Syrian opposition coordinator Hassan Abdel Azim said in an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm that a transitional government comprising all opposition factions and political forces is the main way out of the Syrian crisis.
Q: Why did you come to Egypt?
A: To form a transitional governing body to face the tyranny of the regime, stop bloodshed, extremism and terrorism, and create a new democratic system and a parliament of all Syrian parties in order to achieve safety for the Syrians.
Q: Are terrorist organizations a burden on the peaceful opposition?
A: Yes, because they are not democratic, not Islamic and not interested in achieving the demands and aspirations of the people. They are after their own interests.
Q: Some Syrian factions demand that Assad should leave before taking any dialogue. What do you think of that?
A: Assad’s departure is no condition for dialogue.
Q: What do you think of the Syrian National Coalition?
A: All that we want from this coalition is a political solution for Syria. But if the regime insists on armed confrontation, there will be no dialogue. I want to stress here the importance of the Syria conference, which was held to unify national efforts to resolve the crisis politically.
Q: Some claim the opposition is not independent and is manipulated by regional parties. What would you say to that?
A: The opposition forces gathered here are independent and do not accept dictation or funding from any country.
Q: What can Egypt do?
A: Egypt's role is essential, given its major position in the region.
Q: How can a political solution be achieved in Syria?
A: Some regional and foreign countries violated the Geneva Conference and contributed to the spread of terrorism in Syria, other countries supported Assad with arms. In order to reach a political solution, we need international backup to ban the use of weapons in Syria.
Q: Would the Assad regime give up easily?
A: Once weapons are banned, he will have to step down.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
