US President Joe Biden on Sunday hailed the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, calling it a “fundamental act of justice.”
He further said that the fall of the regime is a moment of historic opportunity for the Syrian people to rebuild their nation.
Biden made the remarks on the latest developments in Syria.
“After 13 years of civil war in Syria, more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Basher Assad, his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office and flee the country,” Biden said.
“At long last, the Assad regime has fallen, this regime brutalized and tortured and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians. The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice, it’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country,” he added.
However, Biden acknowledged that the latest development also brings uncertainty and risk. He pledged that the United States would work with its partners and Syrian stakeholders to help stabilise the country and support its transition.
“It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty as we all turn to the question of what comes next. The United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk,” Biden said.
Describing the US policy on Syria, Biden said that his administration made it clear that sanctions on Assad would remain in place unless he would end Civil War.
He said, “Over the past four years, my administration pursued a clear principal policy towards Syria. First, we made clear from the start that sanctions on Assad would remain in place unless he engaged seriously in a political process to end the Civil War as outlined by the UN Security Council resolution passing in 2015 but Assad refused so we carried out a comprehensive sanction program against him and all those responsible for atrocities against the Syrian people.”
“Second, we maintained our military presence in Syria to counter ISIS, to counter the support of local partners as well on the ground,” Biden added.
Following the latest developments in Syria, Biden pledged US support to Syria by engaging with all Syrian groups to establish an “independent, sovereign Syria.”
“We now see new opportunities opening up for the people of Syria and for the entire region. Looking ahead, the United States will do the following. First, we will support Syria’s neighbours including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel. Should any threat arise from Syria during this period of transition I will speak with leaders of the region in the coming days. Second, we will help ensure stability in eastern Syria…,” Biden said.
He added, “Third, we will engage with all Syrian groups to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward independent, sovereign Syria with a new constitution, a new government that serves all Syrians. This process will be determined by the Syrian people themselves and the United States will do whatever we can to support them including through humanitarian relief to help restore Syria after more than a decade of war and generations of brutality by the Assad family and finally, we will remain vigilant to make no mistake. Some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses. We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days and they’re saying the right things now but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words but their actions.”
Notably, the situation in Syria remains a focal point for all the other nations after Syrian rebels on Sunday entered Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee for an unknown destination, ending his over two-decade rule in the country.
The development came hours after rebels claimed to have captured Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, to the north of the country.
The head of Syria’s main opposition group abroad Hadi al-Bahra Syrian said that Damascus is now “without Bashar al-Assad” according to Reuters. This came after Syrian rebels claimed capturing Damascus.
“The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled,” the armed opposition said in a statement.
The civil war in the country that had remained dormant for a few years resurfaced and within a span of a few weeks, the Syrian rebel groups took over several key cities like Aleppo, Homs and Daraa.