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Islamists won’t have any role in Syria, opposition politician says

The islamists must not be allowed to gain power, Louay Hussein says

BEIRUT, February 13. /TASS/. There is no place for political Islam in Syria, President of the Building of the Syrian State (BSS) party Louay Hussein said in an interview with TASS on Monday.

"We believe that every party with an Islamic political doctrine has a little Daesh [Arabic acronym for the Islamic State] in it. Their fanatic essence will sooner or later show itself when the necessary conditions emerge," the opposition politician warns.

Over the years of the conflict, Syrians have familiarized themselves with the IS, Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham and other extremists who have religious intolerance. "They must not be allowed to power," he stressed.

The Building of the Syrian State party, founded in 2011 in Damascus, maintains contacts with other opposition groups calling for a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis. Louay Hussein took part in the meeting of the Syrian opposition members with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, held in Moscow on January 27.  

Astana talks 

Syria is starting to switch from war and havoc to reconstruction and democratic revival, Hussein said: 

The conference in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana on January 23-24 "stopped the conflict in Syria and opened the door to a political process."

"The meeting in the Kazakh capital became a turning point and now the issue arises on forming a transition body that will include representatives of the regime and the opposition as envisaged by Resolution 2254 of the UN Security Council," he said.

In the interview, the politician spoke about the outcome of the Syrian opposition’s forum in Beirut on February 9-10 attended by the representatives of secular-oriented political parties.

"We consider that we should not wait until the international community starts dealing with rebuilding Syria. Already today we need to think about steps on the path for building a new state that won’t look like the previous one," Hussein stressed.

The participants of the Beirut forum created a new alliance of the Syrian opposition - the National Bloc - and adopted a platform of a transition period, the politician said.

"As the opposition’s force, we see our task in assisting the consolidation of society and all political groups. The thing is that Syria is split into supporters of the opposition and those who remain loyal to the regime. These are two poles that do not cooperate with each other and someone should become a bridge between them," he said.

The Building the Syrian State party, founded in 2011 in Damascus, is part of the patriotic wing of the Syrian opposition. Its leader belongs to the Alawites, a branch of Islam, and President Bashar Assad is its fellow. Louay Hussein took part in the meeting of the Syrian opposition members with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, held in Moscow on January 27.

Elections under UN control

The politician said the meeting in the Kazakh capital on January 23-24 "became a turning point and now the issue arises on forming a transition body that will include representatives of the regime and the opposition as envisaged by Resolution 2254 of the UN Security Council."

The issue of the Syrian presidency "should not be discussed at international platforms now or in the future." "Everything will be solved by the expression of will of the Syrian people through holding general elections under international control," Hussein said

The vote should be held "freely and fairly, that’s why the participation of UN monitors is necessary and is envisaged by the UN Security Council."