| Exiled uncle of Syrian
president calls for elections, constitutional change NICOSIA - Rifaat al-Assad, the exiled uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
has called for elections in Syria and a change of its constitution, in a statement
received Thursday by AFP.
The statement, signed by Assad's United National Alliance, called for "a
constitutional amendment in a way that fits with development" as well as "an end
to emergency laws".
It also stated that "free and honest general elections should be allowed" to
take place in Syria along with a series of reforms, including the creation of political
parties, freedom of expression and an end to corruption.
"The world around us has changed on all levels while we are still here, repeating the
same words," said the statement.
Addressed to the Syrian people, it said "Syria has become today a direct target for
foreign ambitions and this calls upon all of us to face up to our responsibilities".
It warned that Syria was facing "challenges and dangers" aimed at transforming
the country into "a new arena for invasions and aggressions".
Rifaat al-Assad was a vice president under the reign of his late brother, Hafez al-Assad,
who was succeeded by his son, Bashar, in 2000. But Rifaat fell out of grace with the later
president and was exiled to Europe in 1985. |
