Jordan's King Abdullah says Assad has 'change in his heart', calls for reform

[News_Editor]

Jordan's King Abdullah says Assad has 'change in his heart', calls for reform

2011-11-15 05:02:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- King Abdullah of Jordan on Monday said the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would not be sufficient to achieve real change in Syria, where government forces have brutally cracked down on anti-government protesters.

The Arab leader, in an interview with the BBC, said he would resign if he were in Assad's shoes but that it would not be the answer to the country's problems. "I honestly do believe that he has reform in his blood," Abdullah said. "The vision that he has for Syria, during the times that I met him, was very encouraging."

Assad has, on multiple occasions, promised reform in response to pro-democracy demonstrations which have spread across the country since mid-March. The protests were met with a fierce government crackdown which has left more than 3,500 people killed, although the Syrian government claimed the violent acts were carried out by 'terrorists dressed as soldiers.'

In an interview with Britain's Sunday Telegraph last month, Assad admitted that "many mistakes" have been made by his security forces during the early part of the uprising, but said only 'terrorists' are now being targeted. "We have very few police, only the army, who are trained to take on al-Qaeda. If [britain] sent in [its] army to the streets, the same thing would happen," he claimed.

King Abdullah told the BBC that the Jordanian government is 'extremely concerned' about the future of Syria and the way its leadership is moving. But he questioned whether the Arab League's decision to suspend Syria's membership will make a difference.

"I don't think that the system in Syria allows for much of a change," Abdullah said. "It's almost impossible for anybody to predict where Syria is heading and how things are going to turn out. But, having said that, I personally believe that at least in the short term you are going to continue to see pretty much the same as we are seeing right now."

Asked directly whether Assad should step down, Abdullah said he does not believe it would make much of a difference. "I think the challenge is, does the system allow for reform? So even if Assad was not on the scene, if the regime brings in somebody else, does that person get it and realize that the world has changed? And that's where I have my doubts."

Abdullah expressed concern about the violence in Syria, but said he does not believe it is only Assad who is ordering violence against protesters. "I don't think it's a one-man's show, I think there's a team there," he said.

He added: "Whenever you exert violence on your own people it is never going to end well, and so as far as I am concerned, yes there will be an expiration date [of Assad's rule], but again it is almost impossible for anybody to predict if it would be six weeks, six months or six years."

In addition to many Arab leaders, Western powers have also urged President Assad to step down as the crackdown continues with daily reports of dozens of casualties in new violence. Both the European Union (EU) and the United States have said Assad has lost his legitimacy but have ruled out military intervention.

On Monday, the European Union tightened sanctions on Syria, adding 18 Syrian officials to a list of people affected by a travel ban and asset freeze. The EU also approved measures to prevent Syria from getting funds from the European Investment Bank.

"The European Union will continue to press for strong [united Nations (UN)] action to increase international pressure and urges all members of the Security Council to assume their responsibilities in relation to the situation in Syria," an EU statement said.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague welcomed the EU decision since Assad has continued to ignore calls by the international community to end the violence. "As long as the violence continues, we will continue to press the Syrian regime to bring an end to this killing," he said.

Earlier this month, the Syrian government accepted an Arab League plan to end the country's social unrest. The government agreed to pull its army off the streets, release people jailed since the protests began and allow international journalists and Arab League observers to monitor the moves. However, Syria failed to implement the changes, triggering further international outrage.

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