Arabi Meets Assad: It’s Up to People to Decide on Legitimacy of a Leader

by Naharnet Newsdesk 13 July 2011, 19:06

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi said Wednesday that Washington overstepped its bounds by saying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had lost the legitimacy to lead his country.

Following talks with the Syrian president in Damascus, Arabi said Assad assured him that "Syria has entered a new era and is now moving on the road of a genuine reform."

Syria came under withering international criticism Tuesday as the White House said Assad has "lost legitimacy" and the U.N. Security Council condemned attacks on the U.S. and French embassies in Damascus.

It was a sharp escalation in pressure on Assad and a sign that the Obama administration could be moving closer to calling for regime change in Syria over the violent crackdown on a four-month-old uprising. Previously, the U.S. position on Assad was that he should lead a transition to democracy or leave.

Arabi told reporters the League "rejects any interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries and nobody can withdraw the legitimacy of a leader because it is up to the people to decide."

Since the uprising began in mid-March, the Arab League has been mostly silent about the situation in Syria. Last month, Arabi's deputy, Ahmed bin Heli, said Syria was a "main factor of balance and stability in the region." Arabi repeated that position Wednesday.

Source: Agence France Presse

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