JEDDAH: Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has condemned Syrian President Bashar Assad for the attack on Aleppo, which he said caused the death of scores of innocent people.
Speaking before a meeting on Monday in Geneva with US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the resumption of the cease-fire and peace talks, Al-Jubeir said that there could be no future for a man like Assad in Syria because of the amount of suffering he has caused his people.
“What is happening in Aleppo is an outrage. It’s a violation of all humanitarian laws. It’s a crime. It’s a violation of all the understandings that were reached during the Vienna process. It’s a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254. It’s a violation of the understandings reached with regard to the cessation of hostilities,” said Al-Jubeir.
“There is only one side that is flying airplanes, and that is Bashar Assad and his allies, so they are responsible for the massacre of women, children, and the elderly. They are responsible for the murder of doctors and medical personnel, and this situation, any way you slice it, will not stand. The world is not going to allow them to get away with this,” the minister said.
“And as we’ve said before, Bashar Assad’s days are numbered. He will leave. He can leave through a political process, which we hope he will do, or he will be removed by force. A man who murdered 400,000 people, displaced 12 million, destroyed a country, has no future in that country.”
Washington and Moscow said on Monday they were working hard to extend Syria’s truce to Aleppo.
"We're getting closer to a place of understanding, but we have some work to do, and that's why we're here," Kerry said.
Kerry said he hoped for more clarity in the next day or so on restoring the nationwide cease-fire.
He later spoke by telephone to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Ministry said they both called on all sides to observe the cease-fire. A Russian military official, General Sergei Kuralenko, said talks were under way on extending the local truces to Aleppo.
Speaking before a meeting on Monday in Geneva with US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the resumption of the cease-fire and peace talks, Al-Jubeir said that there could be no future for a man like Assad in Syria because of the amount of suffering he has caused his people.
“What is happening in Aleppo is an outrage. It’s a violation of all humanitarian laws. It’s a crime. It’s a violation of all the understandings that were reached during the Vienna process. It’s a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254. It’s a violation of the understandings reached with regard to the cessation of hostilities,” said Al-Jubeir.
“There is only one side that is flying airplanes, and that is Bashar Assad and his allies, so they are responsible for the massacre of women, children, and the elderly. They are responsible for the murder of doctors and medical personnel, and this situation, any way you slice it, will not stand. The world is not going to allow them to get away with this,” the minister said.
“And as we’ve said before, Bashar Assad’s days are numbered. He will leave. He can leave through a political process, which we hope he will do, or he will be removed by force. A man who murdered 400,000 people, displaced 12 million, destroyed a country, has no future in that country.”
Washington and Moscow said on Monday they were working hard to extend Syria’s truce to Aleppo.
"We're getting closer to a place of understanding, but we have some work to do, and that's why we're here," Kerry said.
Kerry said he hoped for more clarity in the next day or so on restoring the nationwide cease-fire.
He later spoke by telephone to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Ministry said they both called on all sides to observe the cease-fire. A Russian military official, General Sergei Kuralenko, said talks were under way on extending the local truces to Aleppo.
