Main Syrian opposition group urges Algeria to pull support for Syrian regime

By Mohammad Mistou

ISTANBUL (AA) - The main Syrian opposition group urged Algeria on Wednesday to stop supporting Bashar al-Assad, stressing that the regime lacks legitimacy with Syrians.

The request came in a letter to Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra by Salem al-Meslet, president of the Syrian Opposition Coalition. The letter was published on the group's website.

Al-Meslet expressed regret that "the official Algerian position was on the side of the Assad regime which committed mass crimes and massacres against civilians in Syria."

Allowing the Assad regime to remain in power "will have dire consequences for Syria and its future and for all Arab countries," he said.

Al-Meslet also cited "Algeria's political and diplomatic role in finding a solution in Syria" and to make "decisions that serve the cause of the Syrian people, Arab and regional issues."

Following the brutal crackdown by the Syrian regime against peaceful rallies in 2011 demanding democratic reforms and an end to corruption, the majority of the Arab League’s member-states voted Nov. 12, 2011, to suspend Syria’s membership. Algeria was among just a few countries that opposed the suspension.

As of 2021, Arab normalization steps with the Syrian regime, however, have accelerated, especially by Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, and Egypt, represented by mutual meetings, reopening of embassies, agreements, and economic understandings.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara