Syria

Syria needs Bashar al-Assad government for peaceful solution

The May 7 parliamentary elections in Syria are scheduled to be held at a time when UN observers are monitoring a ceasefire that took effect on April 12.

The ceasefire in Syria was part of a six-point peace plan proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan in March.

The UN Security Council has sent a mission of 300 observers to Syria for an initial 90-day period, according to the text of the resolution.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Bassam Abu Abdullah, professor at the Damascus University, to further discuss the issue. The following is a transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What kind of message will the success of these elections send to those bent on militarizing the Syrian situation?

Abu Abdullah: I think the message which Damascus wanted and the Syrian people — not only the Damascus government but the Syrian people — that the Syrian government is seriously concerning the political reforms which President Bashar al-Assad has declared since a month ago.

Secondly, this is the first time that we have this kind of parliamentary election with a judicial supervision and a multi-party system. Either some opposition parties are against holding this election, now days, they declare their [few points] from Damascus.

It shows that there is a new atmosphere in the political life in Syria. I think the whole international community should support that. They should show that there is a real will from the international community to support the Syrian peoples’ will to have Syrian reforms not American and not European reforms, but reforms which we want to make in our hands and to show all the world that in spite of the violence, in spite of the terrorism, we can do a lot for our country and for our people.

Press TV: Moving forward, how significant are steps such as today’s elections in the long-term outlook for a prosperous and peaceful Syria?

Abu Abdullah: Now…is to support Kofi Annan’s plan. I think the Syrian government is working with General Mood and the observers. They are moving everywhere. I think that the United Nations said that the level of violence is decreasing now in Syria because of the presence of the observers.

Anyway, I think maybe this parliament or this election can be as a transition period for one or two years. It doesn’t mean that there will be any change in Syria — maybe after one year or two years.

The main message which we want to show is that nobody can stop the political life in Syria or can stop the reforms who want to participate, in the first place.

Secondly, I think that everyone should understand that the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad is part of the solution not a part of the problem as some Western countries wanted to show.

An example is that President Sarkozy, he fell down now in his election, but many times he said that President Bashar al-Assad should step down.

Now we can see who stepped down from power because the French people didn’t give him their votes. It means his policy was wrong and the international community should understand that Syria is a sensitive country.

Either the United States or the other states should understand that to have a multi-party system, a democratic system, in Syria is beneficial to the international community.

Opposite of that, they should concentrate on Saudi Arabia, Qatar, on these countries who have no constitution, no elections, who have no [understanding] of any kind of elections. I think this is what the Western double-standards should concentrate on, these countries not on Syria.

I think that Syria passed a very difficult time but we are going forward. I think that the peaceful solution in the crisis of Syria will pay very soon because the Syrian people, historically, are against any kind of violence.

This violence is exported to them through other states like the Wahabbi regime in Saudi Arabia or in Qatar or from the government of Turkey.

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