AFP, Nicosia, 13 Nov 2011 – Syria’s opposition on Sunday welcomed an Arab League decision to suspend the country over a violent crackdown on protests, and said it is ready to participate in talks to draw up a transitional period.
The Syrian National Council ‘welcomes the decisions that the Arab Ministerial Council issued, considers them a step in the right direction, and a clear condemnation of the Syrian regime, which has persisted in its killing and destruction campaigns,’ an official of the council said.
‘These decisions confirm the vitality of the Arab role in supporting the Syrian people,’ the unnamed official added, quoted in an email statement received by AFP in Nicosia.
‘What has been achieved so far was a natural result of the struggles of our people in the face of a brutal regime, and the Syrian people deserve all the credit for that.
‘The sacrifices of the Syrian people were the main motivation in changing the Arab and international positions in favor of the Syrian revolution.’
At an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo, the Arab League decided on Saturday to suspend Syria’s membership until it implements a peace plan agreed to with the 22-member regional organisation.
It called for the withdrawal of Arab envoys from Damascus and agreed on sanctions while inviting ‘all currents in the Syrian opposition to meet at Arab League headquarters in three days to draw up a joint vision for the coming transitional period.’
The Syrian National Council, the country’s largest and most representative opposition grouping, said it is also prepared to take part in talks for a transitional period, as proposed by the pan-Arab group.
‘The National Council emphasises its readiness to participate in discussions regarding the transitional period within the scope of the Arab League, to ensure the stepping down of Bashar Al-Assad and the transition to a democratic government that represents the Syrian people and does not anyone from the regime whose hands have been tainted with blood,’ said the official.
‘Additionally, the National Council extends its hand to any political forces and national figures which have not yet decided their position, in the interest of unifying and assembling the national ranks to deal with this stage and work together to bring about the desired democratic change.’
The council was founded in Istanbul at the end of August and numbers 140 members, half of them living abroad.