Report: West Comes Against Bloodshed-Halting Plan by Syria’s Assad

AhlulBayt News Agency - Five years of war and devastation look not enough in the eyes of the West to make it serious in looking for ways to put an end to the Syrian crisis. While the proposals of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for forming a national unity government have opened a new window for peace, the US and the EU have strongly rejected the suggestions.

The British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Philip Hammond has emphasized that he opposed the Syrian president’s initiative for forming a national unity government in Syria. “President Bashar al-Assad's proposal to form a unity government including independent and opposition figures will not solve Syria's conflict,” said Britain’s Philip Hammond in his visit to Lebanon. The British secretary of state added that London and other world powers believed that a political settlement in Syria needed a transitional government, rather than plans like that of the Syrian president. "There has to be the creation of a government that represents all the people, all the communities, all the faiths in Syria and it has to be a government that is not - or at least in the future will not - be led by Bashar al-Assad," continued Hammond, reiterating the British standing that President Assad should not be given place in any Syrian government in the future. In addition to Britain, the US also expressed strong opposition to Syria’s President Assad’s plan for the peace in his country. Elizabeth Trudeau, the US state department’s deputy spokeswoman, has said that the White House opposed looking into President Assad’s plan about holding snap presidential election in Syria.

Talking to the Russian news agency Sputnik, President Bashar al-Assad has recently said that the national unity government of Syria should be agreed upon during the Geneva peace negotiations. “Then the current government would write the country’s new constitution, which would be put to referendum, and so we would hold elections,” maintained the Syrian president. “We are ready to pardon any gunmen who put their arms down to stop bloodshed,” added President Assad.

The West’s opposition to the Syrian President’s settlement plan is coming while the war has been raging in Syria more than five years, and the US’ and its allies’ efforts for toppling the legitimate Syrian government through arming the Syrian opposition groups and backing the terrorist group have been met with failure.

On the other side, Russia’s direct anti-terror intervention in Syria as well as intensification of backup given to the Syrian government’s forces by the Axis of Resistance, led by Iran, have resulted in changing the balance of power on the ground against the favor of the West-backed armed groups. The latest example of triumphs of the allied forces of Syria is retaking of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra from the ISIS terrorist group on March 26, 2016. The experts argue recapture of Palmyra has led to shoring up position and strength of the Syria government both at home and internationally.

Russian welcome

Just unlike Washington and London, Moscow has supported the President Assad’s settlement proposal.  The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov has told Russia’s news agency Interfax that Moscow would support forming, in the near future, a unity government in Syria which would include the opposition, independent and pro-Syrian government figures. At the same time, Sergei Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister of Russia, has said that Russia agreed with formation of Syria’s national unity government according to plan of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The Russian deputy foreign minister has said that the proposal of the Syrian president was not in conflict with International Syria Support Group nor was it against UN’s Resolution 2254. Adopted by UN’s Security Council in December 2015, the Resolution 2254 has called for halting the bombardment of the civilian areas as well as paving the way for accessing the regions under siege. The resolution included a road map for forming a national unity government within six months and holding regional elections within 18 months.

The Kurds seek attacking Raqqa

A couple of days after recapturing the ancient city of Palmary, the Syrian Kurds’ leaders have said that the Kurdish forces were ready to move to liberate the Syria’s northern city of Raqqa, ISIS terror organization’s stronghold. Salih Muslim, the leader of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party of Syria (PYD) in a press conference with the journalists in Paris has said that “the Kurdish forces are preparing themselves in line with the anti-terror coalition for liberation of Raqqa.” “I call for the Arab forces to join our (Kurdish) forces which reach between 40,000 and 50,000 in number,” added Muslim.

ISIS terrorist group has been in control of Raqqa since 2014, turning it into a hotbed for its forces in Syria.

The Kurdish leader continued that “the Kurdish forces are now trying to seize control of border crossing which is their sole gate to Turkey.” Once we take control of the border crossing, we could connect the Kurdish-inhabited triple cantons of Afrin, Kobani and the Island,” maintained Muslim. PYD’s chief has announced that the Kurdish regions which have recently declared a Kurdish federal region in Syria were seeking opening a representation office in France. “It could open in late April,” said Salih Muslim. PYD’s leader has said that announcing a Kurdish federal region did not mean Kurds’ secession from Syria. He added that federal system was suitable for Syria’s future. “We feel that there is a plan for split of Syria, and the federal system plan is the only way to keep Syria united,” PYD’s leader asserted.




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