Syrian Coalition: Safi Regrets Obama’s Remarks on Syria

Louay Safi, spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, regrets the remarks made by the US President Barack Obama to CBS television in which he dismissed the idea that supplying US arms to moderate Syrian rebels would have toppled President Assad, calling it a “fantasy”. Safi said that Obama’s remarks are meant to cover up the inability of his administration to prevent the deterioration of the political and humanitarian situation in the Levant, and also to evade the growing criticism to his policies regarding the Syrian crisis. All the world has watched the Assad regime reeling in late 2013, had it not been for Obama’s backing off on conducting strikes against Assad positions following his use of chemical weapons in Al Ghouta, in addition to the Obama administration’s turning a blind eye to Iran’s blatant intervention on the side of Assad.” Furthermore, Safi points out that the Obama administration have not yet carried out its legal and ethical duty to protect the people who rose up for freedom, democracy and dignity, nor has it prevented the Assad regime from using air force, long-range missiles and heavy weapons against civilians. The Syrian people feel they were let down by the country that has made the defense of democracy and human rights the mantra of its foreign policy over the past half century. We do not deny the existence of some gaps in the structure of the revolutionary institutions due to the reluctance of the friendly countries to support these institutions. Had the Obama administration heeded the advice of the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and his special envoy to Syria we would not have had the current situation in Syria or in the region as a whole.” Safi concluded his remarks calling on the Syrian people and all spectra of the political opposition to rely on their own strengths rather than on the fluctuant policies of the external powers, and to realize that victory can be achieved only when we close our ranks and unite our efforts to turn this “fantasy” into a reality. (Source: Syrian Coalition)