Saudi
Arabia says there is 'no future' for Assad in Syria
Foreign
minister Adel Al-Jubeir says there are no circumstances where Bashar
al-Assad can remain in power – whether that exit is through
politics or by force
Julian Borger in New
York
Wednesday 30
September 2015 00.13 BST
Saudi Arabia has
called on Bashar al-Assad to give up power or be removed by force,
raising the global stakes at a time when the Russians are shipping
troops and military hardware to Syria in an effort to prop up its
beleaguered leader.
The threat was made
on Tuesday by Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Adel Al-Jubeir.
“There is no
future for Assad in Syria,” Jubeir told journalists at the UN
general assembly. “There are two options for a settlement in Syria.
One option is a political process where there would be a transitional
council. The other option is a military option, which also would end
with the removal of Bashar al-Assad from power.”
“This could be a
more lengthy process and a more destructive process but the choice is
entirely that of Bashar al-Assad.” The foreign minister did not
specify how Assad would be forcibly removed, but pointed out that
Saudi Arabia is already backing “moderate rebels” in the civil
war.
The Saudi
intervention fuelled an already heated row at the UN over Syria’s
future, where the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, issued a
forthright defence of the Syrian regime, describing it as fighting a
lonely and “valiant” battle against Islamic State extremists.
Putin has redoubled
his support for Assad by a significant and growing military
deployment in Syria. US officials said on Tuesday that four advanced
aircraft, Sukhoi Su-34 “Fullback” fighters had arrived at Latakia
air base in western Syria, bringing the total number of Russian
planes stationed there to over 30.
The planes are
ostensibly there to attack Isis, but have yet to fly any combat
missions, western officials say. Laurent Fabius, France’s foreign
minister, derided Russian claims to be leading the anti-terrorist
campaign in Syria, as “media strikes rather than real strikes”.
“The fight against
Daesh [the Arabic acronym for Isis] is an absolute necessity but it
must not be just a fight only through the media. It must be a real
one,” he said. “And when I’m looking at who is really committed
in the fight of Daesh … as far as Bashar al-Assad is concerned,
it’s still recent and it’s still modest. So as far as our Russian
partners are concerned, up to now they didn’t yet [do anything]
against Daesh.”
By contrast, Fabius
said: “We the French this week struck against a Daesh camp. We have
to judge realities and not mass media.”
Obama tells Pentagon
to open channel of communication with Russia on Syria
Read more
The US has also
carried out airstrikes against Isis inside Syria, and following an
Obama-Putin summit on Monday – which US officials said brought
greater clarity on Russian intentions – the US defence secretary,
Ash Carter, issued instructions on Tuesday for communications
channels to be opened with the Russian military to avoid the chance
of collision on exchange of fire in Syrian airspace.
The US meanwhile
sought other means to contain Isis. As Barack Obama opened the
anti-Isis summit on Tuesday, the US government announced sanctions
against 25 people and five groups connected to Isis in moves it said
were aimed at hitting the activities of financial, logistical and
recruiting operatives.
Opening the summit,
Obama said: “This is not going to be turned around overnight …
There are going to be successes and there are going to be setbacks.
This is not a conventional battle. This is a long-term campaign –
not only against this particular network, but against its ideology.
“But, ultimately,
I am optimistic. In Iraq and in Syria, Isil [another acronym for the
Islamic State] is surrounded by communities, countries and a broad
international coalition committed to its destruction,” he said.
“Like terrorists and tyrants throughout history, Isil will
eventually lose because it has nothing to offer but suffering and
death.”
Putin says he can
work with Obama despite trading barbs on Syria and Isis
Read more
Reiterating his
position that Assad cannot stay, Obama said: “In Syria, defeating
Isil requires a new leader and an inclusive government that unites
the Syrian people in the fight against terrorist groups. This is
going to be a complex process. And as I’ve said before, we are
prepared to work with all countries, including Russia and Iran, to
find a political mechanism in which it is possible to begin a
transition process.”
Fabius also argued
it made no moral or practical sense for Assad to remain if the goal
was to rebuild a new, free and united Syria.
“How can you
imagine that the Syrian refugees – 80% of whom fled Syria because
they were under threat from Assad – how can you imagine that they
go back to Syria if we tell them that the future of Syria is Bashar
al-Assad?” Fabius asked. He said a political transition mechanism
had to be negotiated, but was not specific about timing.
Meanwhile, he said
that France had revived the idea of the creation and enforcement of
“safe zones” inside Syria where civilians would be protected both
from the regime and Isis.
“It could be an
idea to have within Syria one or two or three … safe zones,
security zones, in order that these zones will be able to welcome
Syrian people without forcing them to go out of the country. We are
working on that,” Fabius said, again without offering details on
how such zones could be achieved.
Russia continues to
promote a separate negotiating effort, seeking to recruit countries
to its view of Syria and the need for Assad to remain. The foreign
minister, Sergei Lavrov, is chairing a ministerial meeting to that
end on Wednesday. French officials said that Fabius would attend.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário