{"id":7028,"date":"2012-05-05T07:12:00","date_gmt":"2012-05-05T07:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/?p=7028"},"modified":"2026-06-19T11:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T11:39:59","slug":"st-gallen-switzerland-ribal-al-assad-calls-for-a-peaceful-inclusive-democratic-transition-in-syria-in-speech-at-st-gallen-symposium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/st-gallen-switzerland-ribal-al-assad-calls-for-a-peaceful-inclusive-democratic-transition-in-syria-in-speech-at-st-gallen-symposium\/","title":{"rendered":"St.Gallen, Switzerland: Ribal Al-Assad calls for a peaceful inclusive democratic transition in Syria in speech at St. Gallen Symposium"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ribal Al-Assad, the Director of the ODFS, this week made a speech on Syria and the Arab Spring, at the 42st St. Gallen Symposium, Switzerland.The audience was made up of entrepreneurs, managers, politicians, academics, journalists, and decision-makers from civil society and students. The speech was well received and followed by a comprehensive Q &amp; A session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The St. Gallen Symposium aims to foster the intergenerational and intercultural dialogue between the Leaders of Today and the Leaders of Tomorrow. The 42nd symposium under the topic \u201cFacing Risk\u201d took place from 3\u20134 May 2012 at the University of St. Gallen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ribal Al-Assad made the following speech:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Good afternoon,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And thank you for that kind introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My subject is my country Syria \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and it\u2019s inexorable slide \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 not just towards civil war \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 but as the focal point for a regional Arab conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I would like to begin in Burma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Burma is also under the control of a military dictatorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ethnic persecution has been rife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Uprisings have been crushed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The future for its majority of peaceful citizens has long-looked bleak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the opposition of Aung San Suu Kyi \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 has just contested and won 44 out of 45 seats in free elections for the lower house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her resistance has been peaceful \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and successfully backed by international sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Change in Burma may be incremental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the world has proved that the apparently impossible is possible \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 through a unified, inclusive and patient opposition \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 that is prepared to effect change through the managed transition from one-party to multi-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>party rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before I move on to Syria and the Middle East \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 I should address the issue of my surname.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018Al Assad\u2019 is not a name that immediately wins you many friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it has also afforded me an unparalleled insight into events in Syria and the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it opens doors for me to give what I hope will be a more balanced and objective view of<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>events in my country than you may have read elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the record, I am no apologist for the incumbent regime \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and for that reason I remain in exile from my native Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike Bashar Al-Assad I believe that the only route to a peaceful future for Syria \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 is democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was why I founded \u2018the Organisation for Democracy and Freedom in Syria\u2019 before the Arab Spring began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And why I fear that the lack of a united opposition \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 or a true global understanding of the sinister forces influencing developments in my<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>country \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 could destroy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>War, as you will have seen in the news \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 is an inevitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Guns from both sides have already broken the UN ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Government and opposition forces have committed terrible atrocities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The route from dictatorship to democracy is never easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in Syria\u2019s case \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 the journey has not even started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not how the world\u2019s press predicted things would turn out when \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 a year and a half ago \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 a 26 year old Tunisian graduate named Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 sparking the first fuse of the \u2018Arab Spring\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We read of peaceful marches \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and predictions of sweeping regime change in the manner of Eastern Europe two decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The word \u2018Spring\u2019 suggested a youthful, liberal and upbeat revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In practise, and with minor exceptions \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 it has unleashed much darker forces \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 fuelled by the age-old regional cancer of sectarian hatred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Egypt \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 revolution was resolved internally \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 but the Muslim Brotherhood and the extremist Salafi party have sprung to the fore at the<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ballot box \u2026 leaving the Coptic Christian minority in terror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Libya\u2019s \u2018Spring\u2019 required foreign intervention \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 but here too, the outcome has been chaotic and frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Militia groups rule the streets \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 last month, local leaders in Benghazi proclaimed an independent \u2018State of Cyrenaica\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In mid-April the Prime Minister was attacked in his own office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Henry Kissinger has pointed-out \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 the more sweeping the destruction of the existing order \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 the greater the risk of fragmentation of society \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and the higher the risk of the disaffected seeking refuge in the arms of extremists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not simply due to the internal cultural and political mix within each individual country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It owes much to vested interests from abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because the key players in the region are not only anti-democratic \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 they also stand to benefit from an increase in sectarian divisions and extremism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of this sentiment stems from Saudi Arabia and Qatar \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 two of the richest and most prominent players in the Arab League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are absolute monarchies \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 whose greatest fear is the arrival of a democratic tide across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, they pay lip service to democracy abroad, but act to undermine it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their influence in the region is increasingly aggressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Saudi-owned WISAL and SAFA satellite TV stations \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 have screened extremist clerics exhorting fundamentalists to, and I quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMince the minorities who are not with us and feed them to the dogs\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are deliberately inciting sectarian hatred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not the language of a \u2018Spring\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And nor are the words of the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 the highest authority in Islam \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 exhorting Islamists to destroy churches across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This support for extremism is not just rhetorical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Saudis and Qataris are investing petro dollars to accelerate the cross-border arms flow into<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>the unstable nations emerging from the \u2018Spring\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Context can be found in the ever-growing sectarian-fuelled enmity between Turkey and Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turkey is growing fast \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 is economically powerful \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and is looking to develop its own power-base across the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iran, whose own \u2018Green Revolution\u2019 was put-down mercilessly \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 sits in an ever-growing state of isolation \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 with tentacles reaching into Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Bahrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She is desperate to retain her strategic power-bases and regional leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This leaves a Tehran-led Shia axis forming through Baghdad, Beirut and Damascus \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 squaring up to Turkish-led Sunni axis encompassing Riyadh, Doha and their followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tensions are growing across the region \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and Syria\u2019s state of internal strife \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 allied to its strategic importance \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 has attracted the wrong sort of intervention from both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I shall return to these sectarian alliances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even they do not complete the context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because Syria has also provided a platform for the ever growing tensions between Russia<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>and China against the US and NATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Moscow, President Medvedev has warned that time is running out for the West to secure<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Russia&#8217;s agreement to a missile defence shield in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beijing, meanwhile, has reacted to what it perceives to be a US policy of encirclement \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 has been fighting an economic war through currency protectionism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so with the US delegating it\u2019s regional responsibilities to Ankara \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 Iran has turned to Russia and China for support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Extremism in Chechnya, Dagestan and parts of China gives them every reason to fear Islamism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so the foundations of an alliance are in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The recent arrival of the The Smetlivy, a Russian guided-missile destroyer, at the Syrian port<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>of Tartus \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 did little to diffuse the rising temperature in the Eastern Mediterranean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nor has Moscow\u2019s supply of three million gas masks and 72 shore to seas missiles to Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which brings me back to my country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where the superpowers have also been flexing their muscles diplomatically \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 as the world witnessed in the Russo-Chinese veto of the draft Security Council resolution<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>calling on President Assad to step down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iran, Russia and China have subsequently hardened their support for the status quo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The US and Turkish-led axis back change, despite its potential consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As democrats, we all abhor the Syrian regime\u2019s barbarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We yearn for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if recent events across Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Egypt have taught us anything \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 it is that enforcing change is relatively straightforward \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 but controlling its consequences is not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next phase is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And as Burma demonstrates \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 it requires a widely-backed, peaceful and appropriate opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is particularly true in Syria \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 45% of whose people are represented by \u2018minority\u2019 groups, including Druzes, Shias, Alawites,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ismailis, Christians, Jews, Kurds, Turkmen, Circassians and Armenians \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 many of whom fear the incumbent regime less than its opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those people need representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the Syrian National Council (the SNC) \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 is not representing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nor are some of the most influential members of the Arab League \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 whose modus operandi is not just undemocratic \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 but driven by the same sectarian issues that have driven so much of the violence inside<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Syria and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will all have read about the \u2018Friends of Syria\u2019 conferences in Tunis, Istanbul and Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may have assumed that they were inclusive and moderate \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 backed, as they have been, by the progressive international community \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 including Hilary Clinton who stressed the need for an inclusive, democratic, peaceful transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your assumption would be understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in practise it could not be less inclusive, democratic or peaceful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a start, the hosts have excluded many peaceful opposition groups including our own \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 despite regular and increasingly urgent requests to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our absence, the Saudis and Qataris pooled agreement for a formalized pay structure for<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>the Free Syrian Army (FSA) \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and discussed official arms supplies to the armed opposition \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 just a week after the Annan plan was agreed by the International Community!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was hardly peaceful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this context, it may not surprise you to hear that the SNC \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 although recognised by &#8220;The Friends of Syria&#8221; \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 has been described by Kamal Al-Labwani \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 a prominent opposition leader and SNC member \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 as: &#8220;an opposition under the cloak of fanatics hiding behind a veneer of stupid liberals\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and, more worryingly \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 \u201ca fa\u00e7ade for the Muslim Brotherhood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also mourned the direction of the Syrian \u2018Spring\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201caway from &#8220;democracy and modernity \u2026 towards a renewed form of religious despotism.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not democratic. Or peaceful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sadly, Mr. Al-Labwanis sentiments are echoed by the Ali Sadreddine Bayanouni \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 the leader of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 who has proudly highlighted the SNC\u2019s Islamist credentials \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and explained how it\u2019s leader Burhan Ghalioun was appointed, and I quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have chosen this figure that is accepted in the West and at home to prevent<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>the regime from capitalizing on the presence of an Islamist at the top of the Syrian National Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for this man, he is different from us with respect to political thought and ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, meanwhile, \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 has described the Syrian opposition as fractured, \u201cnot a national movement\u201d and \u201cinfiltrated by al Qaeda\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is hardly a moderate or inclusive opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its answer to the regime insisting on Baath Party membership as a precursor to sympathetic<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>treatment and employment \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 is to propose exluding all two million members \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 an approach that is fundamentally at odds with any semblance of democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It seems that nothing has been learned from the lesson of Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so the SNC reflects the sectarian interests of the Turkish-led axis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is not democratic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is not peaceful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is not inclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It leaves the peaceful Syrian majority unrepresented \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and war as a preferred outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All this means we are dealing with three-tiers of conflict:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1) The Syrian regime against its opposition \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2) the Iranian-led Shia axis supporting the regime \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 against the Turkish-led Sunni axis agitating for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3) With China and Russia backing the former \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and the US and Nato supporting Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which explains why Turkey watches its border with Syria with guns trained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why President Erdogan\u2019s and Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 attack each other with accusations of sectarian rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why the Syrian President has warned Turkey that its missiles are trained on Ankara and Istanbul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why Western spy satellites have picked-up Syrian chemical warheads being moved towards<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>the Turkish border in broad daylight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why Saudi and Qatar are arming and funding parts of the Syrian opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that Iran will defend Syria against any attack or<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>adversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why Russia\u2019s naval presence remains outside Tartus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why the US has increased its aid to the Syrian opposition to $25 million \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 funding night-vision goggles and satellite communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And why the US, Russia and China look-on, happy to see their proxy battles fought away from home soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of which throws into stark contrast the position of Kofi Annan and the UN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Annan points out the requirement for peaceful dialogue on a deal for transition from within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like Burma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Secretary of State Clinton, Prime Minister Cameron and President Sarkosy have all agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But their support for the SNC is entirely contradictory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arming any opposition heightens the temperature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arming an opposition cited by Human Rights Watch for committing public acts of torture and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>abuse \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 unlocks the last barrier to war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I began in Burma where change is incremental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It requires patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It requires international unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It requires co-operation with the existing regime despite its moral repugnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Burmese regime remains in power, which may not be ideal \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 but it is pragmatic and relatively peaceful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It avoids a power vacuum \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and facilitates a transition to democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It involves an ethical sacrifice \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 but not a human one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This has to be the best outcome for the Syrian people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diplomacy may not offer Syria a great chance of a peaceful transition \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 but it is the only chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it is why my \u2018Organisation for Freedom and Democracy in Syria\u2019 has published our own five point plan to maximise the chances of a peaceful future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Firstly the opposition must act in a way that is inclusive and representative of the<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Syrian people by creating a platform where all parties can come together and speak with a single voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Secondly, it must work peacefully with the international community with the aim of non-violent regime change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thirdly, international funding must be channelled solely toward facilitating peace<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>through humanitarian aid and training into the best ways to form civil groups and political parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fourthly, non-aligned states should be encouraged to help facilitate and encourage the<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>journey towards political pluralism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, and only once it can display real unity, can this internationally-backed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>democratic opposition take on the regime by campaigning for a genuinely pluralistic election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have a choice to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between the sectarian and the moderate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between haste and patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between the immediate goal and the long-term strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It may be too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it may not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a risk worth taking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Syria harbours a colourful mosaic of ethnicities, cultures and faiths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s people provide the only opportunity to counter extremism and live in a cosmopolitan and liberal environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The alternative is war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And not just a civil war \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 but a regional war in which age-old sectarian interests coincide with twenty first century global tensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have feared it for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have warned against it since the start of the Arab Spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I urge you all to spread the word \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 on behalf of every peace-loving democrat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gracias, se\u00f1or.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" data-id=\"4066\" src=\"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/406x.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/406x.jpg 800w, https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/406x-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/406x-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/406x-16x12.jpg 16w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" data-id=\"4261\" src=\"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/407x.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/407x.jpg 800w, https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/407x-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/407x-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/407x-16x12.jpg 16w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ribal Al-Assad, the Director of the ODFS, this week made a speech on Syria and the Arab Spring, at the 42st St. Gallen Symposium, Switzerland.The audience was made up of entrepreneurs, managers, politicians, academics, journalists, and decision-makers from civil society and students. The speech was well received and followed by a comprehensive Q &amp; A [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4066,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-speeches"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7028"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7057,"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7028\/revisions\/7057"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/odf-syria.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}