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Syrian Opposition Says Assad Must Be Excluded from Talks
[An Nahar] The opposition National Coalition said on Friday it refuses to accept  Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Light of the Alawites... in any talks on ending Syria's war, as part of a "framework" it has drawn up for solutions to the conflict. The Coalition issued the framework after a meeting in Cairo to discuss a proposal by its chief, Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, to hold peace talks with regime representatives, a move that ruffled feathers in the umbrella opposition group. "Bashir al-Assad and security leadership who are responsible for the current destruction of the country are outside the political process and must be held accountable for their crimes," it said in a statement issued in English. The eight-point framework was drawn up at a meeting of the National Coalition's interim advisory political committee in the Egyptian capital on Thursday. It singled out the Assad regime's most powerful backers, Russia and Iran, calling on the former to ensure there are "adequate safeguards" to make the grinding of the peace processor possible, together with the United States. The statement urged Iran's leaders to recognize that the Islamic republic's support for Assad "is pushing the region towards sectarian conflict" and realize that "Assad and his regime have no chance to stay in power." It said the "friends of the Syrian people" should understand that a solution would only take place though "changing the balance of power," meaning support for the Coalition and the rebellion by "all possible means." Posted by: Fred 2013-02-16 |
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