, and those of my organisation, lie in making the key players in the international community aware of the position in Syria. I have had meetings with hundreds of Parliamentarians in Britain, Germany and Europe, focusing on how they can help end repression in Syria and encourage the process of democracy and freedom

So that is where we stand today. It is a complex and difficult situation marked by the tragedy of so many lives lost. It is difficult to predict the outcome but I do believe democracy and freedom can be delivered. Peace is possible.

We watch and wait. And we hope and help.

Thank you.

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