Sharaa Says Neither Side Can Win Decisively, Urges 'Historic Settlement'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa said in an interview to be published on Monday that neither his government nor the rebels fighting to overthrow it are capable of a decisive victory.
"No opposition can end the battle militarily, just as the security forces and army cannot achieve a decisive conclusion," Sharaa told the Lebanese daily al-Akhbar.
"Every day that passes, we are moving further away from a military or political solution. We must position ourselves to defend Syria's existence -- we are not in a battle for an individual or a regime," he said.
"The various opposition forces -- whether armed or civilian, or linked to foreign powers -- cannot claim they are the sole legitimate representatives of the Syrian people," said Sharaa, the most prominent Sunni Muslim official in President Bashar Assad's Alawite minority dominated regime.
"The current governing power, with its army possessing its own ideology, as well as its political parties, with the Baath party at the forefront, cannot alone create changes without new partners," he said.
He called for confidence-building measures between the warring parties and said that "the solution must be Syrian, but through a historic settlement including key regional countries and (U.N.) Security Council member states."
"This accord must first bring about an end to all forms of violence and establish a national unity government with broad powers," he added.
Sharaa, 74, has served the regime for decades, both under Assad and under his father and predecessor Hafez Assad, but has been seen in public only a few times since the uprising erupted in March last year.
His comments to al-Akhbar were his first published statements since July last year.
In October, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu suggested that the vice president would be a suitable pick to lead a transition government, calling him "a man of reason" who could stop the civil war in the country.
16 December 2012, 21:04
28
Yes you are losing. No to political solution. Assad and his likes must go.
16 December 2012, 21:29
27
So now Assad brings Sharaa out as a last resort to save his neck and crumbling power structure. When he felt he can win, Sharaa or the "logic" he is espousing was nowhere to be seen or heard. If this means anything is that, their protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, the Russians are in serious discussions with the Americans on an exit strategy that has no place for Assad in it and this is worrying Assad.
What Assad I sailing to grasp is that those who committed to armed opposition will not negotiate anything with him at this point. Whilemtherenwas a window 10-12 months ago this could have happened its likelihood now is nil.
For the good of Syria one hopes that Assad does not end up like Ghaddafy did.
16 December 2012, 21:46
26
if the camera lens could capture a wider angle i guarantee you there is a gun being pointed at his head...lol
16 December 2012, 22:57
17
you notice they only want to talk when they think they are going to lose...
16 December 2012, 23:08
15
Uh oh....the Syrian regime is starting to shake and crumble. Time for desperate statements and desperate actions. Hezzbollah is part of a losing war.
16 December 2012, 23:15
16
"Sharaa Says Neither Side Can Win Decisively, Urges 'Historic Settlement'".
This means the Republican Guard, Hezz, Persian Quds, with airplanes and tanks cannot win against the rag tag group of rebels, defectors, with no planes, tanks, re-supply or heavy weapons.
The Persian axis is getting chopped to pieces and is weak.
16 December 2012, 23:30
41
Gabby11
you are so naive to say that rag tag army has no tanks, or heavy weapons
what do you think they are fughting with, stick or a machetti, no my friend so called Muslem Arab countries S. Arabia and Qatar, sending all those weapons off course by the blessing of USA.
16 December 2012, 23:40
15
@Abraham. Correction....the heavy weapons were taken from the Syrian army bases that fell. I have not seen any western weapons in any videos. If they were being armed from outside this would have been over long ago. The FSA needed anti-tank and anti-aircraft rockets from the beginning. If they had them the barrel bombs being dropped on civilians would not be happening.
Oh and tell your side stop making it sound like Hariri is driving the war. We all know the Hezz have been beating and killing from the beginning for which the punishment is yet to come.
17 December 2012, 07:21
02
absolutely, they didn't shoot down the Syrian aircrafts with FIM 92 Stinger but with russian made Igla 18/19 AA missiles.
Of course, Qatar and other Arab nations are arming them with modern machine guns, but they're only arming the islamists thanks to Russian and Chinese veto at the UN.
17 December 2012, 04:54
02
The historic settlement occurs when both parties sit down and you begin assassinating them one after the other. Does Lebanon ring a bell?
I must agree though that the ruling regime is ruthless and must go, so as Al-Quada, salafist, extremists. Syria needs a moderate ruler to compensate for the pain and suffering that existed all these yrs.
17 December 2012, 06:04
13
For Sharaa to be speaking this way, the end must be closer than we all think. I think the regime is reeling and needs just a good stiff blow to fall over.
But as the Washington Post reports today, there is the matter of Syrian biological and nerve weapons and what will become of them when the regime falls. It is another consequence of the US being late to come to ground in Syria that these weapons may already have been compromised to the risk of the whole world.
17 December 2012, 06:42
04
That's another reason for giving outside military assistance to the opposition.
17 December 2012, 10:17
02
If the regime in Syria was doing well and time was on their side, this dude would not have come out to say this. However, i beg to differ that it is a matter of days or weeks, but rather months. Damascus would fall by next Summer but the war will move to the coast. The story is far from over.
17 December 2012, 12:31
20
mr faruq al-shara is using diplomatic tone, so using the language of diplomacy is not the sign of the defeat,the situation in syria does not need any explanation, syria is under attack by foreigners and their tools, according to the public opinion in the syria and the out side world, to day any real human could understand what is going in syria is not the syrian willingness but is willingness of imperialists and their dogs in the region, many educated people here in somalia believe that syrian will survive because of its historic civilization, and the unity of its parts, allah will not make it happen , but if it happen syria to fall, the children of syria will not cry alone but the whole region, and some other countries will fall soon,and the children of those dogs and their masters will cry for ever
17 December 2012, 17:48
00
Syria's Baath party proved to be more ruthless then his comrade Hussein Iraq Baath party...baath is a party of thugs and killers....their end is near...
