The US State Department has expressed its “deep disappointment and alarm” at the invitation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to visit the United Arab Emirates, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Price described the call as “the open attempt to legitimize him, responsible for the deaths and suffering of countless Syrians, the displacement of more than half of the Syrian population, and the arbitrary arrest and disappearance of more than 150,000 Syrian men, women and children.”
The US State Department spokesman told Al-Hurra, “As Secretary Blinken emphasized, we do not support efforts to rehabilitate Assad. We do not support others to normalize relations with him, and we were clear about this with our partners.”
Price urged “countries considering engaging with the Assad regime to carefully consider the horrific atrocities the regime has committed against Syrians over the past decade, as well as the regime’s ongoing efforts to prevent humanitarian and security assistance from reaching much of the country.”
Price stressed that “the United States will not lift the sanctions on Syria or abandon it and does not support its reconstruction until irreversible progress is made towards a political solution, which we have not seen yet.”
Price expressed his belief that stability in Syria and the region can only be achieved through a political process that represents the will of all Syrians. “We are committed to working with allies, partners and the United Nations towards a lasting political solution,” he concluded.
Al-Assad visited the UAE on Friday, the first for an Arab country since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011, according to what was announced by the official Emirates News Agency (WAM).
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the de facto ruler of the Emirates, and the ruler of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid, received the Syrian president to discuss “fraternal relations” between the two countries and efforts to “consolidate security, stability and peace in the Arab region and the Middle East,” as reported. Wam.”
Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States said in a joint statement, Tuesday, that they “do not support efforts to normalize relations with the Assad regime.”