Presidential Office
Istanbul, Turkey
March 15, 2014
O Syrian people,
Sons and daughters of Syria, where people are being killed, tortured, but continue to struggle for dignity and freedom.
Three years ago, a handful of Syrians took to the streets to express the demands of the majority of Syrians for dignity and freedom. They stood against the corrupt regime of tyranny. People of Dara’a were among the first to demonstrate on the 18th of March, after children from Dara’a were detained and tortured. When their families asked for the release of their children, they were insulted and humiliated. Thus, the Syrian revolution began.
We stand here today to pay tribute to our children and families who have lost their lives by Assad’s forces and his shabiha. We also salute the people who were forced to leave their homes and everything behind by Assad, whether inside or outside Syria – IDPs and refugees who had to face the most terrible tragedy in Syria’s history.
O great Syrian people, glorious people, what is happening in Syria is not a civil war as some would like to portray. Rather, it is a barbaric invasion under the pretext of “the resistance” or the “protection of minorities.” However, the whole world is now aware of Assad’s lies.
We pledged before God and our people to continue the struggle even if we are left alone. And today as you all have seen; we went to Geneva II to expose the absurdity and deception of the regime, and that we have done.
On the ground, we have not weakened, our fighters are not only fighting Assad’s forces and the terrorist gangs of his allies, but also extremists. Our fighters are expelling terrorist mercenaries such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). Those groups infiltrated the ranks of rebels and stabbed them in the back to serve the interests of the Assad regime, as well as to degrade the morale of our brave fighters. But the Free Syrian Army and our young men and women continue to engage in civil peaceful movement and stand firmly against extremists just as they stood against Assad.
Today, we are fighting a fierce battle against an enemy who does not uphold any form of ethics or morals; an enemy backed by the gangs of Hassan Nasrullah, who is cheaply exploiting the youth of his party, and mercenaries coming from Iraq – not to mention the head of the snake in Tehran.
People of Qalamoun,
They [Assad’s forces backed by Hezbollah militias] said victory is decided in Yabroud, in the Qalamoun district. Your answer was, “in Yabroud and Ghouta, you will be buried.” And indeed, bodies of pro-Assad mercenaries are filling the graves. People of Qalamoun, your sacrifices are large and heroic.
The Syrian Coalition renews its pledge to exert all efforts to provide unconditional and immediate support to our fighters. We call once again on friends of the Syrian people to honor their promises to provide advanced weapons. We remind them that as more time passes the closer the region gets to instability, which will damage international peace and security.
O Syrian people,
There is no doubt, as military and political battles are fought against the Assad regime and extremism grows, we will continue to provide the Syrian people with all kinds of economic and social support. This has been the main focus of the Syrian interim government which was formed to address the problems of the Syrian people inside Syria and outside in refugee camps and wherever the Syrians were.
The Syrian Coalition will spare no effort to reassure those who are worried about their future in Syria that the Syrian revolution is in the interests of all Syrians, but not limited to one group.
The Coalition will also spare no effort to assist groups who fell victims to Assad’s propaganda, and help them disassociate from the regime and join the people in their fight against it.
O dear Syrians, we realize the scale of the suffering every family with one of its members killed, wounded, or displaced has to face. We realize the scale of the suffering of women, children, and the elderly. We know that all the revolutionary institutions, on top of them the Coalition, have not been able yet to achieve your aspirations. But we renew the pledge to continue to provide all the support we can garner to the revolution. We all realize that he who makes no mistakes makes nothing.
O Syrian people, our revolution is bound to succeed, and the Assad regime by using chemical weapons to terrorize and kill its own people will fall. We have passed the difficult part. We need to be patient and realize victory is near.
We salute our fallen heroes; and we ask for freedom for our detainees and dignity for the Syrian people.
