Aoun: Collapse of Syrian Regime Will Harm Christians and Muslims
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun noted on Wednesday that the fall of the Syrian regime will not benefit Christians or Muslims, saying that the solution to the crisis lies in change and stability.
He told UPI: “Should the Syrian regime be overthrown, then the Christians and Muslims won’t have any freedom.”
“Introducing change without stability results in violence and chaos, while introducing stability without change will result in dictatorship,” he added.
“We have voiced our support for constitutional amendments that would create freedom and democracy in Syria,” he stated.
“If a peaceful solution is possible, then we cannot support a solution that resorts to violence,” he added.
“We will support amendments regardless of the form of the regime,” the MP continued.
Asked about the fate of Christians in the region, Aoun replied: “We fear the transition towards the establishment of a unified religious view that would result in a unilateral political view.”
“The region is struggling with extremist groups that oppose political freedoms and consider democracy an enemy of Sharia law,” he noted.
This is why countries that witnesses popular revolts, such as Tunisia and Egypt, are still witnessing unrest, Aoun continued.
Addressing the developments in the region, the FPM leader said that the United States and the West support Israel, “and should we support their policies, we would become extinct.”
“I do not have poor relations with the West … I am only defending myself and this country,” he stated.
On Turkey’s role in the region, he remarked: “It is seeking to revive Ottoman traditions that have negatively affected us and that ended with the First World War.”
“The Ottoman policy was a contributing factor in harming Islamic-Christian coexistence,” he added.
Addressing the Lebanese government, he said: “There is nothing stopping the government from persisting until the 2013 parliamentary elections.”
“We cannot control the external tensions that are affecting the situation in Lebanon,” Aoun noted.
“If some sides in government sought to sabotage the cabinet’s functioning, then we have no problem in changing it,” he stated.
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