Syria Opposition's Khatib Proposes Assad 'Safe Exit'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Syria's outgoing opposition chief published an initiative for his war-torn country on Thursday that would grant President Bashar Assad a safe exit, and urged dissident factions to adopt his plan.
Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib published his initiative on Facebook, as the main National Coalition he headed until March gathered in Istanbul to choose a new leader and discuss a U.S.-Russian peace initiative dubbed Geneva 2.
Under Khatib's initiative, Assad would have 20 days from Thursday to give "his acceptance of a peaceful transition of authority".
After accepting, Assad would have one month to hand over power to either Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi or Vice President Faruq al-Sharaa, who would then govern Syria for a transitional period of 100 days.
As part of the transition Khatib envisages, Assad would "leave the country along with five hundred people whom he will select, along with their families and children, to any other country that may choose to host them".
This is the first time one of Syria's opposition chiefs has made an offer of political immunity to Assad and key members of his regime.
Khatib's proposal is an effort to pull Syria "out from the catastrophe that has struck our nation", said the former Omayyad mosque imam and controversial opposition figure on Facebook.
It is also "a practical response to the need of a political settlement ensuring a peaceful transition of authority", Khatib added.
"This initiative is a product of Syria and its goal is Syria," he said.
While calling on dissident groups to adopt the initiative "as a way out from the catastrophe that has struck our nation", Khatib also said the international community should "oversee it and ensure that it is implemented".
This would be accompanied by the release of all political prisoners in Syria, Khatib wrote.
The initiative gives Assad a month to "completely hand over authority", and stipulates that while parliament should be dissolved, all of its powers should be handed to Assad's replacement.
Over the same 100-day period, an interim government would "restructure the security and military" apparatus in Syria, said Khatib.
He also suggested that the U.N. should appoint an international mediator to oversee the transition.
At the end of the 100 days, the responsibilities of the current government would pass to the transitional government, formed with international guarantees, which would "be responsible for the preparation and the re-building of the new Syria," Khatib said.
Khaled Saleh, spokesman for the opposition coalition, said it was a "personal initiative" that would be "submitted at the coalition meeting and maybe discussed".
23 May 2013, 17:02
1112
if assad does not accept this offer, he will end up like Ghadafi or saddam.
last chance for this murderer.
23 May 2013, 20:34
54
Absolumente Geha. He can pick, either bin Ali or Gaddhafi..... In other words, dead or alive.
23 May 2013, 20:34
64
Mowaten - How many Syrian will you want dead before this monster accept to leave? All for what? At least the political opposition is proposing a rational roadmap for the transition to a democratic and pluralistic Syria. What are you offering?
23 May 2013, 20:35
45
US Willing to Keep Assad to Avoid Regional War
"Though the “official” US position on Syria seems to change wildly by the hour and is based primarily on who is talking and who is standing near them at the time, new reports suggest the Obama Administration is ready to ditch their demands for regime change."
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/05/22/us-willing-to-keep-assad-to-avoid-regional-war/
23 May 2013, 22:23
26
Nothing to confuse ...
It is obvious that the conditions on Assad are going away rapidly so that the US-NATO-GCC cabal can exit this Pandora's Box pronto without too much egg on the face.
23 May 2013, 23:57
24
wake up and look around, things are not going well for you so called FSA.
24 May 2013, 01:08
42
FT - You really make no sense in your response to my posting. As I have stated in previous posting, the Nusra are as dangerous and if not more than the current regime. The Nusra is not the Syrian revolution and is the direct results of MANY massacres committed by this monstrous regime you support.
24 May 2013, 03:26
11
NostraGeha, what do you prefer? That Assad leave or end up like the two you mention? Even better, since you and the other Nostras have correctly??? predicted Assad's fall a little over 7,419 times already and you Nostras are still at it, what do you say WILL happen to Assad? Let me tell you one thing NostraGeha, if you fail another 7,419 times I will get very angry!
23 May 2013, 18:19
98
Maybe Assad will give him a "safe exit"!
Geha, for 3 years you have been saying Assad has a few weeks left!... Yet Salafist, extremist terrorist from all around the world will not force him out! I never thought I would ever be defending the Assad family and the Syrian Ba'ath party, but I also never thought that I would have to choose between them and evil demons that have hijacked the Syrian revoloution. This is not about a Syrian civil revouloution but it's about civilization as we know it against demonic salafists. (look at London attacks for example)
Good luck Syria against these animals!
23 May 2013, 20:35
56
Please naharnet webmaster. Ban this IP address tambien. He's spreading hatred and encourages criminal behavior. Gracias.
23 May 2013, 20:49
35
I'm not here to educate you, it isn't my job, nor anybody's on naharnet. Don't blame us, but blame your folks for the values they taught you. You're immoral and this cannot be Cautioned by a naharnet webmaster.
23 May 2013, 20:38
57
Keep supporting these monsters Josh. In Hama, thousands of women and children were massacred. I guess in your sectarian bigoted world, they do not count because they are Sunnis. When Khatib propose a pluralistic democratic civil state, you want to hang him. But when the Assads slaughter in the tens of thousands, you cheer them on. You are worse than the Takfiris you purport to oppose.
23 May 2013, 20:51
54
Don't waste your energy on him. Soon you'll miss him anyway. Yet he'll return under a new alias.... Because he's a masochist.
24 May 2013, 01:12
45
FT - That idiot who ate the heart of the dead soldier and Assad should be put on trial. One is a criminal and the other is a mass criminal. I support none. You support the mass criminal.
23 May 2013, 21:17
67
rot in hell josh...you are not a christian or even a decent human being
23 May 2013, 21:58
63
Josh the schizo who one day say he isent actually against sunnis and the next day he posts such stupidity. May you get all the evil you accuse muslims of ya wosikh. People like you contribute nothing to humanity, all you do is spread extremism and hatred. May you recieve eternal punishment while the image of the chief terrorist bashar el assad taunt you. Your a disgrace to christianity and a living proof that terrorists, extremists and evil people exist within all religions. Had a muslim written this about christianity then the comments wouöd have been filled with insults against islam and muslims.
24 May 2013, 04:31
11
Right when Hizb Allah joins the fight and takes part of a tiny town of 20 thousand people all the Assad supporters start talking very big. This revolution was supposed to be over 2 years ago according to Aoun. Good luck trying to take back Aleppo when a small village like Qusayr takes the whole Hizb Allah and Syrian military to deal with...
24 May 2013, 06:35
12
This puppet of NATO and israHELL has no right to even speak Assad's name
Who the hell does he think he is? Responsible for 70,000 deaths of innocent people in Syria. He is the very scum of zionism agenda to take Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan land to push Palestainisns off whatever land they have left.
And YOU , fellow homeland people allow this. Shame on you Much Shame on you!
Long Live Palesine with NO zionist entity
Long Live the Republic of Syria
It saddens me to see the once proud people of the Middle East succumb to the zionists.
24 May 2013, 08:47
12
Mr Khatib you propose a safe exit to someone when u have the upper hand,
Qusayr is going down, and Assad is marking a progress, in this case your run for your life.
24 May 2013, 10:03
02
With this long-awaited offer by the biggie nobody to Assad, Assad will definitely take it before it expires! Where do these people come from, really?
