Assad’s proposal an attempt to cling to power: US

Lashing out at the Bashar al-Assad regime, the US has said the recent proposal by the Syrian President is nothing but a desperate attempt to cling to power despite popular protests against him in the country.

“The speech by Bashar al-Assad was evidence of how delusional he is. The proposal he made was nothing more than a desperate attempt to cling to power, and it will only allow the regime to continue its oppression and killing of Syrian people,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

Noting that the momentum was “with the opposition forces and the Syrian people”, Carney said Assad “could not restore” his control over the country despite continuous efforts, as his regime “continued to lose control” over Syrian territory.

“The future in Syria does not and will not include Bashar al-Assad. He has lost all legitimacy, as we have said, and he must step aside to enable a political solution that ends the bloodshed and suffering, and meets the aspirations of the Syrian people,” he said yesterday.

The US will continue its support for the Geneva Action Group’s framework endorsed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the Arab League, and the UN General Assembly, Carney said.

“We will continue our efforts in support of Joint Special Representative Brahimi to build international support for the Geneva Framework, and urge all parties in Syria to take steps toward its implementation,” Carney said.

He, however, insisted that America’s position regarding lethal support has not changed.

“We are not providing it. As we have said, we continue to take a hard look at every feasible policy option to evaluate whether or not doing so would advance our goal of hastening an end to violence and supporting political transition in Syria.”

“In other words, we look at all feasible options and evaluate them based on whether or not we believe that goal would be achieved,” Carney said, asserting that a “political solution” involving the Syrian people and the international community was the best way forward.

“We do not believe at this point that providing arms will promote a political solution,” he said, adding that Washington has “ramped up” its non-lethal assistance to Syrian opposition, besides recognising the Syrian Transitional Group as part of its policy to further isolate Assad.

He stated that the US and its allies have taken “significant action” to isolate the Assad regime, besides extending humanitarian relief to the Syrian people.

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