No decision made yet on Syrian National Coalition's visit to Moscow - spokesman
MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) - Ahmad Kamel, the spokesman for the Syrian National Council, which is incorporated in the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, neither confirms nor denies information on the possibility that coalition representatives may visit Moscow for consultations.
Badr Jamous, the coalition's secretary-general, said earlier that the Syrian opposition accepted the invitation to send its delegation to Russia on the dates to be specially agreed upon.
"I so far cannot either confirm or deny the reports on the visit, and no final decision has yet been made," Kamel said in an interview with the Voice of Russia radio. "What I can say definitely is that we are not going to turn a blind eye to Russia's position. Moscow plays one of the leading roles in the world. We are prepared to maintain dialogue with Russia and explain our vision of the situation," he said.
If such a visit takes place, National Coalition representatives will try to persuade Russia to stop supporting the President Bashar al-Assad regime, Kamel said. "In our view, this policy has no prospects. The Syrian revolution's only goal is to liberate the people from tyranny and bring democracy to the country. Russia has always been our ally and strategic partner. We are not seeking to oust Russia, lessen its influence or remove its naval base from Syria," he said.
The opposition fighting against Assad cannot understand why Russia is helping the Syrian government, Kamel said. "We cannot understand the position of the Russian authorities, which are supporting the Syrian regime. But we hope that Russia will change its position, because it is acting against its own interests and against the Syrian people's interests now," he said.
Kamel confirmed that Assad's resignation is the opposition's main demand, but warned that it cannot be viewed as a precondition for holding an international conference on Syria.
"We are not setting preconditions. The 2012 Geneva Communique stipulates the building of a transitional government and the organization of democratic elections. And how can a democratic state be built in Syria without toppling the current regime? In my view, the incumbent government's departure is a logical conclusion from the agreements achieved," he said.
When the current government goes and elections are held in Syria, the opposition will accept any of their results, Kamel said. "We will be satisfied with whoever wins the elections. True, except the current Syrian regime. The regime and its representatives, including Assad, have no right to run," he said.