Syrian opposition leader to face tough questions
Ottawa among stops for Sabra after saying no hope left for political solution
The head of Syria’s main Westernbacked opposition group is expected to face tough questions this week as he comes face to face with SyrianCanadians who feel let down by the resistance after more than two years of civil war.
Syrian National Council president George Sabra this week declared that the Syrian government’s alleged use of nerve gas had killed any hope for a political solution in his country, a message he is expected to bring to audiences in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.
That contrasts with the Canadian government’s position.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s spokesman, Rick Roth, said in spite of reports that hundreds of Syrians have been killed in gas attacks, “Canada still believes that the only way to halt the bloodshed in Syria is with a political solution.”
It’s unclear whether Sabra will meet Baird or any other federal cabinet minister during his visit, though efforts are reportedly being made to find a time and place that will work for both parties next week.
Canada was a key supporter of the Syrian National Council during the early days of the Syrian conflict, which erupted in March 2011 during the Arab Spring.
But it is now one of the few Western countries not to have recognized the Syrian National Council as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people, at least not until it proves it respects religious minorities and the rights of women.
Syrian Canadian Council spokesman Faisal Alazem said Sabra’s visit offers an important chance for a key Syrian opposition figure to sit down with the Canadian government and discuss the situation inside the wartorn country.
Sabra is expected to ask Canada for more humanitarian support as well as to increase its acceptance of Syrian refugees if he does get a chance to meet Baird or Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, Alazem added.
Yet Alazem said Sabra’s visit will also be a key opportunity for the Syrian- Canadian community to air grievances and get some answers about what the Syrian National Council and other opposition groups have been doing for the past two years.
“In general, for Syrians that are with the revolution and working towards the revolution, there is this strong sense that the opposition has failed them to some extent,” Alazem said.
The Syrian National Council has had a difficult time uniting the many diverse groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government since the conflict first broke out.
Some of that has been blamed on a lack of experience, some on the egos of various opposition leaders, and some on a lack of international support.
A longtime opposition figure who spent time in Syrian prison in the 1980s, Sabra was elected president of the Syrian National Council in November.
Alazem said he is well-respected, “and from my point of view, it will be interesting to see what he has to say.
“We’re glad to have him now and to get some insight into the Syrian opposition, (and) what is their plan.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday condemned “in the strongest possible terms any use of chemical weapons.”
“We obviously will work very closely with our allies to determine what is the most appropriate way to respond to these developments,” he said. The prime minister was speaking in Rankin Inlet as he prepared to conclude an annual tour of the Arctic.
Canada has previously committed $2 million to help the UN investigate the claims, money that should be spent faster now that an inspection mission is in Damascus.