Assad Refuses to Reform Under 'Chaos', Says 'National Dialogue' Underway
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Bashar Assad said on Monday that dialogue could lead to a new constitution and even the end of his Baath party's monopoly on power but refused to reform Syria under "chaos."
After widespread condemnation of a brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests, the country was at a "turning point," he said in a televised speech at Damascus University, vowing Syria would emerge stronger from the "plotting" against it.
He said dialogue was underway that could lead to a new constitution and raised the possibility of elections and an end to the ruling Baath party's dominance, a key opposition demand, while warning the economy was on the verge of collapse.
"We can say that national dialogue is the slogan of the next stage," Assad said. "The national dialogue could lead to amendments of the constitution or to a new constitution."
He insisted that a reform process in Syria was "a total commitment in the interest of the nation."
Offering his condolences to the families of "martyrs" from the unrest rocking the country since mid-March, Assad said there could be "no development without stability, no reform in the face of sabotage and chaos."
"We make a distinction between those (with legitimate grievances) and the saboteurs who represent a small group which has tried to exploit the goodwill of the Syrian people for its own ends," said Assad.
He warned that Syria's economy will take a beating unless the unrest ends.
"The most dangerous thing we face in the coming period is the weakness or the collapse of the Syrian economy," Assad said, standing in front of six red, white and green Syrian flags.
Assad announced the formation of a committee to study constitutional amendments, including one that would open the way for the formation of political parties other than the ruling Baath Party. He said he expected an entire package of reforms by September or the end of the year at the latest.
Assad urged the refugees to return home, saying there will be no retaliation against them.
The Syrian leader's third speech to the nation since the protests broke out, punctuated by applause from the invited audience, was buoyed by a Russian pledge to block Western moves against him at the United Nations.
In an initial reaction, an opposition figure said the speech failed to specify concrete steps such the army's withdrawal from population centers.
"There were a lot of ideas in the speech. But the withdrawal of the army and security forces was not raised, which is not very reassuring and puts the emphasis on a military solution," said Hassan Abdel-Azim, a lawyer.
The European Union, meanwhile, was preparing to expand sanctions against Assad's regime, according to a draft resolution to be adopted by foreign ministers on Monday.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the international community was looking for Assad to "respond to legitimate grievances" of his people, insisting "Assad should reform or step aside."
The Syrian leader has made two previous interventions during the unrest.
On March 30 -- two weeks after the protests against his 11-year reign started -- he addressed parliament and called the demonstrations a "conspiracy" fomented by Syria's enemies.
On April 16, he announced in a televised address that the emergency law in force for nearly 50 years would be abolished, expressed his sadness at the deaths of protesters and called for a national dialogue.
The opposition dismissed that offer as too little too late.
To step up the pressure on Assad to deliver real change, Western governments have been circulating a draft resolution at the Security Council that would condemn his crackdown on dissent.
But President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Russia was ready to use its veto to block any such move.
Speaking in an interview with the Financial Times, Medvedev said he feared the text would be used as cover for Libya-style military action.
"What I am not ready to support is a resolution (similar to the one) on Libya because it is my deep conviction that a good resolution has been turned into a piece of paper that is being used to provide cover for a meaningless military operation," he said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron had said that if any Security Council permanent member threatened to veto the Western draft then "that should be on their conscience."
But Medvedev insisted he did not want to have on his conscience that he had failed to halt a potential drift to military intervention.
Syrian opposition activists, who announced the creation of a "National Council" on Sunday to spearhead their battle to oust Assad's regime, expressed frustration at the failure of the international community to act more vigorously.
"In Libya, after the death of 200 people, Gadhafi no longer had legitimacy," their spokesman Jamil Saib said.
"Here in Syria, while all human rights groups say that there are 1,500 killed and thousands of injured or people arrested, the international community and the Arab world are silent."
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the violence has so far claimed the lives of 1,310 civilians and 341 security force members.
20 June 2011, 14:17
06
assad is not getting it: it's a revolution for freedom not a revolution for hungry people ,the "syrian economy" is for a few family members ....
20 June 2011, 15:18
14
There is no comfort in Assad's words that certain things "might be " discussed adn that the constitutional provision allowing only the Baath Party "could be" amended. Nor is there any comfort in his words of "total commitment to dialogue".
Look at the "peace process" where many things might be discussed, but where nothing is ever decided nor acted upon. The Assad's have played this game for 40 years hoping to sucker in each new group of potential opponents.
And as to Assad's "commitment" it is only to survival, by whatever means necessary. Killing his fellow countrymen, lying to them, offering false promises to releave pressure from himself. It is a mendacious regime, it engages in prevarication and lies without batting an eye.
The works of this guy are completely meaningless when every Friday, his goons engage in indiscriminate killing of Syrians who simply want a say in their country and in their own futures as Syrians.
20 June 2011, 15:53
04
Let's hope the Syrian National Dialogue will not be similar to our National Dialogue.
20 June 2011, 15:55
41
It's only logical. First, the fundamentalist and terrorist Sunnis, Salafis and Wahhabis must be pursued to the end of the earth, if necessary, and terminated. Then, dialog with those who really seek reform not terror begins.
20 June 2011, 15:55
02
to be objective, his biggest mistake is to think mentioning the economy has any effect on what is going on.
He fails to see that the reason behind the demonstrations are millions of people who feel cheated by a current economic boom of syria.
He did look very stressed though.
20 June 2011, 16:02
03
ألله يوفقكم ، حدا يقل لي ها"لأسد" وين عايش ؟ ما عم بيشوف اللي عم بيصير ؟
ممكن بس عم بيشوف الاذاعة السورية لأنو عم يحكي بوادي الظاهر إنو لحالو فيه.
قررررررررررررررررررربت
20 June 2011, 17:20
02
Feb 2005 after anti-assad demos- Bachar Assad: "the Syrian Army will not leave but will stay in Lebanon because that's our Lebanese brethren's wish the agitators will not win..."
March 2005 more anti-assad demos but before m8 and m14 - Bachar Assad: "the Syrian Army is studding the possibility of redeployment to the Bekaa as per Taef..."
April 2005 after still more anti-assad demos and the lebanese people gave the finger to hassan - Bachar Assad: "the Syrian Army is leaving now STOP KICKING MY ASSAD"
20 June 2011, 17:33
01
Like every other dictator facing a revolution he's calling for reforms after the protests are over. If the protests are stopped the government will consolidate power, arrest more people and launch a more focused crackdown.
The line where he said no negotiations with those who are armed and killing others was particularly funny as those are all his own people. He gave the opposition their own argument against negotiating.
20 June 2011, 17:51
14
Then prepare yourself to go down like the many tyrants before you... No one will shed a tear for you and your gang of murderers, thieves and outlaws... We will all rejoice and cheer when they drag your filthy corpses through the streets...
20 June 2011, 18:00
12
i remember the time when aoun used to say that as long as the assad are in power no peace will ever be possible....
and to fabrice: where did you see salafis leading the revolts in syria other than in the mouth of that regime and in al manar tv?
look carefully at the demonstrators in syria...
why doesn t the official syrian tv show them demonstrating ?
20 June 2011, 18:07
01
More BS from the Criminal Assad Family regime's apparent gang leader. All dictators are on borrowed time, THE IRANIAN CRIMINAL REGIME remains the source of all the threats to the ME and world Peace alike.The criminal Syrian and Iranian regimes should never survive these revolutions.
20 June 2011, 18:54
02
Marc...dictators are not blind, but on the contrary they know very well what awaits them. The sea behind them and the enemy in front of them. Either way they are done for. assad is grasping at straws but if at any time the revolutionaries stop to negotiate, they will be rounded up and disposed off without thinking twice. Hi father before him bombed his own people to the ground while sipping coffee. He is living on borrowed time.
20 June 2011, 19:25
02
What and idiot he is. The people want him to leave and he is worried about what? the economy? he totaly igonored the calling for him to step down. he wants to stay by force . I got sick reading this. he looks so frail and ugly. He just shot himself with that stupid speech. More lies and lies. His army killed more than 10,000.00so farMass graves are all over syria and who knows how many people they have in custody being tortured...I hope this is the last time we see him alive.
20 June 2011, 19:34
00
salafis and wahabies are in najd and hijaz called now "saudi arabia,farsis are in teheran,lebanese in bilad el arz and AHRAR SOURYA IN SYRIA, u can run but not hide,freedom will be taken by the will of the opressed.
20 June 2011, 20:11
13
As the sun is certain to rise so the tyrants in Syria and Iran are certain to fall, and the Silent Majority's firm promise to all is that every Lebanese useful idiot or accomplice will be brought to justice for selling Lebanon to tyrants.
20 June 2011, 20:17
14
Assad's promise of reform is like his promise of border demarcation... only fools believe him... but his lies can't fly anymore... not even those on his payroll have any trust left in this Tyrant whose day has come, even if it may take few months as what's happening in Libya, but the end is certain and has already been engraved in rock because no people can be oppressed and abused for so long. Bon debarras to Assad and his Useful Idiots filling our government!
20 June 2011, 21:04
03
After all is said and done, there will be only one outcome: Assad's regime will go down. it is a matter of time and a matter of fact. Let us all watch and enjoy the domino effect.
21 June 2011, 00:13
02
Look at this version of Bashar's face.
He looks, afraid, pale, wrinkled, with no expression, an empty look with narrow eyes as if he is just coming out of a coffin.
Where is that sarcastic laugh ridiculing his people, making lame jokes. Well it is his own people that he is fearing now.
I am proud of the Syrian people that is facing bullets & canons with its bare chest.
This murderer is the one to be given a one way ticket, dead or alive.
He is a walking DEAD MAN.
