Syrian main opposition rejects Assad’s initiative

The opposition Syrian National Coalition rejects a reconciliation plan outlined by President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday, spokesman Walid al-Bunni told AFP by phone.

“We said at the founding of the National Coalition that we want a political solution, but … there are now over 60,000 martyrs. The Syrians did not make all those sacrifices in order to bolster this tyrannical regime,” he said.

In a related development Britain denounced President Bashar al-Assad’s speech on Sunday calling for a conference of national dialogue to end the Syrian conflict as “beyond hypocritical”. Foreign Secretary William Hague said Assad’s first speech to the nation since June was full of “empty promises” and would “fool no-one”

AFP