Ribal Al-Assad agrees with UN Envoy to Syria on solution to conflict
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
No Syria solution without Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia: UN envoy
HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. envoy to Syria, has said a solution to the conflict is impossible without the inclusion of Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia in talks to end the war.
“Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Russia must be part of the talks, as there isn’t enough of a critical mass without them to achieve a solution,” de Mistura said on Feb. 2, delivering a presentation about the situation in the war-torn country at the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
Reaching a solution in Syria may be “mission impossible,” but it needs to be done, according to the envoy, who recently participated in talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition in Moscow.
“There is no golden formula [to] mission impossible … but [finding a solution] needs to be done,” de Mistura told the European Parliament in Brussels.
“As there can be no military solution in Syria, the only way to solve the current situation is to reach an inclusive agreement with all parties involved – Alawites, Sunnis, Christians, Kurds – and the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, because his regime still controls 50 percent of the country and the population,” he added.
The first aim in a situation “that could spread to Lebanon,” de Mistura stressed, must be a “freeze of the conflict” in Aleppo, which would allow the isolation of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusra, the local al-Qaeda affiliate fighting with opposition forces. On ISIL, de Mistura suggested that its growth “could also be an opportunity,” as it raised the level of alarm for other regional powers.
Responding to the announcement, ODFS Director, Ribal Al-Assad said this:
"I completely agree with Mr De Mistura, the UN Special Envoy to Syria, on this matter - as I have said repeatedly since the start of this conflict, there can be absolutely no solution without the engagement of all parties who have a genuine belief in freedom and democracy and are willing to commit to it.
The only solution is a politically driven one, by bringing together all those who genuinely believe in freedom and democracy and are willing to commit to it. There can be no space for any extremist or radical faction at the table as they do not believe in democracy but strive only to achieve an Islamic Caliphate under Sharia Law; they will never accept the idea of equality of all citizens under the rule of law
Quite simply, extremists regard all those who do not share their narrow and perverted ideology as infidels and heretics who must be exterminated.
Syria is a beautiful mosaic which must be preserved; and this could only be achieved through a genuine democracy where all people are equal under the rule of law, regardless of religion, ethnic group, sect or gender - this is a sentiment that is certainly not shared by Islamic extremists.
If we do not pursue a dialogue driven approach then we will only see further bloodshed as extremists continue to murder and pillage their way through Syria with the aim of turning the country into an Islamic Caliphate.
Under no circumstances can this be allowed to happen.
Let us heed the words of Mr De Mistura, end this dark chapter and forge a future for the people of Syria."