US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

“We are doing all we can to determine ways forward to strengthen the opposition, to help them convey to the entire Syrian population that they are seeking an inclusive, peaceful, democratic transition, and that those who are fearful of the future, which is understandable, whether they be Alawites, Sunni, Christian, Druze, Kurd or any Syrian, have to come together to establish a credible opposition that can then serve as their voice in dealing with the regime and dealing with the outside.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, meanwhile, sent a strong message to Syrian opposition groups to unite so that the outside world can better support them in overthrowing the Syrian government.

He said, “We cannot bring about a Syrian revolution without the Syrian people and I am sure you understand what I mean by this. We cannot bring this about if the Syrian opposition doesn’t unite and organize to help us to help them. We will not accept that a dictator is allowed to massacre its own people, but the revolution cannot come from the outside, it must be born from within.”

Commenting on the statements, Ribal Al-Assad, Director of the ODFS, said:

“I welcome the comments of Secretary Clinton and President Sarkozy as that is the only way forward and what I have been calling for over one year, that is that the Syrian opposition should unite and work towards an inclusive, peaceful, democratic transition.”