You have commented 338 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syria FM Rejects Idea of Assad Ouster
2013-01-21
[An Nahar] Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has rejected the idea that Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Trampler of Homs...
will be ousted, telling state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
that those who demand his removal want only bloodshed in the country.

Muallem said late on Saturday that the United States and Russia were unable to agree on Syria "because they do not agree on what is meant by 'period of transition'."

"The U.S. continues to have the president's departure as a condition of regime change, ignoring the fact that the captain of a capsized ship does not jump into the first boat," Muallem said.

"As long as the Americans and plotters, including Syrians, cling to this condition, it means that they want continued violence and the destruction of Syria."

Muallem said only the Syrian people can decide "through their choice at the ballot box" on Assad's fate, insisting that "nobody can afford to undermine the presidency -- it is unacceptable."

The opposition in Syria has insisted on Assad's departure as a prerequisite for any negotiations to settle the 22-month conflict that has left more than 60,000 people dead, according to United Nations
...boodling on the grand scale...
figures.

Muallem also lashed out at U.N.-Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi for "adopting a position that represents the United States and the Gulf... conspiring against Syria."

His position "is beyond the scope of his mandate and has betrayed his mission as a mediator because a mediator does not put one party against the other."

Brahimi has been heavily criticized by Damascus
...The place where Pencilneck hangs his brass hat...
after calling a peace plan outlined by Assad earlier this month "one-sided."
Posted by:Fred

00:00