Syria's largest opposition group fires the first salvo

Dubai: The exiled head of Syria's largest opposition group has called on President Bashar Al Assad to abandon the regime if he cannot implement the reforms he promised.

Ali Sadreddine Bayanouni, the exiled head of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, told Gulf News the opposition would welcome any defections from the regime in Syria, including the president himself.

"President Bashar Al Assad said once he could not implement the reforms he had promised with the speed he liked because of obstacles from within the system."

"Al Assad described the system as old and rusty, but this is not a valid excuse. The opposition would welcome his defection like we did with his ex-vice president Abdul Halim Khaddam because the nation cannot wait anymore for reforms," he said.

He said activists representing opposition forces were in talks with members from the ruling Al Baath Party to make a safe defection from the regime.

"Senior members from the ruling party are willing to jump ship because they feel it will not be safe anymore," Al Bayanouni said.

He refused to give further details on the would-be defectors.

Khaddam, who left Syria five months ago, announced from Paris he resigned from the party because he felt the regime was not able to implement reforms from within.

Khaddam blamed Bashar for taking swift decisions based on poor reading of local and international politics.

Bayanouni, who has been in exile since 1979, said the Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition movements welcomed Khaddam's defection and called on him to apologise for being part of the oppressive regime.

However, he said the opposition could not pardon those who committed crimes against the nation but would encourage them to state their regret.

"People who have been deprived of their rights because of actions by the regime or members of the ruling party should be able to settle their due rights through independent courts in the new Syria."

Up till now, he said, the opposition had no contact with Khaddam and had never been asked to take part in the government in exile Khaddam had proposed last week and would not work under him.

Bayanouni said Khaddam could be part of the system that would lead to public elections.

"Ballot boxes and the votes of free Syrians should decide the system and the government they want. We are coordinating with people from within the regime to avoid foreign interference in the country. Opposition groups and the signatories of the Damascus Declaration called for a change from within the regime and refused to accept foreign involvement in toppling Bashar's government.

"All what we want at this stage is to uncover the regime and remove the protection umbrella it has been enjoying during the past 30 years. We don't want our nation to suffer the way Iraqis are suffering now, but at the same time we are not going to halt our struggle against the regime because of the international pressure on it," he said.

There is no doubt, he said, the regime had been weakened by the recent pressure following Rafik Hariri's assassination and that might help figures in the regime to defect.

He acknowledged the opposition inside Syria was still weak but that did not mean Syrians were happy with the system. Syrians would storm the streets the moment they felt the regime was weakening.