Khaled Khoja, president of the Syrian Coalition, said that Russia, Assad’s staunchest ally, is still insisting on keeping him in power through its so-called initiatives aimed at reaching a settlement for the conflict during an interview with the Turkish newspaper, Star. “In its current form, Russia’s so-called initiative will surely not be accepted by the Syrian people,” Khoja stresses. He attributes ISIS’s surge in the region to the “reluctance of the friends of the Syrian people to stop Assad’s killing machine, especially the failure to supply the FSA with advanced weapons needed to counter regime forces.” Khoja points out that “Assad is no longer strong enough to regain control all over Syria. He depends solely on his air force to bomb rebel-held areas, while on the ground he depends on the Afghan and Pakistani mercenaries, among others.” In his first press conference after assuming the presidency, Khoja said that “we are holding discussions with all Syrian opposition blocs. We will sit at the negotiating table with the Assad regime only if these negotiations lead to full transition of power.” (Source: Syrian Coalition)
