Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today said a democratic transition in Syria includes more than removing the Asad regime.
In her remarks at meeting with Syrian National Council in Geneva, Ms. Clinton highlighted that she is particularly interested in the work the Council is doing about how a democratic transition would proceed.
“Democratic transition in Syria means setting Syria on the path of the rule of law and protecting the universal rights of all citizens regardless of sect or ethnicity or gender.” -Ms. Clinton
She noted that they will discuss the work that the Council is doing to ensure that their plan is to reach out to all minorities, to counter the regime’s divide-and-conquer approach, which pits ethnic and religious groups against one another.
“The Syrian opposition, as represented here, recognizes that Syria’s minorities have legitimate questions and concerns about their future, and that they need to be assured that Syria will be better off under a regime of tolerance and freedom that provides opportunity and respect and dignity on the basis of the consent rather than on the whims of a dictator.” -Ms. Clinton
She stressed that if Syrians unite, they together can succeed in moving their country to a better future. She said that there is a lot of hard work to be done. There are many Syrians in exile who are committed to helping their country make the transition.
“I think Syrians both in exile and inside Syria are behaving with great courage and commitment and are inspired and motivated by the aspirations of freedom and democracy that are sweeping the Arab world.” -Ms. Clinton
