The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Syria’s Grand Mufti welcomes UN resolution to end civil war

Syria’s Grand Mufti, Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun, has welcomed the UN Security Council’s unanimous resolution for a unity government in Syria but cautioned it had to be translated into reality.

“I wish that what has been said yesterday is converted into action and not only words on paper,” the Grand Mufti told reporters following a development conference in Damascus.

“That we do not see its result on the ground because if we do not help the Syrian people now, this will move not only to Arab countries but also to Europe. We have seen the traces of this fire in France and we are sad about what happened in France. But the American and European world is open to receive attacks from those who were in Syria.

The international body on December 18 unanimously approved a resolution endorsing an international road map for a Syrian peace process, a rare show of unity among major powers on a conflict that has claimed more than a quarter million lives.

The resolution gives a UN blessing to a plan negotiated previously in Vienna that calls for a ceasefire, talks between the Syrian government and opposition, and a roughly two-year timeline to create a unity government and hold elections.

But the obstacles to ending the nearly five-year civil war remain daunting, with no side in the conflict able to secure a clear military victory. Despite their agreement, the major powers are bitterly divided on who may represent the opposition as well as on the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Hassoun said ultimately the path forward needed to be decided by the actual residents of the war-torn country.

“We want the Syrian-Syrian decision to remain and not to receive the decision from outside Syria,” he said.

 

 

Source: Reuters