Eric Lobendel is categorical that Bashar Assad will fall out of power at some point, but it must be time if there will be more strikes in Syria depends only on the Syrian authorities, the regime and its allies as well as on the residual chemical weapons. This is what the French Ambassador to Bulgaria Eric Lobendel said in an interview with Nova. He added that the strikes were targeted for specific purposes in Syria and that the first estimates were effective.
"In terms of hit success, our assessment is that they were successful. Syrian Air Force Defense was by no means effective, "the ambassador said.
According to him, if the regime in Syria still has chemical weapons, the verification mechanism needs to be restored. "This is an extremely strict mechanism that was set up by the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons," said Eric Lobendel.
The Ambassador added that France had insisted on such hits in 2013, but for various reasons they were not implemented. "To date, we have no certainty as to what chemical weapons are in Syria," the ambassador said.
He also explained that Paris has proposed a general action plan in Syria, which consists of 4 steps that must be carried out gradually in order to establish lasting peace and democracy in the state. The first is the complete destruction of the Syrian chemical program. The second step is the complete elimination of terrorists from an Islamic state. After that, military action must be discontinued and humanitarian action taken. Finally, a lasting political solution must be achieved.
"What we wanted to achieve with these blows is to look for a political solution, not a military solution. The goal is not Bashar Assad, because his removal is the fourth step of our plan. It can not be done at the same time. The removal of Assad is linked to a lasting political solution. There must be a new Constitution in Syria, new elections. The Syrian people must choose their fate, "said Eric Lobendel.
The ambassador is clear that Syria can not have a lasting political future with Assad. "There will be a moment to go. The way of political settlement is gradual, "he said.
The head of the French mission in Bulgaria added that the goal of the West is to convince Russia that it is time to start playing a constructive role in Syria. "Russia has interests in Syria, but it does not stand in a constructive way. After these blows, we regained confidence. We need to make the Russians understand that they have to act constructively, "the ambassador added.
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