Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has promised to deliver a referendum on a new constitution within two weeks and democratic elections within months even as his forces launched fresh attacks on civilians in rebel cities.
By Rosa Prince, New York
9:49AM GMT 15 Feb 2012
5 Comments
Opposition leaders immediately rejected the offer to hold a vote on a new constitution on Feb 26 followed by multi-party elections within 90 days.
The White House dismissed the referendum as “laughable”. “It makes a mockery of the Syrian revolution,” said Jay Carney, the White House spokesman.
At the United Nations in New York, where there were renewed attempts to unite international opinion against the regime, Mr Assad’s pledge was dismissed as “hot air”.
The UN General Assembly will vote tonight on a motion supporting a plan by the Arab League to send a joint peacekeeping force to help end the 11-month conflict, in which at least 6,000 people have been killed.
The vote is not legally binding but British officials said that if significant numbers of countries voted in favour, it would increase pressure on Russia and China, both of which vetoed a UN Security Council resolution backing the Arab League plan. The league proposal called for Mr Assad’s departure within months.
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Asked about the possibility of elections in Syria, one senior British official said: “We’re not taking it too seriously. Assad has said a lot of hot air in the past.”
France suggested that a new, binding Security Council resolution could be put to the vote as soon as next week.
Alain Juppé, the French foreign minister, said he would work with Russia to agree on a form of words it could accept and added that the resolution could involve the creation of “humanitarian corridors” to allow peacekeepers access to civilians caught up in the violence.
Moscow has insisted that it will back international moves to end the crisis only if both the Syrian government and opposition are required to commit to a ceasefire — a demand which Western powers including Britain, the United States and France say gives legitimacy to the violent crackdown by the Assad regime.
Mr Assad responded to growing international outrage at his bloody crackdown by offering to stage a referendum on a new constitution that could effectively end five decades of single-party rule. The proposed charter would drop Article 8 of the Syrian constitution which declares the ruling Ba’ath Party as the “leader of the state and society”.
An explosion hit a major oil pipeline feeding a refinery in Homs, sending a large plume of smoke rising into the sky (Reuters)
Under the new constitution, freedom would be “a sacred right” and “the people will govern the people” in a multi-party democracy, state television said.
The referendum would be followed by elections to appoint a new president who could serve for up to two terms of seven years each. Mr Assad has been in power for 12 years, succeeding his father, who ruled for 29 years. The Ba’ath Party has ruled Syria since 1963.
He made clear, however, that the onslaught against rebels would continue. A new offensive was launched in the town of Hama, while the besieged city of Homs was shelled for the 13th day in a row. In the capital Damascus, troops carried out a search and arrest operation.
Syrian television quoted a draft of the referendum: “The political system of the state will be based on a principle of political plurality and democracy will be practised through the voting box.”
New parties could not be based on a religion or regional interests, meaning the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and autonomy-seeking Kurdish parties would be excluded from participating.
Melhem al-Droubi, a member of the exiled opposition Syrian National Council and the Muslim Brotherhood, rejected the proposal. “The truth is that Bashar al-Assad has increased the killing and slaughter in Syria,” he said. “He has lost his legitimacy and we aren’t interested in his rotten constitutions, old or new.”
Hundreds of people have been killed in the bombardment of Homs. Activists and aid groups have warned of a growing humanitarian crisis, with food running short and wounded people unable to get proper care.
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Showing 5 comments
canadiansyrian
13 minutes ago
so , in 2060 Butcher Assad would give the country to his son future butcher Hafez and mark my words , little Hafez will do the same or hopefully Syria by then would become the Kingdom of Assad and forget the name Syria .
and hopefully there will be no sunni majority (80%) anymore because they will all be dead in order for the minorities to survive ! you gara love that
canadiansyrian
17 minutes ago
butcher Assad`s father did the same , he came out with new constitution in 1970 that gives 7 years term to be renewed twice and ended up president for live and his butcher son Bashshar became inheriter .
now the inheriter did the same but he thinks people forgot the last constitution .
now my question is ; since inheriting in 2000 and finishing his two 7 years terms , is he gonna start fresh form now or 2014 ?
ryeatley
46 minutes ago
First:
"New parties could not be based on a religion or regional interests, meaning the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood ... would be excluded from participating."
Then:
"Melhem al-Droubi, a member of the exiled opposition Syrian National Council and the Muslim Brotherhood, rejected the proposal."
ryeatley
48 minutes ago
Why do Britain, the United States and France only require an end to violence from one side?
To say to one side "No violence", but to the other side "Kill!" makes no sence in the context of "a ceasefire", does it.
ryeatley
55 minutes ago
I cannot see why holding a vote on a new constitution on Feb. 26th. and then holding elections after 3 months is “laughable”, nor why it "makes a mockery of the Syrian revolution".
If there indeed is a "revolution", then surely the desired result is a new constitution and elections.
Unless, of course, "the West" actively desires war. That does seem to me to be the case.
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