Former French President Francois Hollande has expressed regret over the failure to implement a military operation in Syria, which had been jointly approved by former US President Barack Obama and former British Prime Minister David Cameron. This came after the Assad regime crossed the “red line” related to the use of chemical weapons.
In an exclusive interview with Syria TV, Hollande stated that the lack of reaction to the use of chemical weapons in attacks on eastern and western Ghouta in August 2013 is indicative of the weakness of the West. He further noted that if the strikes had been carried out, they would have greatly weakened the Assad regime.
Hollande also highlighted that France cannot act alone without a mandate from the United Nations and the approval of its American, British, and European allies, and emphasized that Paris had been clear in its stance that Bashar al-Assad must go.
The former French President also noted that the consequences of Vladimir Putin’s potential loss in the war in Ukraine would also apply to the situation in Syria. He distinguished between the absence of a Western reaction to the atrocious crimes of the Assad regime and the events that occurred in Ukraine afterwards.
Hollande posited that if totalitarian regimes such as Russia and Iran retreat and lose some of their positions of strength, the Assad regime would be in a weak position. He also emphasized that if the Iranian regime is destabilized, it would be weakened in Syria.
Hollande warned European countries that if the Syrian problem is not solved, it will come to them. He also mentioned that the extreme right in Europe has always been opposed to intervention in Syria to confront the Assad regime and dictatorships in general. He added that the rise of the extreme right causes fear, and pushes people to close in on themselves and fear the influx of refugees. He further stressed that it should not be forgotten that ISIS and the Assad regime are, in one way or another, linked to each other.
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) has repeatedly called for holding the Assad regime accountable for the crimes it is committing against the Syrian people, particularly the use of chemical weapons. The SOC has also demanded the expulsion of the Assad regime from all international organizations, as it is not a legitimate representative of the Syrian people. Additionally, the SOC has called for effective action to release all detainees in the prisons of the Assad regime.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
