Syria defections welcomed
July 6, 2012
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters at the Friends of Syria conference in Paris on Friday that "those with the closest knowledge of Assad's actions and crimes are moving away. We think that is a very promising development. It also raises questions for those remaining in Damascus, who are still supporting this regime."
Earlier on Friday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius had confirmed that Manaf Tlass was on his way to Paris after his defection. Tlass was a brigade commander in Syria's Republican Guard and went to military college with Assad.
Fabius said the defection of "someone who belongs to the Republican Guard of Assad and was for a long time one of his friends" showed that people within his close entourage were "beginning to understand his regime is not sustainable."
The Turkish foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has said that 20 generals and 100 other high-ranking military officers had turned their backs on Assad. For many of those defectors, Turkey is their first port-of-call when defecting.
Representatives from around 100 countries met in Paris for the Friends of Syria conference. They urged the UN to act more decisively against the Assad regime and pledged more practical support for rebel groups.
Harsh words for Russia, China
Clinton ramped up the pressure on Russia and China, accusing them of holding up progress in the conflict.
"It's not just enough to come to a Friends of Syria meeting," Clinton said, "because, I will tell you frankly, I do not think Moscow or Beijing believe they are paying any price at all for standing up on behalf of the regime. The only way that will change is if every nation represented here directly and urgently makes it clear that Russia and China will pay a price. They are holding up progress, blockading it. That is no longer tolerable."
Russia reacted promptly, calling Clinton's remarks "inappropriate," insisting that they contradicted the peace plan brokered by UN and Arab league special envoy Kofi Annan.
Russia and China did not attend the talks in Paris.
No military intervention
Most Western nations support a plan proposed by international mediator Kofi Annan that would implement a cease-fire in Syria and allow the process of a transfer of power to begin. Efforts to implement the cease-fire, including sending UN monitors to Syria, have so far been unsuccessful. A military intervention is still seen as undesirable.
"I don't see a solution in a military intervention," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Paris. "That would only lead to a wildfire that would spread to other countries in the region."
Westerwelle joined other diplomats, including Clinton and French President Francois Hollande, in calling for more humanitarian support for the Syrian people.
Meanwhile, Syrian forces killed at least 25 people on Friday, arrested scores of others and torched more than 100 homes while seizing the northern town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province from rebels, activists said.
ng/slk (AP, AFP, Reuters)