The United States Special Envoy for Syria, James Jeffrey, reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to UN Resolution 2254 as the basis for solution to the crisis, noting that the majority of the international community is against Bashar al-Assad’s survival in power because of his actions.
Jeffrey said the Arab world, Europe, the United States and international organizations believe that the most important now is to implement UN resolution 2254. He cast doubt about Assad’s ability to recover half of Syria while half of its people are opposed to him.
Echoing the US envoy’s remarks, the French Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that “it is not realistic to imagine Bashar al-Assad staying in power in a reconciled Syria.”
“The only way to restore peace in Syria and stability in the region and to permanently eradicate terrorism is to obtain a credible, sustainable political solution consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2254,” said Jean-Yves Le Drian, Spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry.
Le Drian stressed that “the establishment of the constitutional committee must make it possible to revive a credible and inclusive political process leading to the holding of free, impartial elections under UN supervision.”
In a speech at the Convention Center in the city of Konya on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, said that Bashar al-Assad is seeking to maintain his grip on power with the help some of his backers despite his responsibility for the killing of one million Muslims in the country.
In December 2017, the Turkish president described the Bashar al-Assad as “terrorist” and said that it is impossible to pursue the peace efforts in Syria while Assad is still there.
The renewed international rejection of Assad’s survival in power coincided with recent talk about reengagement with his regime, especially by some Arab countries. Such attempts began with the surprise visit by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to Damascus on Sunday. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
