Former President of the Syrian National Council, George Sabra, said that remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry, in which he announced Washington's willingness to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is new proof of the "floundering US policy and its hesitance. It is evidence of the absence of a clear and consistent US policy in the Middle East".
In an interview with an-Nashra, Sabra asked: "How do we explain America's statements some time ago that Assad cannot be part of the future of Syria, recognizing that ISIS and the Syrian regime are two sides of the same coin, and Kerry's recent statement that his country is ready for a dialogue with Assad?"
Sabra believes Kerry's position "ignores US policy in the region, as well as the American values of human rights and democracy".
"How can Washington accept to negotiate with a criminal like Assad who has more than one case before the International Court of Justice for the massacres he committed against the Syrian people?” he asked.
Sabra said, ”It is unfortunate that the world sees America on the verge of selling the region to Iran, though we hope that this is not true and that what Kerry has said is just a slip of the tongue – or a disagreement in views between the Congress and the White House".
The arrogance of Assad and Iran, and the grudges of ISIS
Sabra said that if Kerry meant what he said, it suggests "Washington is giving up its historic allies in the region and its international responsibilities in the Middle East", warning that this would feed "the arrogance of Assad and Iran, and the grudges of ISIS and its sectarian approach".
Sabra pointed out that all current information indicates that there is no political solution to the Syrian crisis on the horizon, and "perhaps Kerry's statement is the biggest proof of that, but the revolution is ongoing, even if Kerry and the whole world went to negotiate with Assad. The Syrian people announced their position four years ago, where they showed their determination to topple the regime and build a civil and democratic state. We will continue on this path, on the battlefronts and barricades, until we achieve these goals".
Sabra compared US policy with the French, Turkish and British policies towards the Syrian revolution: "They support the revolution, and they do not change their mind every day. The most unfortunate thing is that the policy of the United States affects the entire international policy".
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
