 LONDON - The exiled leader of SyriaÂ’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood on Friday called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down and allow free elections, saying the opposition would resort to civil disobedience if the regime failed to introduce democratic change.
“Seven years of Bashar’s presidency is enough for him to present his resignation, leave power and make space for others to assume responsibility for the presidency through real competition, not a referendum,” London-based Ali Bayanouni told Reuters in an interview. Bayanouni is a key founder of a united opposition movement -- the so-called National Salvation Front -- formed last year with secular, nationalist, liberal and Kurdish opposition parties with the aim of overthrowing Assad and installing democracy. The opposition, comprising 16 Syrian parties, includes former Vice-President Abdel-Halim Khaddam, a figurehead who broke ranks with Assad in 2005.
“The opposition forces are moving towards applying pressure on the regime starting with demonstrations and moving to civil disobedience,” said Bayanouni, who left Syria before Assad’s father crushed an Islamist revolt in the town of Hama in 1982 killing at least 10,000 people and perhaps twice that number. “There could be protests, non-payment of taxes or demonstrations. The steps will be decided at the appropriate time by consultation among a unified opposition leadership.”
| All well and good but that's likely to result in bloodshed -- this won't be a Cedar or Orange Revolution. |
Bayanouni said opposition parties were boycotting next month’s parliamentary elections, which were regarded as mere ”window dressing” by Syrians. Assad, who succeeded his late father Hafez al-Assad in 2000, is also expected to run and win a referendum to be held before mid-July to appoint him to a second seven-year term.
The Muslim Brotherhood leader, whose members face the death penalty in Syria, said Western countries were making a “big mistake” by re-establishing contacts with Assad. He was referring to European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana who met Assad on Wednesday after France dropped objections to EU contacts with Damascus.
“When the EU is trying to end the isolation of the regime, this is at the expense of the Syrian people. The position of the West towards the Syrian regime goes against the interest of the Syrian people,” Bayanouni said. “I think they believe that it (the regime) will participate in ending the problems in Iraq and Lebanon. We believe that the regime is part of the problem and not part of the solution,” he added.
| He sees that pretty clearly. Too bad the Euros can't. |
Bayanouni was reluctant to give details on how much backing the oldest Islamist political movement has inside tightly controlled Syria, fearing for its supporters’ safety. But he said there was dissatisfaction among the military and intelligence forces and that Syrians would move against the regime if they had international support. “When there is a favourable international position sympathetic to the Syrian people, they will arise and move once they realise there is an intention to protect them if they move against the regime...,” Bayanouni said.
| And if someone were to give Assad a push, real quiet like ... |
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