Call to free women prisoners in Syria
2013-02-07 07:41
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Syria
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Beirut - Opposition chief Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib demanded
all women held in Syrian prisons be freed by Sunday, or the regime will lose
its chance for dialogue, in an interview with BBC Arabic.
"These things cannot wait until judgment day. The
demand that the women are released means that if there is one single woman
still in prison in Syria on Sunday, I consider that the regime has rejected my
initiative," the National Coalition leader said.
"I don't want to discuss the horrific reports about
the torture of women. But I say to the youngest soldier up to the highest
commander, that he who lays his hands on the women will receive [a punishment]
he has never had before."
In the interview aired on Wednesday, Khatib also
addressed political negotiations for the resolution of the nearly two year
conflict and the role of regional powerhouse Iran.
"Regrettably, it is the Iranians who call the shots
in Syria, and they rejected my proposal to include Faruq al-Sharaa as a party
in the negotiations," he said.
"I insisted on Faruq al-Sharaa because this is a
sincere man who truly wants to get Syria out of this debacle. I am Syrian and I
reject Iranian interference in determining the place to conduct these
talks."
Vice President Sharaa said in December that neither his
government nor the rebels fighting to overthrow it can win a decisive victory.
He has been touted by Turkey as a suitable pick to lead a transitional
government.
Khatib defended his decision to meet with Iranian Foreign
Minister Ali Akbar Salehi during a security conference in Munich, Germany at
the weekend.
He said he used the occasion to express "very
clearly the outrage of the Syrian people toward the way Iran has dealt with the
Syrian crisis... We do not want the conflict to be turned into a regional
Sunni-Shi’ite conflict.
"Despite all they have done, we say that if this
regime can be reasonable, just for once, and comprehend the need to end the
suffering of the people and leave. We declare our willingness to negotiate
their departure.
"The revolution will continue, but we remain open to
political negotiation for the departure of the regime," said Khatib.
