U.S. ambassador questions Syrian government’s ability to reform

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The U.S. ambassador to Syria called into question Tuesday the Syrian government’s capability to enact “the deep, genuine and credible reforms” demanded by opposition protesters.

In a sharply worded letter posted on the U.S. Embassy Facebook page, Robert Ford voiced his support for what he called the “courage” shown by demonstrators and slammed the killings of unarmed civilians protesting peacefully.

“Given the extent of the government’s brutality, neither the Syrian protest movement nor the international community will believe that this Syrian leadership desires or is capable of the deep, genuine and credible reforms that the Syrian people demand,” Ford wrote.

Syria has been engulfed in public protest for months, and the regime has been accused internationally of a crackdown on peaceful demonstrators.

The government has maintained it is targeting armed terrorists. But opposition activists say it is a systematic, sustained slaughter.

“Peaceful protesters are not ‘terrorists,’ ” Ford wrote, “and after all the evidence accumulated over the past six months, no one except the Syrian government and its supporters believes that the peaceful protesters here are.”

He also struck down the Syrian government’s argument that civilian deaths are a result of violence against Syrian security forces, noting that “the number of security service members killed is far, far lower than the number of unarmed civilians killed.”

“No one in the international community accepts the justification from the Syrian government that those security service members’ deaths justify the daily killings, beatings, extrajudicial detentions, torture and harassment of unarmed civilian protesters,” he said.

Ford sparked a diplomatic firestorm in July when he traveled to the restive city of Hama to express support for demonstrators and was welcomed with flowers by local residents who had suffered a brutal crackdown by government forces. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government called the trip an attempt to foment dissent.

Ford concluded his note Tuesday with this: “This isn’t about Western military intervention. This isn’t about oil (many governments have banned its import). This isn’t about Israel or the West wanting to dominate the Arab world (an old, discredited government line). This is about basic political freedoms from the United Nations’ Human Rights Charter — signed by Syria, don’t forget — which calls for freedom of speech and freedom of peaceful assembly. And the United States wholly supports Syrians’ rights to exercise those freedoms.”

CNN

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7 responses to “U.S. ambassador questions Syrian government’s ability to reform”

  1. just as water seeks its own level, the syrian regime can only reform into its old self over and over again.
     call it arab culture or human arrogance i dont ever recall these types of dictators to change unless they are beaten into obedience.
    you will recall saddam hussein when he invaded kuwait how many opportunities he was given to withdraw yet  he continued to talk tough untill he got a big can of ass whooping and eventually was told ,,NOT ASKED what the terms would be. not long after surrendering and pissing down his leg he declared victory.
    maybe in the circumfrence of his donkey head he maintained his pride and dignity  at the cost of the the highway of hell with thousands of his soldiers bodies littered the desert sand… further his pride and arrogance did not allow him to see what the second episode would lead up to hence ended up going from the palace…to the gutter.

    1. PROPHET.T Avatar

      geo metro,
      Good day my friend. Throughout history, No dictator, king or any self appointed  leader reformed on  his  own. All reforms are forced as a result of revolutions, wars. Most  human  are  not  willing  to  give  up  the power  they  exercise  willingly unless  they  live in a land  where  democracy  exist, and where  law and order are  enforced.
      Very  few  dictators  were  smart  enough to realize that  they  can  not  rule by  force anymore, and decided to let  go  before they  destroyed  their  nations and  ended  up  humiliated  or in  jail or  both. But  in the  Arab  world, most  self  appointed  rulers  believe  that they  own  the  country  and its inhabitant, and that is one of the  reasons they  destroy it and  destroy themselves  before  they are forced  out.
      Assad  had the chance to reform, but  was  too slow or too late, and unless He announces that He’s  stepping  down( if it  works)  at the end of  his  term, Syrian people might  force  him  out  much  sooner.

  2. just as water seeks its own level, the syrian regime can only reform into its old self over and over again.
     call it arab culture or human arrogance i dont ever recall these types of dictators to change unless they are beaten into obedience.
    you will recall saddam hussein when he invaded kuwait how many opportunities he was given to withdraw yet  he continued to talk tough untill he got a big can of ass whooping and eventually was told ,,NOT ASKED what the terms would be. not long after surrendering and pissing down his leg he declared victory.
    maybe in the circumfrence of his donkey head he maintained his pride and dignity  at the cost of the the highway of hell with thousands of his soldiers bodies littered the desert sand… further his pride and arrogance did not allow him to see what the second episode would lead up to hence ended up going from the palace…to the gutter.

    1. PROPHET.T Avatar

      geo metro,
      Good day my friend. Throughout history, No dictator, king or any self appointed  leader reformed on  his  own. All reforms are forced as a result of revolutions, wars. Most  human  are  not  willing  to  give  up  the power  they  exercise  willingly unless  they  live in a land  where  democracy  exist, and where  law and order are  enforced.
      Very  few  dictators  were  smart  enough to realize that  they  can  not  rule by  force anymore, and decided to let  go  before they  destroyed  their  nations and  ended  up  humiliated  or in  jail or  both. But  in the  Arab  world, most  self  appointed  rulers  believe  that they  own  the  country  and its inhabitant, and that is one of the  reasons they  destroy it and  destroy themselves  before  they are forced  out.
      Assad  had the chance to reform, but  was  too slow or too late, and unless He announces that He’s  stepping  down( if it  works)  at the end of  his  term, Syrian people might  force  him  out  much  sooner.

  3. Regimes which have dictated for years will not listen to anyone!!!

  4.  Avatar

    Regimes which have dictated for years will not listen to anyone!!!

  5.  Avatar

    Regimes which have dictated for years will not listen to anyone!!!

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