The Syria Monitor

Khaddam Interviews (6/6)

Following the first conference of the National Salvation Front in London, Abdel Halim Khaddam gave interviews to AFP and UPI. Here are some excerpts from Khaddam's interview with AFP (Arabic. Elaph, 6/5/06).

Asked about the means to be used to change the regime in Syria, Khaddam said: "There exists in Syria a state of tension and suffering first because of repression and injustice and  also because of poverty, hunger, and the economic crisis from which the country is suffering. ... There is popular pent-up tension, and there is fear and anxiety on the part of the regime, that is why it's using the security services to arrests citizens, especially intellectuals and writers, as it is in a state of fear of the domestic situation and the possibility of this situation quickly turning into a popular movement that would put it in a difficult position and lead to its downfall. The role of the National Salvation Front is to release this tension so as to reach the stage of civil disobedience, leading to the toppling of the regime peacefully. We will not resort to violence. ... We will not accept a military coup because we think that military coups have brought many disasters to Syria and other Arab states."

As for the Front's relations with other opposition forces in Syria, Khaddam said: "There are several organizations, and we are working on contacting these forces in order to unify everyone's efforts to make sure the change succeeds with everyone's participation. We will achieve this because we have common goals and the same motivations, and there are no contradictions between us as members of the opposition.

Khaddam was also asked about what the Front expected from the international community. He replied: "Our message to the international community is not to cover the mistakes of this regime and to help the Syrian people in confronting this crisis and getting rid of this tyrannical, corrupt regime which has lost both national and international legitimacy. Certainly we will work on explaining the situation in Syria for there to be a better understanding of this situation and in order to have a better movement towards supporting the Syrian people to get rid of this current crisis it's living in."

Khaddam gave another interview to UPI (Arabic. Al-Mustaqbal, 6/5/06). Here are some excerpts from that interview:

"Syria has two choices: the first is to continue with the current situation with the result being the end of Syria and the continued suffering of the Syrian people. The other path is to return to the people and build a new democratic system that adopts the principle of rotation in power through free elections. It would also guarantee the freedom of citizens, the freedom of society, and the freedom of groups and individuals ... and end the policy of isolation, discrimination, and ostracism."

Responding to a question about Iran's regional policy and its alliance with Syria, Khaddam replied,  "Bashar Assad is not a strategic ally of Iran, but only a strategic tool." And commenting on the demands for Hezbollah's disarmament, he said, "Hezbollah has committed a sin in joining the political process [while retaining its arms]. ...  [The unresolved status of the Shebaa Farms] has pushed other parties to ask why Lebanon should be held hostage to the policy of Bashar Assad or Iran."

Excerpts from the NSF Press Conference (6/5)

At the conclusion of the NSF conference in London, a press conference was held where Abdel Halim Khaddam, Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, and other members of the secretariat general spoke to the media. Here are some excerpts from the press conference (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/6/06).

Asked about the mechanisms of change and the issue of foreign intervention, Khaddam answered: "The Front's manifesto is clear: change must be from within and by the Syrian people. We will not invite any Arab or international power to interfere in the process of change. ... We will not drag ourselves or others into creating complicated circumstances in the region. Change will be peaceful and not through bloodletting or armed revolution." However, he said that the NSF would discuss these things in its institutions, not in the media, as publicizing them would cause harm to people inside Syria. He added that it is the people who will be leading the movement for change.

Khaddam stressed that "those who believe that change will lead to disturbances and instability are saying that we remain under authoritarianism and under economic hardship and unemployment, and that hundreds should remain in jail, and that freedoms should remain absent."

Responding to a question about sectarianism and the need to put at ease the Alawites and other sects and minorities, Khaddam said that the Front "is not sectarian. It represents the political currents that exist in Syria." As for the absence of Alawite names in the Front, Khaddam clarified that "there are Alawites in the Front, but out of concern for them and their families, their names were not publicized. When the temporary government is declared, it will include names from all the sects." He added, "The regime is trying to scare the Alawite community in order to hide behind it ... [but the regime's] persecution has included the Alawites."

Commenting on the same issue, Bayanouni said, "The regime is trying to incite civil strife and to give the illusion that the Alawite community is targeted." He added, "We don't follow the method of takfir (labeling people infidels)... The Alawites are our brothers along with all the sects that belong to Islam. ... The Alawites are our partners in the homeland. It's natural for the regime to spread fear in the community. Bashar Assad is saying 'either me or [sectarian] strife' in order to hide behind [the threat of] strife."

Khaddam added, "Every sect has its rites, and all are united by Islam. Muslims also complement Christians in the framework of national unity. ... There will be no [sectarian] strife, and the regime will go."

On the Kurdish issue, Khaddam said that it was discussed and decisions were made that would solve the problem. "We realize there is a problem and the Front will work on solving it."

Salah Badreddine, a Kurdish member of the NSF secretariat general, commented on the Kurdish issue and said, "Our desire was to see the conference adopt a number of the issues we raised, but since the conference is a coalition, and there were many reservations, we ended up agreeing on the common principles." He added, "I would have liked [for the conference] to support the the political process in Iraq and to support the federalist style of government in Iraq, but some of the brothers expressed their reservations, and so it did not appear in the concluding statement."

Asked about the right for self-determination, Badreddine said, "We are a front, and there are common agendas. Our common goal is democratic change in Syria and a new constitution that meets the ambitions of all the constituents of the Syrian people." He added, "Any people in the world, including the Kurdish people, have the right for self-determination." The NSF conference's concluding statement made reference to "the glaring injustice that has befallen the Kurdish citizens," and said that it should be addressed "within the framework of national unity and citizens' rights, as well as the  ability to exercise political, cultural, economic and social rights, like all the other elements and constituents of the Syrian people, as will be specified in the new constitution." (Arabic. An-Nahar, via "Free Syria," 6/6/06).

On relations with Lebanon Khaddam said, "the Front's manifesto made reference to Lebanon's independence and to the establishment of a relation based on equality without any form of interference. This is translated through establishing diplomatic relations."

On relations with other factions in the opposition, Bayanouni reiterated the commitment to the principles of the Damascus Declaration.  Furthermore, he said that membership in the Front does not restrict members from seeking other alliances so long as they do not contradict the Front's principles, and the Front "does not abandon the framework of the principles of the Damascus Declaration." He did admit to differences with some of the Damascus Declaration (DD) groups, confirming that the DD had nothing to do with the NSF. However both the NSF and the Damascus Declaration parties did agree that the current regime is not reformable, and therefore "change is the demand of everyone." The NSF has stressed in the concluding statement that it was "not an alternative to any national opposition group including the Damascus Declaration which the cornerstone of the national opposition movement." The statement also declared its solidarity with the political prisoners in Syria.

As for the Muslim Brotherhood's view of secular liberal parties and democracy, Bayanouni said, "We stressed in our ["Document of the National] Project [for Change"] on peaceful rotation in power and cooperation with others." As for democracay, Bayanouni added, "we are calling for it as a strategic, not a tactical, option. .. We have participated in Parliament and cabinets in the past."

As for whether there were plans to form a government in exile, Bayanouni said, "There is no intention to form a government. At a certain stage, in order not to have a power vacuum, it may be possible to form a government in cooperation with all the other parties." The NSF concluding statement suggested forming a transitional government with the rest of the national political forces for a maximum period of six months, "when the time is right." This government would adopt the 1950 constitution and would work within its framework until a new consitution was written. It would also abolish emergency laws and would return citizenship to those from whom it was stripped for political reasons.

NSF Conference in London (6/4-5)

The National Salvation Front (NSF), led by former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam and the head of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, held its first conference in London on June 4 and 5 at the Dorchester hotel in London. The conference, which had invited around 50 opposition figures in exile, especially Kurds, Communists, and independents, and none from inside Syria (Arabic. AKI, 6/2/06), was attended by around 80 people according to al-Hayat (Arabic. 6/5/06), 75 according to The Times.

The purpose of the conference was for the NSF to declare its organizational structure (the general congress, the central committee, and the secretariat general), and to set its future policy and plan of action for regime change in Syria. The secretariat general is comprised of ten members: Khaddam, Bayanouni, Jean Abdallah, Bashar al-Aysami, Salah Badreddine, Zuheir Salem, Salah Ayyash, Najib Ghadban, Obeida Nahas, and Hussam al-Dairi. The NSF also launched a bilingual website (the English site is still under construction).

The opening session was broadcast live on Radio Sawa and covered by several Arab and international media (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/4/06). Khaddam and Bayanouni both gave opening speeches. In his opening remarks, Khaddam said that Syrians have before them "a path that we must take to break authoritarianism and its regime so that the people could regain their right to self-determination and to choose their leaders," stressing that "there is but one choice and that is for Syrians to choose the path of change and democracy." (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/4/06).

Acknowledging the difficulties that lay ahead, Khaddam said that these difficulties must be properly understood and then "we must work to overcome them." He emphasized the need to "break all the walls between us," and the need to "come out of these meetings with a clear picture and clear programs to convince the Syrian people that we are up to the task." He added, "The homeland has become a large prison and the people prisoners," and saluted all the political prisoners in Syria.

For his part, Bayanouni outlined three elements that the regime is using to buttress its position (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/4/06). First is the manipulation of  popular Syrian sentiment through the exploitation of jingoistic nationalism and the notion of an external foe threatening Syria. Second is the manipulation of Arab public opinion with the regime presenting itself as Arab nationalism's last line of defense against foreign designs in the region. Finally, there is the message that the regime is trying to market regionally and internationally, which holds that the only choice is between the regime or chaos and civil war, and therefore the only option is to cut a deal with the regime.

Bayanouni said that the NSF aims to counter all these points with its plan of action. The NSF's efforts would focus on putting the message out in the media in order to reach the masses and to provide them with information in order to mobilize them out of the state of passivity through better communication between the opposition and the people. The media discourse would counter the regime's propaganda to the Arab public opinion by focusing on its tyranny, corruption, and its willingness to cut deals with foreign powers in order to remain in power. And finally, the opposition would intensify its contacts and relations in the region. It would also work to undermine the regime's claim that it is the only guarantor against chaos and civil war, and correct the stereotypical picture the regime is trying to present about the alternatives to its rule.

"We must work diligently to isolate the ruling gang on an official, popular, Arab, and international level, according to a carefully studied plan of action," Bayanouni said. He concluded by reiterating the NSF's commitment to working with the opposition forces, especially those under the banner of the Damascus Declaration.

At the end of the conference, the NSF issued a concluding statement which said that the NSF's "strategic choice is changing this regime which has lost all justification to continue and has incited conflicts in its Arab neighborhood." It called on the Syrians to "break the walls of fear that [the regime] has been building for decades," and called on the armed forces to "take on its national and historic responsibility to be the army of the people," asking them to "protect the homeland and the people, not the corrupt." It also addressed the security forces, "especially its officers who are being used by the regime to oppress citizens," and called on them "to stop the excessive execution of orders by a corrupt group," so that when the regime falls, they won't have to face accountability for their actions. Finally, the statement addressed members of the Baath party and invited them to "join the ranks of the people in order to rid Syria of a corrupt and tyrannical regime." (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/5/06).

NSF Conference Next Week (5/29)

The National Salvation Front (NSF) declared that it will be holding a conference in London on June 4-5 in order to put forward its plan of action for peaceful regime change in Syria (Arabic. AFP via Elaph, 5/29/06).

A source close to Abdel Halim Khaddam told AFP that the conference "will include, alongside former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam and the head of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, fifty Syrian opposition figures living outside Syria and belonging maily to Kurdish parties, Communists, and independents." No figures or parties from the opposition inside Syria will take part in the conference.

The Front will decide in the conference on a "comperhensive plan of action" to peacfeully change the regime in Syria, according to the same source. The source added that "the month of June will be an important stop," pointing out that the London conference "will take place a few days before the head of the [UN] International Investigative Commission into the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri submits his report to the Security Council in mid-June."

Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey & Upcoming NSF Meeting in Brussels (5/8)

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) followed its visit to Lebanon with another to Turkey, where the MB delegation (which also included a representative of the Syrian Human Rights Committee) met with representatives of civil society groups, political parties, and academics (Arabic. Levant News, 5/8/06).

The delegation participated in a sit-in (organized by a Turkish human rights organization) in front of the Syrian embassy and gave a talk and answered questions about the situation in Syria, namely "random arrests, missing people, refugees forced out of their homes, travel bans, Kurdish suffering, absence of public freedoms, and mock trials before the State Security Court."

The delegation then held a lengthy and widely covered press conference in Istanbul. It also visited with a number of Turkish human rights organizations and agreed with them to "support the human rights of the Syrian people."

They then met with heads of various Turkish parties and MPs at the Turkish Parliament. Reportedly, the Turks were shocked at the level of deterioration of the human rights situation in Syria having thought that Bashar Asad had brought about real change. They also rejected the regime's official PR campaign in light of its repression and abuse of human rights at home.

According to MB sources, some Turkish MPs promised to bring up the matter in Parliament, stressing "the need to condition the relation with the Syrian regime on its respect for the rights of the Syrian people and for democracy." Also, a Turkish human rights organization, Mazlum Dar, sent a letter to the Syrian embassy inquiring about the status of human rights in Syria, including the matter of Law 49 (which bans membership in the MB), but the embassy did not reply.

Ammar Abdulhamid dubbed the visit "quite a significant event," and commented on it in a recent post on his blog:

What is the significance of this event? Well, it comes as a prelude to the May 20th meeting of the National Salvation Front in Brussels, when the final formation of the Front will be decided and its basic mission unveiled. Even though no government in exile will be officially formed at this stage, the NSF is bound to behave as such in many ways, as its leaders plan to embark on a massive diplomatic effort to explain their cause to the world in the following months.

Indeed, Salah Ayyash, a member of the NSF, told reporters "we in the Salvation Front support the meetings that the delegation of the Syrian MB held with political and religious figures in neighboring states, as the group has a right to meet with various parties and explain its political vision as it relates to Syria and the region, and they will one day participate in the independent government in the new Syria." (Arabic. UPI via "Free Syria," 5/13/06).

Asked about why the meetings were confined to the MB, Ayyash responded, "the NSF has put forth its political program but has not yet formed committees and we hope that in the upcoming meeting we will form the political committee that will be responsible for contacting Arab players."

Ayyash also revealed that the NSF is looking at reaching the Syrian people through media outlets. He also said that the NSF is looking to open offices in various countries in the region, including Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, in order to be closer to the Syrian people. This matter will be presented once the Front's committees are formed and they start discussion with the various Arab states.

"The political committee which will be formed in the next meeting will initiate contacts to explain the point of view of the NSF on the process of change in Syria and the suffering of the Syrian people under the current regime in Damascus," the Paris-based Ayyash said.

Brotherhood Comments on their Relationship with DD (4/20)

The head of the London-based Levant Institute, Obaida Nahas, denied the existence of any conflict between the Muslim Brotherhood the Damascus Declaration (Arabic. Levant News, 4/20/06).

Nahas, who is close to the MB's Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni and was his representative at a recent London panel with members of the DD, said that the opposition has more awareness than to fall into the trap set by the regime, which is trying to sow divisions within the opposition.

He added that the MB has asserted its commitment to the Declaration, and that the document of the National Salvation Front proves this commitment. Furthermore, he said, the temporary committee of the DD has reiterated that the MB is an indivisible part of the DD.

Nahas pointed out that the opposition "was coordinating at a very high level," even when complete agreement on all things is naturally not possible, "the DD did represent the peak of consensus on shared views, which forms the basis for political coalitions." As such, "the DD was formed in order to vitalize the work of the opposition, and not to confine it, as it does not prevent its members from entering into other alliances."

He noted that the secret of the opposition's cohesion has been the constant discussion and dialogue among its members, which is the way for them to solve their differences. Nahas denied that the DD was threatened, and that is because it is not a party, "but a gathering built on democratic dialogue in order to achieve democratic change."

He further defended the Declaration rejecting any claims that it has become a tool in the hands of the regime saying, "the DD's committee has rejected the regime's security pressures, which included the arrest of various members of the committee, and the regime's demands that the committee adopt a [negative] stand vis à vis the MB, and they refused and reaffirmed that the MB was a member of the DD. That in itself is the greatest proof that the Declaration is not a tool in the hands of the regime." He added, "we in the opposition understand the slow pace of the DD's temporary committee because of these pressures, as the authorities have repeatedly prevented them from meeting and from holding public activities. But the Declaration has so far managed to remain an umbrella for all the opposition groups."

Prominent Dissident Riad al-Turk on Khaddam (4/18)

Veteran dissident Riad al-Turk, told Elaph on April 16, "we are not betting on Khaddam's opposition because he is but one person in the opposition ... but while we are not forced to support Khaddam, nor should we fight him on behalf of the regime."  He added that "it is normal right now to see defectors among Syrian officials and we are open to all, including Baathists." (Arabic. Elaph. 4/16/06).

Turk noted that the Syrian crackdown on the opposition began after the Baath Party Conference last June, but has been escalating "to keep the domestic front calm." He added, "the regime feels it is in a decisive moment that could determine its fate, so it is resisting." (Arabic. Levant News, 4/16/06).

Turk thought that the regime was being unjust in its crackdown, as the opposition is currently unable to mobilize the street. "The main battle is between the regime and Washington," he said. "The national Syrian opposition is in the middle." Turk held the regime responsible for any potential American military intervention.

Continued Mixed Signals from DD on Khaddam Alliance (4/15-17)

Hasan Abdel Azim, spokesman for the National Democratic Gathering (a coalition of five opposition parties), told Bahia Mardini of Elaph that the Damascus Declaration (DD) has responded to a letter they received from the Muslim Brotherhood to explain and justify the its alliance with former VP Khaddam, and is now awaiting their MB's reply (Arabic. Elaph. 4/18/06).

Azim  denied  that the temporary committee of the DD had asked the MB to choose between it and the National Salvation Front (NSF). He said the issue was not a matter of making the MB choose, instead "there is a need to have certain strictures that govern all the forces of the DD."  Arabic. Levant News, 4/17/06).

Abdel Azim also said that the DD still does not have an official spokesperson for the temporary committee as a whole. This was seen as a way for him to deny that he, or anyone else, could speak for the DD, and seemed to apply in particular to Muhyiddine al-Ladqani, the secretary general of the Syrian Democratic Movement, who represented the DD at a panel in London on Saturday (4/15).

The panel was called by the Syrian Committee for National Coordination in Europe to discuss Syria's political future especially after the establishment of the NSF. A representative of the MB was also in attendance.

According to a report on the panel in Elaph, Ladqani adopted a very tough position on Khaddam, warning against any cooperation with him and saying that his final gift to the regime, of which he was a pillar, is to scatter of the opposition (Arabic. Elaph, 4/12/06).

According to the same Elaph report another member of the temporary committee of the DD, Fateh Jamous, a leader of the Communist Labor Party, said that the MB has made a historic error in allying with Khaddam, and that the temporary committee had studied Bayanouni's letter justifying joining the NSF and found it unconvincing.

The representative of the MB at the panel, Obaida al-Nahas, director of the London-based Levant Institute, defended the alliance and claimed that the DD allowed for such an alliance when it suggested working with Baathist defectors. Nahas criticized the current status of DD, saying it is no longer dynamic and its activity has been frozen.

Brotherhood Defends Khaddam Alliance (4/6)

The Muslim Brotherhood  (MB)has reiterated its adherence to the Damascus Declaration (DD), and stated that the principles of the National Salvation Front (NSF)_are not in contradiction with those the DD. The MB also noted that the DD does not restrict the political activities of its signatories (Arabic. Levant News, 4/7/06).

This comes after the temporary committee of the DD debated on April 6th how to react to the MB's alliance with former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam, and concluded that the MB should decide whether it wishes to remain within the parameters of the DD.

The MB responded by stressing that the opposition groups that were invited to the Brussels conference in March where the NSF was formed were Syrian political forces abroad that are supportive of the DD. The MB has maintained that the work of the opposition abroad complements that of the opposition inside Syria, only with more freedom to operate.

There were also rumors of stress inside the MB over the alliance with Khaddam. Muhammad Farouq Tayfour, Bayanouni's deputy and head of the MB's politburo, was said to have left the Brotherhood because of Bayanouni's contacts with Khaddam. Tayfour was quoted as saying that Khaddam was "the last to talk about reform in Syria" (Arabic. Al-Diyar via Pax Tharwa, 4/6/06).

However, in an exclusive statement to Levant News (Arabic. 4/6/06), Tayfour described Khaddam's switch to the opposition and the formation of the NSF, as "one of the most important slaps to the Syrian regime of tyranny and corruption," adding, "[it] opened the door wide for the members of the crumbling regime in Damascus to defect and join the ranks of the honorable national opposition, under the ceiling of the principles of the DD which is the common ground for all parties of the Syrian opposition."

Tayfour went on to say that the MB in Syria "through its cohesion and the unity of its ranks and through the work of its leadership, led with a team spirit by the General Guide Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, has managed to achieve more in the way of bringing together the factions of the Syrian opposition." He expressed his hope for "the NSF to be one of the active pillars of the Syrian opposition and one capable of bringing about change."

Tayfour further praised the Bayanouni's leadership stressing his consultative approach "which makes everyone a partner in the decision making."

Bahia Mardini, who also covered this story for Elaph, quoted sources inside the MB as saying that Issam Attar, the former leader of the MB now living in Germany, was not trying to form a rival wing inside the MB (Arabic. 4/6/06). Bashar Asad had appointed Attar's sister, Najah Attar, as second VP in March, fueling speculation about the regime's intentions behind this move.

The story about the alleged split inside the MB, which appeared in the pro-Asad Lebanese daily Al-Diyar, also claimed that the alliance with Khaddam had caused a split in the Canada-based Democratic Syrian Gathering , which participated in the Brussels conference. The Gathering issued a statement denying any such split, saying that the story was a plant by the Syrian regime (Arabic. Via "Free Syria", 4/16/06).

More on Friday's Damascus Declaration Meeting

More information has come out on the meeting held by the temporary committee of the Damascus Declaration (DD) to discuss its position on the Muslim Brotherhood after the latter's alliance with former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam (for the initial report, see here.)

Levant News focused on statements by some members of the temporary committee to the effect that since it is not a political party [it is a declaration to which different parties are signatories], it hja has no mechanism to exclude the MB from its ranks (Arabic. 4/7/06). Levant News hailed this as a refusal by the temporary committee to cave in to regime pressures, noting that the security forces have been summoning many of the DD sginatories and pressuring them openly to issue a statement expelling the MB. In fact, the security forces prevented the participants from meeting in Hasan Abdel Azim's office, as planned, fording them to meet elsewhere.

Aziz Dawoud, a member of the temporary committee quoted in the report, stressed that "the MB was not expelled or excised." He added, "we as the [forces of the] DD are not against Bayanouni or Khaddam. They are free to take their own positions if they so choose. However, we are not with the NSF [the National Salvation Front], since it differs in its principles and proposals with the DD." The DD thus seemed to reiterate its earlier assertions that it has nothing to do with the NSF, or the Brussels meeting  last March (where the NSF was formed). "We were not consulted in any way, and we have nothing to do with the [Brussels] conference and what came of it," said Dawoud.

Dawoud went on to say that one of the ideas discussed in  Friday's meeting was to present the MB with a choice in the future : "If they want to remain with us, there are specific conditions and that is the adherence to the principles of the Declaration." He pointed to a difference in vision between the DD and the NSF, as the NSF wants a temporary government, in contradiction with the DD. "If they want to remain with the DD they [the MB] will have to clarify their position in the future," he said.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti al-Siyasah (Arabic [PDF]. 4/9/06) quoted a statement to the Agence France Press by Hasan Abdel Azim, the spokesman for the National Democratic Gathering [a signatory of the DD], in which he took a sterner line than Dawoud, but essentially repeated the same message: "Bayanouni has justified his participation in the Brussels conference and the NSF by saying that he had sent us letters of consultation that never reached us. We have decided to send him a message to tell him that this is unacceptable and that the DD is not just a declaration of principles. It is also a standard of action that organizes [political] activism inside the country and brings together the internal political powers." He added, "Those who wish to work within the framework of the DD have to adhere to its set principles and its insitutions. Those who wish to establish other alliances have to choose between the DD and these other alliances." (See also Abdel Azim's statements to Elaph here. [Arabic, 4/7/06]. The Elaph report also quotes Abdel Majid Manjouna of the temporary committee of the DD as saying that there was no quarrel with the MB as long as they adhere to the principles of the DD and as long as they continue to work within its parameters.)

The report noted that Abdel Azim had said similar things to UPI earlier: "the DD is not simply a declaration of principles. Rather, it represents political powers and alliances, and national committees and forces. Therefore, anyone working within it should not seek other alliances before getting an approval from the DD."

Nevertheless, Abdel Azim rejected the implication of a split in the opposition saying, "the DD has unified the opposition inside and abroad and there are no splits whatsoever... The DD has made its choice and unified the ranks of the opposition, as well as its causes and its discourse," adding, "the Syrian opposition is now stronger and more cohesive than ever."

Finally, he said that the DD "represents a large segment of sympathizers on the street who are not necessarily members of its signatory parties." He added, "we represent the largest segments of the nationalist, leftist Marxist, liberal, and political Islamic movements." He did admit however that even though there are various individual Islamic figures and scholars under the Declaration's banner, each with their respective following, the MB was the only Islamic organization in the DD.