French National Assembly member: No solution in Syria without President al-Assad

DAMASCUS – Jean-Frederic Poisson, member of the National Assembly of France, stressed that there can’t be a solution to the crisis in Syria without President Bashar al-Assad.

His remarks came during a meeting with Speaker of the People’s Assembly Mohammad Jihad al-Laham on Tuesday, SANA reported.

Poisson, who is on a visit to Syria along with a French delegation, said the delegation could not grasp the tendency of France’s foreign policy.

 “All those whom I met during my previous visit to Syria expressed regret that France has lost its weight in the region,” he added.

Poisson met with President Bashar al-Assad on his latest visit to Syria that took place last July. He stressed back then the necessity to cooperate with the Syrian to eliminate terrorism and terminate its risks.

He said having stability prevailing in Syria once again would reflect positively on the stability of the region and Europe, adding however that this would not be achieved without supporting the Syrian state and talking with President al-Assad to solve the crisis in Syria along with the efforts of fighting terrorism.

Speaker al-Laham affirmed during the meeting that national sovereignty and the independence of the national decision cannot be compromised as “they are the right of France, Syria and all countries, and governments should maintain them.”

“No country has the right to interfere in the affairs of other countries and support the opposition with arms and through media and financing, because this would be a violation of the international law and the national laws,” added al-Laham.

The Speaker highlighted in this context the role which the parliamentary institutions could play in contributing to having problems and conflicts settled through dialogue and diplomacy.

The role of the legislative institutions around the world, he said, is inseparable from the role of the governments in confronting emerging problems, especially with regard to the phenomenon of terrorism that has swept the Middle East in Syria and Iraq among other areas.

Poisson told al-Laham that the delegation intends to explain to the French people back in France that there are “other policies and alliances that could meet our interests.”

“However, he added, “as long as the French government is with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, it will achieve nothing.”

He raised the possibility of discussing the issue of re-opening the French embassy in Damascus and further supporting the French School in Damascus and Aleppo upon the Syrian state’s approval.

Poisson and the accompanying delegation also met Grand Mufti of the Republic, Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, who asserted that Syrians are committed to their ideals, values, culture, and unity.

Hassoun also asserted that Syria is defending the entire world from religious extremism, calling for spreading awareness to confront and curb extremist terrorist mentalities.

For their part, the delegation members said they will relay to their compatriots in France the reality they witnessed of the Syrians’ resilience in the face of extremism.