EFL
An international alliance of Syrian exile groups, buoyed by events in Iraq, announced yesterday that it plans to confront Syria’s authoritarian regime by chartering a plane to fly dissidents to Damascus later this year. The recently formed Syrian Democratic Coalition also criticized the European Union for its ties with Syria. The coalition advised France and Germany, in particular, not to buck a trend away from authoritarianism toward democracy in the Middle East.
| "Remember: We're democrats, but we're still Arabs! Don't even be makin' us seethe!" |
After a three-day meeting in Brussels, the coalition of 19 associations and parties declared that it would hold a congress in the Syrian capital and that its members were willing to face jail — or worse — for their defiance. "We expect the worst," said coalition President Farid N. Ghadry, a naturalized American citizen, whose Reform Party of Syria is based in Potomac, Md.
I’m sure your expectations will be met.
"But we are determined to go back. We cannot liberate our country without being foolhardy and wasting our lives when Assad is already on the run taking risks." Some were skeptical that Syria would allow a planeload of dissidents to enter its airspace, let alone hold a conference.
Mr. Ghadry has totally misunderstood the dissident job description. Dissident are supposed to flee out of brutal despotic regimes. Maybe Mr. Ghadry will leave a diary. I have always wondered about the mentality of a bug that flies into the zapper. |